{"id":60475,"date":"2020-11-26T13:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-26T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/?p=60475"},"modified":"2021-01-27T13:36:44","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T13:36:44","slug":"windows-virtual-desktop-new-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/2020\/11\/26\/windows-virtual-desktop-new-features\/","title":{"rendered":"New Features & Capabilities in Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” title_text_color=”#ffffff” meta_text_color=”#ffffff” background_color=”#3d3d3d” background_image=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/New-Features-Capabilities-in-Windows-Virtual-Desktop-WVD_featured-image-1.jpg” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”200px||100px||false|false”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.6″ header_3_text_color=”#e05206″ header_4_text_color=”#e05206″]<\/p>\n

Recently there has been a good handful of new features released into the world of Windows Virtual Desktop\u00a0<\/span>(WVD)\u00a0<\/span>to make your experience just that little bit smoother and quicker.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here we\u00a0<\/span>take a look<\/span>\u00a0at few of the new features, some are still in\u00a0preview\u00a0<\/span>but<\/span>\u00a0we are hopeful that\u00a0<\/span>they\u00a0<\/span>will become Generally Available<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the near future<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

RDP\u00a0Shortpath\u00a0(Preview)<\/h4>\n

RDP\u00a0<\/span>Shortpath<\/span>\u00a0establishes a direct connection with the Windows Virtual Desktop session host, rather\u00a0<\/span>than<\/span>\u00a0through the broker. This will\u00a0<\/span>improve connection reliability as well as\u00a0<\/span>providing\u00a0<\/span>an increase in bandwidth for each user session.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For\u00a0<\/span>Shortpath<\/span>\u00a0to work you will need to have a VPN or ExpressRoute in place. It is based on the highly efficient URC Protocol which interestingly learns network parameters and provides a rate control mechanism.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, in\u00a0<\/span>lehmans<\/span>\u00a0terms, instead of connecting to the session host over the internet, it will connect via ExpressRoute or VPN.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See below a visual representation on RDP\u00a0<\/span>Shortpath<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

RDP\u00a0<\/span>Shortpath<\/span>\u00a0Network Connections. Source: Microsoft<\/span>
<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information and\u00a0<\/span>details on\u00a0<\/span>how to implement this<\/span>\u00a0visit<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/virtual-desktop\/shortpath<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Windows Virtual Desktop QoS (Preview)<\/h4>\n

For this to be implemented you need to be using RDP\u00a0<\/span>Shortpath<\/span>\u00a0(see above)<\/span>. However<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it does enable you to set Quality of Service\u00a0<\/span>(QoS)\u00a0<\/span>policies for RDP data. You will be able to set the traffic to \u201ccut in line\u201d over less sensitive traffic<\/span>\u00a0amongst other polices<\/span>. This can be configured through Group Policies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please note, for this<\/span>\u00a0to be effective, you would need to implement QoS across your business so there\u00a0<\/span>are consistent guide rails for network traffic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This would be good to implement if you see any of the following:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jitter\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u2013 RDP packets arriving at different rates, which can result in visual and audio glitches<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Packet loss<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u2013 packets dropped, which results in retransmission that requires additional time<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Delayed round-trip time (RTT)\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u2013 RDP packets taking a long time to reach their destinations, which result in noticeable delays between input and reaction from the remote application.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More information can be found here:\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/virtual-desktop\/rdp-quality-of-service-qos<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ability to choose an image<\/h4>\n

Now, this is<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0feature\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>has been out for a little while, but\u00a0<\/span>here at N4Stack we find it incredibly<\/span>\u00a0useful<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>\u00a0few months ago, when you created a new host pool with session hosts you had<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0choose one image and then could only deploy new hosts with that\u00a0<\/span>specific\u00a0<\/span>image.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That has now changed<\/span>. F<\/span>or every batch of additional session hosts, you can choose a different image. Imagine this, you have a production WVD environment,\u00a0<\/span>fifty<\/span>\u00a0session hosts and you need to add new applications and update to the latest version of Windows 10.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What next?\u00a0<\/span>Create a new host pool with the new image and write an embarrassing email to all staff, asking them to use a new host pool?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not\u00a0<\/span>anymore<\/span>, you would simply add an additional\u00a0<\/span>fifty<\/span>\u00a0hosts<\/span>, choosing a different image<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0set the other hosts to drain mode\u00a0<\/span>and remove from the host pool.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can also change the VM prefix, making it that little easier to write some PowerShell to remove all the old hosts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Session Listing\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

