Lab 16: Create an RDSH server farm

Objective and Tasks

You create an RDSH server farm as part of the process that gives users access to published applications or desktops.

In this lab Remote Desktop Licensing services have been deployed and the associated Group policy licensing configuration has been completed. A golden image RDSH VM has been prepared with the Horizon Agent already installed.

  1. Log in to the vCenter admin console and confirm the golden image VM is powered off.
  2. Log in to the Horizon admin console.
  3. Create a RDSH farm.
  4. Monitor the RDSH farm creation.
Expand or collapse content Task 1: Log in to the vCenter admin console and confirm the golden image VM is powered off

You will use the vCenter admin console to confirm that the pre-prepared golden image VM is powered off. You will then use the Horizon admin console to create a new RDSH Farm.

  1. Open the vCenter server admin console.
    • On your ControlCenter desktop, open the a new tab in the Google Chrome browser.
    • Click the bookmark on the bookmark bar for vCenter-01
  2. Login in the vCenter admin console
  3. Verify that the golden image VM you will use to create the desktop pool is in a Powered Off state.
    • Browse to and select the VM RDSH-Golden.
  4. Confirm that the Power Status is Powered Off (in the Virtual Machine Details pane).

The RDSH-Golden VM will be used as the golden image VM to create the RDSH farm.

Expand or collapse content Task 2: Log in to the Horizon admin console

You will use the Horizon admin console to create a new RDSH farm.

  1. Open the Horizon admin console for horizon-01a.
    • On your ControlCenter desktop, open the Google Chrome browser.
    • Click the bookmark on the bookmark bar for Horizon-01a
    • This will connect you to the Horizon administrator console at https://Horizon-01a.omnissatraining.com
  2. Login to the Horizon admin console.
    • Username: administrator
    • Password : Pa$$w0rd
    • Domain: OmnissaTraining
Expand or collapse content Task 3: Create an RDSH Farm

You will use the Horizon admin console to create a new RDSH farm.

  1. Start the new farm wizard.
    • In the Horizon admin console navigate to Inventory > Farms.
    • Click ADD.
  2. On the Type screen:
    • Ensure that Automated Farm is selected.
    • Click NEXT.
  3. On the vCenter Server screen:
    • Ensure that the Instant Clone option is selected.
    • Ensure that vcenter01.omnissatraining.com is selected.
    • Click NEXT.

There is only one vCenter Server registered with your Horizon pod, so only one will be displayed.

  1. On the Storage Policy Management screen:
    • Leave the default selections and click NEXT.
  2. On the Identification and Settings screen
    • In the ID field, type RDSH-Farm
    • Leave the rest of the settings as default values.
    • Click NEXT
  3. On the Load Balancing Settings screen:
    • Leave the default selections.
    • Click NEXT
  4. On the Provisioning Settings screen:
    • Enter a Naming Pattern of RDSH-
    • Change the Maximum Machines to 2.
    • Change the Minimum Number of Ready (Provisioned) Machines during Instant Clone Maintenance Operations to 1.
    • Click NEXT

In the next step you select the golden image VM and snapshot to use, You then select the vSphere folder, cluster, resource pool, datastore, and network to use to host the RDSH clones.

  1. On the vCenter Settings screen:
    • Golden Image in vCenter: Click Browse, select RDSH-Golden, and click SUBMIT.
    • Snapshot: Click Browse, select the Snapshot baseline, and click SUBMIT.
    • VM Folder Location: Click Browse, select Discovered virtual machine, and click SUBMIT.
    • Cluster:  Click Browse, select Cluster1, and click SUBMIT.
    • Resource Pool: Click Browse, select Cluster 1, and click SUBMIT.
    • Datastores: Click Browse, select Datastore1, and click SUBMIT.
    • Network: Leave the default selection of Golden Image's network configuration selected.
    • VM Compute Profile Settings: Keep default values.
    • Click NEXT.

On the guest customization screen you select pre-defined credentials to use to join the clones to the domain and choose a suitable OU to locate the computer objects in AD. You can also select which of the two customization methods to use: ClonePrep or SysPrep.

  1. On the Guest Customization screen:
    • Domain: Confirm the default selection of omnissatraining.com(administrator).
    • AD Container: Click Browse, select the OU=HorizonComputers,OU=Horizon, and click SUBMIT.
    • Site Name: Ensure the default of Connection Server's default site is selected.
    • Ensure that Use ClonePrep is selected.
    • Click NEXT.
  2. On the Ready to Complete screen:
    • Review the settings and selections you have made.
    • Click SUBMIT

The farm creation process will start.

Expand or collapse content Task 4: Monitor the RDSH farm creation

In this task you will monitor the RDSH farm creation process and view the VM objects created.

You can monitor progress both within vCenter, to see the VM cloning and provisioning process, and also within the Horizon admin console, to see the image publishing and then the clone customization. You can switch between the two consoles to see processes from both perspectives.

  1. Open the vCenter server admin console
    • On your ControlCenter desktop, switch to the vSphere tab in the Google Chrome browser.
    • If you need to reconnect or re-login, follow the instructions in task 1.
  2. Review and monitor Recent Tasks in vCenter.
    • View the Recent Tasks section at the bottom.
    • Check the task completion progress.

There will be several tasks reported in vCenter Recent Tasks, including folder creation, cloning of the golden image to create a cp-template, the creation of a cp-replica, and the creation of the clones.

  1. Open the Horizon admin console.
    • On your ControlCenter desktop, switch to the Horizon admin console tab in the Google Chrome browser.
    • If you need to reconnect or re-login, follow the instructions in task 1.
  2. Verify the pool status from Horizon admin console.
    • Navigate to Inventory > Farms
    • Click on the Farm with ID RDSH-Farm
  3. Monitor the image publishing in the Horizon admin console.
    • Review the image publishing status in the vCenter Server section of the desktop pool details.
    • You can refresh the page using the circular arrow in the top-right.
  4. View the clones status in the Horizon admin console.
    • Select the RDSH Hosts tab for the farm.
    • Once image publishing has completed, you should see two entries, RDSH-1 and RDSH-2.
    • Scroll to the right and check the Status. Once the clones are ready, this should display Available.
  5. View the virtual machines in the vCenter admin console.
    • On your ControlCenter desktop, switch to the vSphere tab in the Google Chrome browser.
    • Locate the two new VMs machines RDSH-1 and RDSH-2
    • Confirm that the VMs are Powered On.

This completes the farm creation process and concludes this lab.

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