Getting Started with Windows VDI

Create, maintain, and secure scalable and resilient virtual desktops with Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2

Overview

• Explore the various parts of the VDI infrastructure such as the broker, web access server, and virtualization host
• Provide access for remote workers via any supported device
• Using a step-by-step approach, quickly grasp the complexities of VDI and learn to deploy its features

In Detail

This easy-to-follow introduction guide brings together all of the knowledge required to build a successful Virtual Desktop project that is secure, scalable, and highly available.

Through the course of this book, you will quickly progress from your first VDI lab environment to setting up a production-ready infrastructure that is robust, secure, and easy to manage. Going further, you will learn how to tune and maintain VDI once it is in production. Providing access for remote workers via any supported device and use of certificates is another important aspect covered in the book. If users depend on VDI, then it must be more resilient; you will learn that this can be done by addressing each of the roles of the VDI infrastructure.

You will also understand the wider aspects of Windows Server and the associated tools required for a complete production solution, such as Hyper-V, certificates, and Active Directory, making this book a one-stop reference guide for a complete project.

What you will learn from this book

• Explore the various server roles and features that provide Microsoft’s VDI solution
• Virtualize desktops and the other infrastructure servers required for VDI using server virtualization in Windows Server Hyper-V
• Build high availability clusters for VDI with techniques such as failover clustering and load balancing
• Provide secure VDI to remote users over the Internet
• Use Microsoft’s Deployment Toolkit and Windows Server Update Services to automate the creation and maintenance of virtual desktops
• Carry out performance tuning and monitoring
• Understand the complexities of VDI licensing irrespective of the VDI solution you have opted for
• Deploy PowerShell to automate all of the above techniques

Approach

This comprehensive, example-based guide on VDI with its practical and easy to follow approach will serve as a reference that you will want to come back to again and again for guidance.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Putting the V in VDI – An Introduction to Virtualization in Hyper-V
Chapter 2. Designing a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
Chapter 3. Putting the D in VDI – Creating a Desktop Template
Chapter 4. Putting the R in Remote Desktop
Chapter 5. High Availability
Chapter 6. Scale and Performance
Chapter 7. Maintenance and Monitoring
Chapter 8. Managing User Profiles and Data
Chapter 9. Virtual Applications
Chapter 10. Licensing and the Future of VDI