KB: Window is blank when you run a RemoteApp program that is located on a Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012-based server

Microsoft released a new KB (2982431) yesterday in regards to possible issues with Remote Apps that run child windows that call the RedrawWindow function. In those cases the child window could become blank. Microsoft has provided a hotfix for Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.

More info & download: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2982431/en-us?sd=rss&spid=16526

KB: Shortcut menu items flicker as you move the mouse pointer over them in a RemoteApp in Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012

A new KB article (2925336) was released by Microsoft in regards to an issue with shortcut menu’s inside a Remote App published on Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8.

”…On a computer that's running Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012, you publish a RemoteApp application. However, when you use the RemoteApp application, you discover that shortcut menu items flicker as you move the mouse pointer over them…”

Source & download: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2925336/en-us?sd=rss&spid=16526

KB: Error "Invalid parameter" when add Domain Local group for VDI collection (2877941)

A new KB article (2877941) was released today (FAST PUBLISH type) regarding adding Domain Local groups to the User Groups section of a Session Collection. Apparently, this is not supported yet, but will be added in Windows Server 2012 R2.

“…Consider the following scenario:
1. Click on a VDI collection (Personal or Pooled)
2. Click Task, then click “Edit properties”
3. In the opened window of the collection properties, click “User Groups”
4. Add a group, the type is "Security Group - Domain Local"
5. Click OK, we see error "Invalid parameter"

This is a known limitation with Windows Server 2012, There is no workarounds other than using other group types. This issue will be fix in Server 2012 R2…”

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2877941/en-us?sd=rss

Running VDI Session-Based Desktops on Azure now supported for SPLA

If you have been following my blog you might have read this blog post I wrote back in September 2012 about a test drive I performed running a VDI Session-Based Desktop deployment on Windows Azure. Read it here: Running a Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services environment on Azure.

Back then running Remote Desktop Services roles on Windows Azure was not officially supported (yet). Microsoft has recently changed their support statement on this, and therefore running a Session-Based Desktop Deployment on Windows Azure is now officially supported by Microsoft but can however only be licensed using SPLA. The PUR of July 2013 has been updated with the following statement;

Remote Desktop Services. Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Subscriber Access Licenses (SALs) purchased through the Microsoft Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA) may be used to deliver graphical user interface functionality on Windows Azure virtual machines. RDS Client Access Licenses (CALs) purchased through other Volume Licensing programs including the Enterprise Agreement may not be used with Windows Azure virtual machines. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure functionality may not be used on Windows Azure virtual machines.

Link to the PUR:  http://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com/DocumentSearch.aspx?Mode=3&DocumentTypeId=1

Tech Ed 2013, Madrid.

The Europe edition of Tech Ed 2013 will be held in Madrid, June 25-28. I will be staffing in the VDI booth as part of the Microsoft Solutions Experience area!

I will be doing demo’s of VDI / RDS in Windows Server 2012. If you have questions on VDI / RDS in Windows Server 2012 (or what’s coming in the R2 release) or want to see it live in action, drop by at the booth!

More info: http://europe.msteched.com/MicrosoftSolution

Opening hours of the Microsoft Solutions Experience area:

Day/Date	Hours
Tuesday, 25 June	10:30 – 13:30
Wednesday, 26 June	11:30 – 17:30
Thursday, 27 June	11:30 – 17:00
Friday, 28 June	11:30 – 15:00

Part 2 in our series on VDI in Windows Server 2012 now online on Microsoft TechNet Magazine

Part 2 of the series of articles I’m co-authoring on VDI in Windows Server 2012 together with Kristin Griffin (also RDS MVP) is now online on Microsoft TechNet Magazine. Read it here: Virtualization: VDI session-based deployment

TechNet: RemoteFX vGPU Setup and Configuration Guide for Windows Server 2012

A new TechNet Wiki was started by Jeroen van Eesteren (MSFT) recently related to setting up and configuring RemoteFX vGPU in Windows Server 2012. A very detailed wiki worthwhile checking out: RemoteFX vGPU Setup and Configuration Guide for Windows Server 2012

The contents of the Wiki:

