Contents:

Prerequisites

Create security groups in Entra ID

Assign rights to the subscription and role assignment

Create an resource group for your AVD environment

Create in resources rg-AVD

Create VNET

Create hostpool, VM and workspace

Add assignment to the application group

Edit RDP properties in the host pool

Test connection to your AVD

Prerequisites

In this tutorial we’re going to create an Azure Virtual Desktop (=AVD) and assign access to it.

Before we start, let’s check through Microsoft’s website what’s needed to set-up an AVD.

• An Azure account with an active subscription
• A supported identity provider (Microsoft Entra ID)
• A supported operating system for session host virtual machines
• Appropriate licenses (in this case E3)
• Network connectivity
• A Remote Desktop client

Resource: Prerequisites for Azure Virtual Desktop | Microsoft Learn

Create security groups in Entra ID

Create 2 groups:

• AVD Users
• AVD Administrators

Group Type: Security
Membership type: Assigned

Add the right members to the right groups.

We’ve created both groups now:

Assign rights to the subscription and role assignment

Go to Access control (IAM) in your subscription options

And click on Add -> Add-Role assignment

Search for “Virtual Machine login”

AVD Users -> Virtual Machine User Login

AVD Administrators -> Virtual Machine Administrator Login

Select the right group and click on Review + assign

Repeat the whole process for the AVD Administrators.

After you did the assignment you can double check this under

Subscription -> Access Control (IAM) -> Role assignments

Create an resource group for your AVD environment

Go to portal.azure.com

Search under resources “resource groups”

Click on create

Give a logical resource group name and chose your region wisely ! you cannot change your region afterwards and it’s important for your other resources that they’re in the same region

1. 
   
   Add tags if you’re going to use it (recommended)
   
   
   

1. Review + create if validation is passed
   
   
   

Create in resources rg-AVD

Create VNET

search on virtual networks and create one

Create hostpool, VM and workspace

1. Search for Azure Virtual Desktop
   
   
   
2. Click on create hostpool
   
   
   
3. Basics settings:
   Host Pool name: AVD-HP
   Location: North-Europe (again very important!)
   Preferred app group type: Desktop (in this tutorial we’re going to show only the desktop type not the remoteApp type)
   Host pool type: Pooled (if it’s a AVD for one person you can change it to Personal)
   Load-balancing:  Depth first (this one is more cost efficient because you’re jumping on the next VM when the first has reached it’s max session limit).
   Max session limit: 5
   
   
   
4. Virtual machines
   Add virtual machines
   Name prefix: AVD-SH01
   Virtual machine type: Azure virtual machine
   Virtual machine location: North Europe
   Availability options: No infrastructure redundancy required
   Security type: Trusted launch virtual machines
   Enable secure boot: YES
   Enable vTPM: YES
   Integrity monitoring: YES
   image: Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session, version 23H2 – Gen2
   virtual machine size: D2as v5 (test purposes)
   number of vm’s: 1
   OS disk type: standard SSD (in a real production environment premium ssd is the way to go)
   OS disk size: default
   Boot diagnostics: disabled
   Vnet: AVD-VNET
   Subnet: Default
   Network security group type: Basic
   Select which directory you would like to join: Microsoft Entra ID
   User name: choose one for yourself
   Password: choose one for yourself
   
   
5. Workspace
   Register desktop app group: YES
   Click on create new
   
   
   
6. Advanced
   Nothing changed, click on next
   
   
7. Tags
   
   
   
8. Click on next and click on create after validation = passed.
   
   
   

Add assignment to the application group

1. Go to the application group linked to your newly created host pool
   
   
   
   
2. Click on manage
   
   
   
3. Click on Add and add the AVD Users and AVD Administrators
   

Edit RDP properties in the host pool

1. Change Microsoft Entra SSO settings
   
   
   
2. Go to the advanced tab and add “;targetisaadjoined:i:1;”
   

Test connection to your AVD

1. Install the remote desktop app
   you can download it from: Get started with the Remote Desktop app for Azure Virtual Desktop | Microsoft Learn
   
   
2. Click on subscribe
   It will ask for credentials you added to AVD Users or AVD Administrators
   
   
3. After authenticating yourself, the AVD will be available
   
   
   
4. Try to connect by double clicking on it and voila