Lab 02: Installing the App Volumes Agent to an existing RDS farm

Objective and Tasks

Update an existing RDS Farm by deploying a new golden image with the App Volumes Agent and verify the RDS Farm server machines registration in App Volumes Manager.

Tasks

  1. Identify the current golden image and snapshot used by the RDS Farm.
  2. Update the golden image with the App Volumes Agent and create a new snapshot.
  3. Use the new snapshot to update the RDS Farm.
  4. Verify RDS server registration in the App Volumes Manager console.
Expand or collapse content Task 1: Identify the current golden image and snapshot associated with an existing desktop pool from vCenter
  1. Proceed to identify the Golden Image and Snapshot for the existing RDS Farm
    • On the left side of the Horizon admin console, navigate to the Inventory > Farms
    • Click on RDSFarmS2
    • In the Summary tab, scroll down to vCenter Server section
    • Under only the 'Default Image' section
      • Confirm 'Golden Image' is listed as 'RDSH-Golden'
      • Confirm 'Snapshot' is listed as 'baseline'
Expand or collapse content Task 2: Using the vCenter, update the identified golden image with the App Volumes Agent

All the actions carried out in this section will be on vCenter-01

  1. Navigate to vCenter-01 identify, power ON and log into a new RDS golden image RDSH-GoldenNoAV Windows Server, and install the App Volumes Agent
    • From Google Chrome browser, open a new tab
    • Click on vCenter-01 link from the bookmark bar to connect to the vCenter https://vcenter01.omnissatraining.com
    • Login using the following credentials
    • Username: [email protected]
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Sign into vCenter
  2. Within the vCenter web console, identify and Power ON the RDSH-GoldenNoAV virtual machine
    • Navigate down from vcenter01 > DC1 > Cluster1
    • Scroll down to and right click on the RDSH-GoldenNoAV VM
    • Select Power > Power On
  1. Connect to the RDSH-GoldenNoAV virtual machine
    • Select the RDSH-GoldenNoAV
    • Under the Summary tab > click on the LAUNCH WEB CONSOLE button
  1. This opens up a new browser tab to the virtual machine, login and initiates the application installation
    • Click on the 'OK' button to get to the login screen
    • Login using the following credentials
      • Username: administrator
      • There is no password
      • Hit the Enter key to sign in
Expand or collapse content Task 3: Install the App Volumes Agent
  1. Install the App Volumes Agent on the golden image
    • Open the File Explore from within the Desktop of the RDSH-GoldenNoAV VM
    • Navigate to the file path: \\labfiler\resources\software\appvolumes\appvol2603
    • Go to the Installation folder
  2. Initiate the App Volumes Agent installation
    • Double-click on Setup.msi (close or minimize the File Explorer)
    • Acknowledge the start of the setup wizard, click on Next
    • Choose 'Install App Volumes Agent'
    • Click on Install
      • If you see a User Account Control pop-up, acknowledge and click on Yes
    • Continue the setup wizard, click on Next
    • Management Mode screen, choose 'Managed (Connects to App Volumes Manager)'
    • Click on Next
    • Package Access Mode screen, choose 'Shared Storage'
    • Click on Next
    • At the Server Configuration screen
    • App Volumes Manager: appvol-02a.omnissatraining.com
    • accept the remaining defaults
    • Click on Next
    • Machine Type: accept the defaults
    • Click on Next
    • Click Install
    • Click on Finish
    • Shutdown the virtual machine and close the RDSH-GoldenNoAV browser tab
  3. At the vCenter tab, take a snapshot of the current state of the RDSH-GoldenNoAV VM
    • Selecting the  RDSH-GoldenNoAV VM
    • Confirm the VM is in the powered OFF state
  • Click on the Snapshots tab
  • Click on the TAKE SNAPSHOT button
  • Name: av_agent
  • Click on CREATE
  • Observe the new 'av_agent' snapshot has been created
Expand or collapse content Task 4: Update the RDS Farm with the new snapshot

With the Golden image being updated with the App Volumes Agent and a new snapshot taken, let's update the existing RDS servers within the existing RDS Farm with a new golden image by pointing to the new image and new snapshot

As the Instant Clone image update process will take upto 12 minutes in this lab environment, we have pre-provisioned the required Image and Snapshot for the RDS Farm. This lab will only have you initiate the swap of the snapshot making the experience faster for this lab. In production, follow product document guidance to update RDS Farms to newly provisioned images and snapshots.

  1. Update the RDS Farm, point the Image to the new snapshot
    • Navigate back to the Horizon admin console for horizon-02a the Chrome browser tab
  2. Initiate 'Maintain' operation to update the RDS Farm to the new image and snapshot
    • Navigate to Inventory > Farms
    • Go to the Summary tab of the RDS Farm: RDSFarmS2
    • From the menu bar, click on the MAINTAIN drop-down
    • Select Promote Secondary Image
    • Accept the Warning notification by clicking on OK
    • You will receive a confirmation initiating the RDS Farm maintenance activity
    • Below is a screenshot from before the change has been applied
      • The current RDS Farm has been built from the 'Golden Image' listed under the 'Default Image' and corresponding 'Snapshot'
      • The RDS Farm will now be updated by the 'Secondary Image' and corresponding 'Snapshot'

In this lab, the RDS Farm update takes approximately 3 minutes to complete

  1. Verify the RDS Farm has been updated
    • Refresh the 'Summary' tab
    • Observe the change under the 'vCenter Server' section
    • Resultant outcome should reflect the new 'Golden Image' under the 'Default Image', with no 'Secondary Image'

In Production, the rebuild process of the Windows Servers that are part of the RDS Farm can be observed from vCenter-01. This process of pool update involves, creating a new CP-Template VM, from the golden image and new snapshot. Followed by creating a CP-Replica VM. From which the existing desktops in the pool will be deleted and new desktop VMs built out.

Approx. time to rebuild the desktop pool is 10 to 12 minutes.

Expand or collapse content Task 5: Validate the registration of the Windows Server host names from the RDS Farm, seen from within the App Volumes Manager admin console

Validate the success of the pool update and App Volumes Agent registration from;

  • Horizon 8 Admin console - RDS Host section
  • App Volumes Manager admin console
  1. Confirm the successful update of the RDSFarmS2 RDS Farm
    • Click on the 'RDS Hosts' tab (next to the Summary tab)
    • Review the provisioning of two Windows Server virtual machines
      • The two servers in the farm are ready and 'Enabled'
      • The App Volumes Agent Version tab, reflects the Agent version 4.21.0-5081
  1. Log in to the App Volumes Manager admin console
    • Open another browser tab within Google Chrome
    • Select appvol-02a from the bookmark bar
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Click login
  2. Validate that the registration of the RDS Server virtual machines
    • Click on DIRECTORY
    • Under the Computers tab
    • Note the two RDS server VMs from the RDS farm: rdsh2-1$ and rdsh2-2$ are listed with updated App Volumes Agent version 4.21.0.508R.

This confirms that the Windows server VMs, part of the RDS Farm, have been successfully updated with the App Volumes Agent, and the new VMs are registered and active in the App Volumes Manager admin console.

This concludes this lab, and move on to the next lab.

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