1. What is RemoteFX?

2. Requirements for RemoteFX vGPU

3. Checking the requirements

4. Installation and configuration of RemoteFX vGPU

5. Frequently Asked Questions.

5.1 What are the requirements to use RemoteFX graphics acceleration by using the vGPU?.

5.2 How can I determine if my system has a SLAT supported processor?.

5.3 What types of vGPU are supported with RemoteFX?.

5.4 Can I use multiple types of GPUs?.

5.5 What versions of Windows are supported inside a virtual machine to use the vGPU?.

5.6 How can I determine the RemoteFX vGPU is utilized in a RemoteFX/RDP session?.

5.7 Are there any performance tests I can run to show the benefit of vGPU?.

5.8 I don’t see a difference between the vGPU and non-vGPU virtual machine?.

5.9 What performance counters are available to determine RemoteFX performance issues?.

5.10 I am seeing a blank screen when connecting to a Windows 8 Enterprise virtual machine with vGPU enabled?

5.11 What monitor configurations are supported when connecting to a Windows 8 Enterprise virtual machine with vGPU enabled?

Session-Based Desktop Deployment on Windows Server 2012, experiences so far (Part 1)

My new article on VirtualizationAdmin.com has just been published.

“…Now that Windows Server 2012 has been generally available for some time, it’s high time to take a look back at the past few months to see what Windows Server 2012, and particularly Session-Based Desktop Deployment, Powered by RDS has brought us. In this article I’ll share some of my experiences while putting Session-Based Desktop Deployment in production based on Windows Server 2012. We’ll discuss how the overall installation process and the new way of managing your Session-Based Desktop Deployment environment performs and works out. This is part 1 of a series of (at least) 2 parts.…”

http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/vdi-articles/general/session-based-desktop-deployment-windows-server-2012-experiences-so-far-part1.html

RDV Team: What’s new in Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Gateway

Venkat Bodapati, a software development engineer on the Remote Desktop Virtualization (RDV) team wrote a blog post to highlight new features of RD Gateway in Windows Server 2012.

In the blog post he discusses:

• Transport changes to enable the WAN improvements in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 8.0
• Management console changes to facilitate using these new protocols
• IIS configuration changes
• Load balancing changes to complement the new protocols

Source and full blog post: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2013/03/14/what-s-new-in-windows-server-2012-remote-desktop-gateway.aspx

KB: You cannot log on to a virtual machine that is running Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 in a VDI environment

A new KB article (2795531) has been released to fix an issue related to unsuccessful connections to VM’s running on a RD Virtualization Host.

“…Consider the following scenario:

• You deploy a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment in a network.
• You enable the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host (RD Virtualization Host) role service on the Windows Server 2012-based computers.
• You try to log on to a virtual machine that is running Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 in the VDI environment.

In this scenario, you cannot log on to the virtual machine. The logon screen appears but the logon process cannot be completed.
Notes

• The previous corresponding remote session to the RD Virtualization Host does not log off.
• You may receive the following error message when you try to manually logoff the session in the Server Manager console:
• RD Connection Broker failed to process the connection request for user <domain>\<userid>.
  Failed while checking for disconnected session.
  Error: User is trying to connect to the same Pool more than once simultaneously…”

“…This issue occurs because the host computer does not receive a notification that the previous session has ended during the logoff operation. Therefore, the previous session does not log off successfully…”

Source and download: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2795531/en-us?sd=rss&spid=16526&wa=wsignin1.0

 

 

Retrieve usernames for files in a User Profile Disks (UPD) share in VDI environments

User Profile Disks (UPD) is a new technique introduced in Windows Server 2012 to deal with profiles on VDI deployments for Session-Based deployments as well as Virtual Machine-Based deployments.  For more information on setting up UPD also see this TechNet Wiki:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/15304.installing-and-configuring-user-profile-disks-upd.aspx

If you have read through the wiki or have already been working with UPD you'll now that the files share that contains the UPD files (.vhdx files) are made up of the users Active Directory SID. To make it easier to identify what UPD file belong to what user, I created a simple PowerShell script that could help out.

Run the script from a PowerShell prompt and specify the parameter where the UPD files are stored.

NAME
    ShowUPDFolderDetails.ps1

SYNTAX
    ShowUPDFolderDetails.ps1 upd-path

EXAMPLE
    ShowUPDFolderDetails.ps1 \\sql01\upd

The output will look something like below and a export.csv file is also created containing the results.

