Deploying session hosts through the Azure portal on an Azure Local cluster offers organizations a flexible and secure way to deliver virtual desktops close to their on-premises environment. This approach combines the benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop with the performance and compliance advantages of local infrastructure. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of deploying session hosts using the porta. Whether you’re optimizing for latency, security, or scalability, this step-by-step overview will help you streamline deployment and ensure a smooth user experience.
On the Basics page of the deployment process, no changes can be made. All information displayed here is inherited directly from the host pool configuration, including resource group, location, and host pool type. This ensures consistency across the deployment and prevents misalignment with the predefined settings. Any customization or adjustments must be performed in subsequent steps, as the Basics page serves only as a reference for the host pool details.
On the Virtual Machines page, select the appropriate resource group where the session hosts will reside. Add a clear name prefix to maintain consistency and choose the Azure Local Custom Location for deployment. We have already published multiple images to the Azure Local cluster, as listed in https://www.gettothe.cloud/azure-local-bicep-marketplace-images/. Select the desired image and specify the number of virtual machines to deploy. Next, define the hardware configuration by providing the required number of virtual processors and selecting the appropriate memory type and size to meet performance requirements. These settings ensure optimal resource allocation for your AVD environment on Azure Local.
On the Virtual Machines page, select the amount of memory required for your session hosts and choose the correct logical network. In this setup, two logical networks have been created within the same subnet but assigned to different pools for flexibility. Next, provide all necessary Active Directory details, including domain join credentials and configuration. Ensure you select the correct Distinguished Name (DN) of the Organizational Unit (OU) where the RDP ShortPath policy is applied. This guarantees proper policy enforcement and optimized connectivity for your Azure Virtual Desktop environment.
Once the deployment is complete, the status page will display all required components in green, indicating that the process has finished successfully. This includes the virtual machines, networking configuration, Active Directory integration, and any applied policies. Seeing all elements marked green confirms that the session hosts are ready for use and the environment is properly configured.
After the deployment is complete, reviewing the host pool shows that two virtual machines are now available for user login. These session hosts are fully configured according to the selected image, resource group, and network settings, and are ready to provide access to the Azure Virtual Desktop environment. This confirms that the deployment process was successful and the environment is operational.
Logging in
To validate the configuration, browse to https://client.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient/index.html and attempt to log in as one of the assigned users. This ensures that the host pool, application group assignments, and Microsoft Entra Single Sign-On settings are functioning correctly. Successful login confirms that the environment is ready for use. If you assign users directly, the SSO will not work correctly. If you run it with security groups, please follow https://www.gettothe.cloud/azure-virtual-desktop-sso-for-entra-joined-avd/ to make sure it is all correct.
Log in with the Entra ID username (usually in the format user@domain.com) and the corresponding password managed by your identity provider.
Once authenticated, you will see the available resources assigned to your Application Group. Click on the SessionDesktop icon to launch the virtual desktop session. This confirms that the deployment is successful and the environment is ready for use.
The login was successful, and we are now working within Azure Virtual Desktop running on Azure Local. This confirms that the deployment process, from configuring resource groups and host pools to creating session hosts and enabling Microsoft Entra Single Sign-On, was completed correctly. Users can now access their virtual desktops seamlessly through the web client, ensuring a secure and optimized experience powered by Azure Local infrastructure.
IT Professional on a journey to discover the cloud platforms and become certified and an expert.
A Blog that follows the journey to get to the Cloud.
Azure Local | Azure Bicep | Azure Virtual Desktop | Powershell | Azure Certified | MCSA | Microsoft 365