The session host tab within the portal can now list active and disconnected sessions.\u00a0<\/span>This can also be achieved by running a single line a code in PowerShell, which can be found below<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get-<\/span><\/i>AzWvdUserSession<\/span><\/i>\u00a0–<\/span><\/i>ResourceGroupName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>ResourceGroupName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0–<\/span><\/i>HostPoolName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>HostPoolName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you have this list of sessions you are then able to remove or log of sessions within the same session.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remove-<\/span><\/i>AzWvdUserSession<\/span><\/i>\u00a0–<\/span><\/i>ResourceGroupName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>ResourceGroupName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0–<\/span><\/i>HostPoolName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>HostPoolName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0–<\/span><\/i>SessionHostName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>SessionHostName<\/span><\/i>\u00a0-Id 2<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caveat<\/h4>\n

For all new features that are in preview, we would not recommend this in a production environment as Microsoft can remove or change the feature, which, if you heavily rely on it, could impact your environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our suggestion is to roll the features out to a development environment and if successful, wait until they go Generally Available.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested in finding out more about the features and capabilities of WVD? Get in touch<\/a> with our experts today.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#4f4f4f” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_text_color=”#e05206″]<\/p>\n

Further Insights<\/h3>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb title=”Case Study: Novacroft” url=”https:\/\/n4stack.io\/2020\/09\/15\/getting-hands-on-with-windows-virtual-desktop\/” url_new_window=”on” image=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Download-Document_Grey-150×150.png” font_icon_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” body_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px|false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/n4stack.io\/2020\/09\/15\/getting-hands-on-with-windows-virtual-desktop\/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#e05206″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ font_icon__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”]<\/p>\n

Find out how we helped Novacroft continue uninterrupted through COVID-19 by utilising hybrid cloud and Windows Virtual Desktop.<\/p>\n

Read the case study.<\/a><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb title=”7 Considerations When Pricing WVD” url=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/-PcgwHRtccc” url_new_window=”on” image=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Video_Grey-150×150.png” font_icon_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” body_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px|false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/-PcgwHRtccc” link_option_url_new_window=”on” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#e05206″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ font_icon__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”]<\/p>\n

Grab a coffee and watch our short 2-minute video on the key pricing considerations when deploying Windows Virtual Desktop.<\/p>\n

Watch video.<\/a><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb title=”WVD Deployment Services” url=”https:\/\/n4stack.io\/azure-service-partner\/windows-virtual-desktop\/” url_new_window=”on” image=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Webpage_Grey-150×150.png” font_icon_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” body_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px|false|false” link_option_url=”https:\/\/n4stack.io\/azure-service-partner\/windows-virtual-desktop\/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#e05206″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ font_icon__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”]<\/p>\n

Empower your employees to stay productive wherever they are by deploying Microsoft’s next generation virtual desktop technology.<\/p>\n

View services.<\/a><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Bevelled-1920.jpg”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_image=”off” width=”100%”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_team_member name=”Joe Parr” position=”Azure Platform Engineer” image_url=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/N4Stack-Author-Profile-Joseph-Parr_.png” admin_label=”Joe Parr” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_align=”left” position_text_align=”left” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” global_module=”60114″ saved_tabs=”all”]<\/p>\n

Joe has been in IT for 8 years now, falling into an IT apprenticeship after being turned down from a Mechanics course.<\/p>\n

He has worked up the ranks through first line, systems administrator and managing the internal infrastructure of a business but is now pursuing his ambition of working with cloud computing.<\/p>\n

Get to know more about Joe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_team_member][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Features & Capabilities in Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) Recently there has been a good handful of new features released into the world of Windows Virtual Desktop\u00a0(WVD)\u00a0to make your experience just that little bit smoother and quicker.\u00a0 Here we\u00a0take a look\u00a0at few of the new features, some are still in\u00a0preview\u00a0but\u00a0we are hopeful that\u00a0they\u00a0will become Generally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":60551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[487,8115,8114],"tags":[3121,8116,8113],"yst_prominent_words":[7744,5177,5176,5166],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60475"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60475"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60770,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60475\/revisions\/60770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60475"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=60475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}