You can find the file on Microsoft TechNet Gallery:
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Retrieve-usernames-for-a-94780a9e

RDV Team: Microsoft VDI vs. VMware View: Freedom of Choice

Adam Carter, the technical product manager for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) wrote a great blog post on the overall value that session-based and virtual machine-based desktop deployment provides in response to a datasheet by VMware.

“…Our approach to VDI is fundamentally different from VMware’s, primarily because we believe in providing choices to our customers. Unlike VMware, Microsoft can deliver VDI functionality in 3 different ways:

• Session-based desktop deployment (Remote Desktop Session Host, formerly known as Terminal Server)
• Virtual machine-based desktop deployment using pooled virtual desktops
• Virtual machine-based desktop deployment using personal virtual desktops

As each solution has its pros and cons, a single console management experience for all three means that you can choose to mix and match experiences for your users depending on their needs…”

source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2013/03/06/microsoft-vdi-vs-vmware-view-freedom-of-choice.aspx

KB: A user cannot be assigned to a renamed virtual machine in a personal VDI collection in Windows Server 2012 (2815795)

A new Microsoft KB article (2815795) has been released today related to renaming a personal assigned  VDI on Windows Server 2012.

“…Consider the following scenario:

• You have a virtual machine in Windows Server 2012.
• The virtual machine is assigned to a user in a personal virtual machine collection.
• You rename the virtual machine.

In this scenario, the virtual machine is displayed as not assigned after you rename it. When you try to assign the user to the renamed virtual machine, the assignment fails, and the user cannot be assigned to any virtual machine. Additionally, you receive the following error message:

Exception: Object reference not set to an instance of an object…”

“…To work around this problem if you rename an existing virtual machine in a collection, follow these steps:

1. Remove the user from the virtual machine.
2. Remove the virtual machine from the collection.
3. Rename the virtual machine by using the Hyper-V console.
4. Add the renamed virtual machine to the collection.
5. Assign the user to the renamed virtual machine…”

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2815795/en-us?sd=rss&spid=16526

KB: Graphics update freezes on a Windows Server 2012-based RD Session Host server that is under a heavy load

A new KB hotfix was released today (KB 2797502) regarding graphics update for all the connected RDP clients freezes for at least 100 milliseconds when a client connects that runs Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) with RDP 8.0 installed.

“…Consider the following scenario:

• You have a Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server that is running Windows Server 2012.
• The RD Session Host server has more than 50 Remote Desktop Services (RDS) clients connected, and that causes the RD Session Host server to be under a heavy load. 
• The RD Session Host server receives a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session from a Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based RDS client that has RDP 8.0 installed. 
  Note For more information about how to install and enable RDP 8.0 on a computer that is running Windows 7 SP1, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  2592687

  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2592687/ )

  Description of the Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

In this scenario, the graphics update for all the connected clients freezes for at least 100 milliseconds. Additionally, this issue recurs when the RD Session Host server receives new RDP sessions from any other clients…”

“…This issue occurs because a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) connection object is not created immediately after an Acknowledgement (ACK) packet is received. This behavior provides an opportunity for all the other connections that have a pending date to be sent. Additionally, when multiple connections are established at the same time, if the higher layers of some connections are not ready, a 100-millisecond delay occurs to let the higher layer be registered by using the RDP-UDP layer..”

Source and download: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2797502/en-us?sd=rss&spid=16526

RDS/VDI showcase videos

Here are some links to showcase videos by the Remote Desktop Virtualization team. They show the various improvements in Remote Desktop Services / VDI on Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.

· Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Overview – Summary of the value of Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012

· Quick VDI Wizard – Set up a virtual machine based deployment on a single server.

· Set up an RDS VDI deployment – Set up a virtual machine-based deployment.

· Set up an RDS session deployment   – Set up a session-based deployment.

· RemoteFX – Learn about the enhancements made for end user discovery and experience.

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2012/12/11/new-windows-server-2012-remote-desktop-services-showcase-videos.aspx

Customizing the RDCB HA client Access DNS name using PowerShell on Windows Server 2012

After setting on High Availability for the RD Connection Broker role the RDCB HA client Access DNS name can be viewed using the Server Manager, however, this value is read-only.


In order to change this value we can use PowerShell and make use of the command
Set-RDClientAccessName
Parameter Set: __AllParameterSets
Set-RDClientAccessName [[-ConnectionBroker] <String> ] [-ClientAccessName] <String> [ <CommonParameters>]

For an example how to view the current name and change it, see the powershell commands below. Note that all RD Connection broker servers have to be running in order to change this value.


