Azure Virtual Desktop (#AVD) x Windows 365 (#W365) x Windows Insider Program Table of contents How to enable the Windows Insider Preview Build Resources How to enable the Windows Insider Preview Build Are you interested in getting early access to new features and updates for Windows? If so, you might want to consider joining the Windows Insider Program. This program allows you to preview builds of the upcoming release of Windows and provide feedback to help shape the future of the operating system. Here’s how to enable the Windows Insider Preview Build: Open the Settings app on your Window ..read more

Windows 365 Custom USB and device redirection Table of contents Introduction Device redirection overview Step 1. Configure your Windows 365 Cloud PC Step 2. Configure your local Windows PC Step 3. Testing Conclusion Resources Introduction Transitioning to a Cloud PC was never that easy and since Microsoft is using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) users can connect peripherals like cameras, USB drives, and printers from remote devices. To understand which redirections are supported on which platform, I recommend to check this doc Compare the clients. This articel and the setting only work w ..read more

Next-Level AVD Insights: Leveraging Azure Monitor Agent’s Advanced Capabilities Table of contents Introduction Understanding the Function of Azure Monitor Agent Enabling AVD Insight (Preview) Using Azure Monitor Agent Provisioning AVD Session Hosts with Azure Monitor Agent via ARM Template Validating Azure Monitor Data for AVD Insights Conclusion Introduction The current AVD Insights are based on Azure Log Analytics workspaces that use multiple agents such as Monitoring Dependency Agent or Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA) to collect monitoring data from session hosts. AVD Insights visualize ..read more

Azure Virtual Desktop (#AVD) x Shutdown and deallocate Session host at logoff Table of contents Introduction Components and workflow Setup shutdown and deallocation on disconnect Conclusion Introduction Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) costs come from two sources: underlying Azure resource consumption and licensing. In the cloud, we want to “Do More, With Less” and maximize the efficiency, ROI and costs of our cloud environment. For AVD this means; the less users are connected to their personal session hosts, the less compute resources should be allocated. In this article, we’ll explain how to a ..read more

How to support Microsoft 365 apps on multi-session OS from 2026? Table of contents Introduction What are the options? Conclusion Introduction It’s hard to read, but support for Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows Server 2019 ends in October 2025 and on Windows Server 2022 ends in October 2026, when main support for Windows Server 2022 ends. Here are the official statements from Microsoft documentation: Microsoft 365 Apps is supported on Windows Server 2019 only until October 2025. Microsoft 365 Apps is supported on Windows Server 2022 only until October 2026, which is when mainstream support e ..read more

Azure Virtual Desktop (#AVD) x Where am I Table of contents Introduction Windows location service How to enable Location service on Windows 11 for AVD How to enable Location redirection for AVD Look and feel Limitations Conclusion Introduction Traveling across europe with my Van while working on a VDI deployed in Western Europe can be a challenge, especially when route planning. ? (This VDI thinks all the time I am in Amsterdam…) And so, you might have the same or at least a similar challenge that a lot of your deployments are in the North/West Europe Region, but your end users are located ..read more

Azure Virtual Desktop (#AVD) <3 Linux Session Hosts Table of contents Introduction Option I Option II Conclusion Introduction Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is not supporting Linux virtual machines at the moment.Nevertheless, some developers, engineers and other user groups and customers rely on a Linux desktop and they want to benefit from all the security features like MFA, Conditional Access, etc. But it is absolutely possible to provide a Linux Desktop via AVD. Option I One way could be through WSL2. The installation on a Windows 10/11 session host is documented here: Install WSL on Win ..read more

Hi Siri start my engineering demo Table of contents Introduction Automation and workflow The runbook On the iPhone Conclusion Introduction It’s just another day in the office…and a small coffee break, lunch date or (add your break of choise) ends in a highly valuable discussion. But wait, isn’t there a customer demo waiting… No need to rush! It can be so easy: “Hi Siri start my engineering demo” In this blog post, I will show you an easy way how you can start or shutdown virtual machines or perform any tasks in the Azure with your Siri (Sorry Cortana ?). Automation and workflow As an automa ..read more

Azure Virtual Desktop - What is RTT? Let’s go! Table of contents What is RTT? How to find the Azure region with the best RTT for your users What happens when the RTT is too high? How to optimize the RTT Troubleshooting What is RTT? RTT means Round-Trip-Time that is the amount of time it takes for a signal to be sent plus the amount of time it takes for acknowledgement of that signal having been received. This time delay includes propagation times for the paths between the two communication endpoints. Wikipedia Short description for RTT it is the time it takes a package to go from the sender ..read more

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) BCDR and Multi Region Deployments Table of contents Introduction Part I : The compute resources Part II : The data- and storage layer Part III : Images Part IV : FSLogix Part V : Part V : Active-Passive & Site Recovery Conclusion Introduction Azure Virtual Desktop is an global Azure Cloud native service, hosted and managed by Microsoft. But it is essential you consider a vital business continuity and disaster recovery plan. Especially when you design it for scale and growth. In AVD you don’t have to worry about the underlying infrastructure, and the tradition ..read more