The value is now successfully changed and visible in the Remote Desktop Management Service (RDMS) Server Manager Console;

Predefining and customizing the Modern UI Start Screen on RDS 2012

As you probably know Windows 8 does not have a classic Start Menu anymore. To replace that we now have the Modern UI Start Screen. For Windows Server 2012 this is no different. In fact, as soon as you enable the desktop experience feature on a Windows Server 2012 (RD Session Host) server the Modern UI Start Screen is launched upon logging on.

So when running Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2012 that raises the question, how can we control the Start Screen the way we would usually control the Start Menu up until Windows Server 2008 R2. With Windows Server 2008 R2 a method that was commonly used (although it has it’s CON’s) was the redirecting the Start Menu to a central location. And by using Access Based Enumeration on the share that hosted the Start Menu, end users would only see shortcuts they were authorized to see, based on group membership.

So, what happen if we would stick to this solution and redirect the Start Menu using the following well-known GPO setting?

This is what a new user would see upon first logon:

That’s right, a completely empty Start Screen, whoops!
Why is that? This is because the Start Screen can simply not be redirected using folder redirection the way the Start Menu was redirected in Windows Server 2008 R2. Instead, what happens is the All Apps section of the Start Screen is redirected to the folder we specified in the folder redirection GPO.

As you might know you can access that by right clicking on the Start Screen (or by pressing CTRL-TAB).

Here the user is able to see shortcuts to the applications he’s authorized to.

From here, a user is able to pin the shortcuts he would like to see to his Start Screen

Using this method the end user is able to build his personal Start Screen. The fact that a user is able to customize the Start Screen to meet his needs is great. However, many users will be completely lost upon first logon when they are presented with the completely empty Start Screen.

Let’s build a configuration so that the end-users receive a default pre-defined Start Screen as a starting point at first logon and allow them to customize that to their needs by adding or removing shortcuts and adding sections to group shortcuts together.

Step 1
Logon as a test user and create the Start Screen you’d like to become the default pre-defined Start Screen. Below is an example of what’s possible.

Step 2
The Start Screen is stored in a binary file called appsfolder.itemdata-ms and is located in %USERPROFILE%\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\ After creating the Start Screen you want, copy this file to the following location on your RD Session Host Server(s): C:\Users\Default\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\appsfolder.itemdata-ms. If you want to save the current file make sure you create a backup of the exciting file first.

Step 3
Mark the file C:\Users\Default\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\appsfolder.itemdata-as as Read-only.

This configuration sets the basics. If a new user now logs in he’ll receive the Start Screen we’ve just created. Basically he received a copy of that file in his profile folder under: %USERPROFILE%\appdata\local\microsoft\windows

As you might have noticed, this folder is under the local section of the profile, meaning it would not roam. However, a copy of the file is created in %USERPROFILE%\ upon log off so that the file roams across different RD Session Host servers.

Also note that because we had to mark the appsfolder.itemdata-ms file in the default users profile to read-only is also marked read-only in the user profile. Meaning that changes a user makes to the Start Screen are not saved. To achieve this follow with step 4.

Step 4
Create a new GPO setting on a GPO that is linked to the OU that hosts your RD Session Host servers. And create the following GPO Registry Preference.

Key Path: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Value data:: c:\windows\system32\attrib.exe %USERPROFILE%\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\appsfolder.itemdata-ms -R

What that does is it removes the read-only property of the appsfolder.itemdata-ms file inside the current users profile.

This allows the end user to customize his Modern UI Start Screen based on a Default Start Screen we pre-defined !

Customize RD Web Access, a drop down server list

As you might know, RD Web Access provides two different ways to allow users to connect. The tab “RemoteApp and Desktops” tab contains the Remote Apps and Desktops that are authorized to user. The tab “Connect to a remote PC” allows users to specify the destination remote client, server of farm by providing the DNS or hostname.

In some cases you might want to pre-define the hostname users have to enter. In this blog post I’ll guide you through the process of configuring a drop down list containing destinations we want users to be able to select.
STEP 1. We’ll be editing the desktops.aspx which is located in C:\Windows\Web\RDWeb\Pages\en-US\Desktops.aspx (may differ based on the language of the Server OS). Be sure to create a backup of that file first.
STEP 2. Locate the definition of the function function GetParam(sParam, bReqd, vDefault) and add the following function specified below that function definition. We’ll use this function to retrieve selected value of the dropdown box. We can’t use the existing GetParams function as this returns the number of the select item in de dropdown box. (Uses by for example the Remote desktop size dropdown box).
function GetDestination(sParam, bReqd, vDefault)
{
    var obj = document.getElementById(sParam);
    if(obj != null)
    {
        switch(obj.tagName)
        {
            case "SELECT":
                return obj.options[obj.selectedIndex].value;
                break;
            default:
                break;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        if ((bReqd) && ((vDefault == "") || (vDefault == null) || (obj == null)))
        {
            var L_ErrMsgInvalid_Text = "%ParameterName% is not a valid or available parameter name.";  // {Placeholder="%ParameterName%"}
            var errMsgInvalid = sParam;
            errMsgInvalid = errMsgInvalid.replace("%ParameterName%", sParam);
            var retval = TSMsgBox(errMsgInvalid, vbInformation, L_sTitle_Text);
            return null;
        }
        else
        {
            return vDefault;
        }
    }
} STEP 3. Replace the following code <input name="MachineName" maxlength="255" id="MachineName" class="textInputField" type="text"
                                    onfocus="updateConnectButtonState(this);" onblur="updateConnectButtonState(this);"
                                    onkeyup="onConnectToKeyUp(this);" onpropertychange="onConnectToPropertyChange(this);"/> With the code: <select id="MachineName" style="width: 270px" name="MachineName">
                                        <option value="rds01.lab.local" selected="selected">rds01.lab.local</option>
                                        <option value="rds02.lab.local">rds02.lab.local</option>
                                        <option value="rds03.lab.local">rds03.lab.local</option>
                                    </select>
STEP 4. To make sure the connect button is always available find the following string and remove the part disabled="disabled"<button type="button" id="ButtonConnect" name="ButtonConnect" disabled="disabled"
STEP 5. Replace the following piece of code
var RDPstr = "full address:s:" + GetParam("MachineName", true, "") + "\n";
With the code:
var RDPstr = "full address:s:" + GetDestination("MachineName", true, "") + "\n";
STEP 6. The end result should look like something below:

Upon clicking Connect a RDP session to the selected destination is launched.

Distribution of Remote Apps and desktops in Windows Server 2012

My new article “Distribution of Remote Apps and desktops in Windows Server 2012” just got published on VirtualizationAdmin.com

 “…With the Release To Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows Server 2012 being available (September 4th) many people have been test-driving Windows Server 2012, or will do so in the near future. Windows Server 2012 has been improved in many different areas, Remote Desktop Services being one of them. In this article, we’ll take a look at a common action while using Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012, which is the distribution of Remote Apps and Desktops. In this article, we’ll discuss what has changed, what the consequences of those changes are compared to Windows Server 2008 R2, what’s possible with Windows Server 2012, and what’s not…”

View the complete article:
http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/vdi-articles/general/distribution-of-remote-apps-and-desktops-in-windows-server-2012.html

RDP 8.0 update will be released later this month

The Microsoft Remote Desktop Virtualization Team released a new blog post containing a lot of details on the update for the Remote Desktop Client for Windows 7 updating it to the Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 !

It also refers to a blog post by Karri Alexion-Tiernan did announcing the update later this month.

“…For businesses that have decided on VDI as the ideal solution, we have some exciting news regarding the Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 Update for Windows 7. Once the RDP 8.0 Update is released later this month, it will apply to all Windows 7 SP1 instances; this includes your laptop or desktop device, as well as a Windows 7 SP1 virtual machines hosted in the datacenter and accessed through Microsoft VDI with Windows Server 2012. The RDP 8.0 Update will allow both the access device and the virtual machine being accessed to benefit from the same great enhancements in RemoteFX with Windows Server 2012. Additional detail about Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 Update is available here…”

MS RDV Team blog post: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2012/10/09/remote-desktop-protocol-8-0-update-for-windows-7-sp1-enabling-a-great-wan-user-experience-for-windows-7-sp1-virtual-desktops.aspx

Karri Alexion-Tiernan blog post: http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/business/archive/2012/10/09/virtualization-beyond-vdi.aspx