Use Custom Image Templates in Azure Virtual Desktop and never patch session hosts again?

Using custom images in AVD is something I have covered in the past, but this time we'll do it even easier and use the Custom Image Templates feature.
I'll show you how to get started, how to create images this way and tell you more about this neat little service.

Further resources:

Socials:

Chapters:
0:00 What is it
1:39 The demo environment
2:33 Prerequisites
12:52 Creating a custom image template
25:32 Building and deploying the image

#Azure #AzureVirtualDesktop

[PetterTech]

What do you think about this service? Is it better than manually creating images? Better than Azure Image Builder? Or do you prefer the more hands-on approach to imaging?

[ronjat]

Akkuratt videoen jeg trengte! Har fagprøve snart og tenker å ha om AVD, så kom jeg over kanalen din og det passet jo bare helt perfekt! Så videoen du la ut for 1 år siden om AVD og det hjalp meg veldig med å forstå og motiverte meg også til å lære mer. Setter stor pris på kanalen din :) Takk!

[matthewsmith]

Thanks for this video. It's been very helpful, but could you add a short section @23:50 or follow-up video where you install PowerShell with all resources contained in a storage account within the same resource group? My use case requires assets be within my own subscription, but I can't find any examples of this on-line.

[fbifido]

I now know how to upgrade the Azure VM image from 21H2 to 22H2/23H2/24H2.
ans: just mount the new Windows 22H2/23H2/24H2 iso inside the VM and at the command prompt go to that mounted drive and type: setup.exe /product server

[CFPANDRADE]

this is great content; I'm subscribed, but I would like to see those videos in 4k resolution as there is a lot of text and is hard to read

[techxpert]

looks great and thanks for this video. can we update the existing session hosts without adding the new session hosts?

[jackasnacks]

If you continuously tear down and stand up the session hosts each month, is that also going to remove all user generated data alongside it? In my case, we would need user data to be persistent throughout versioning of the hosts. Assuming this would only work with something like FSlogix to reattach your data back to the new session host?

[skadann]

I’m really stuck in a chicken/egg situation using this solution. During the image build process, I need to retrieve only a few secrets. The obvious choice is key vault with a managed identity but I’ve exhausted all avenues to make that work. If I really want to achieve this goal during the image build process, it looks like I’ll have to setup image builder manually… do you have any suggestions??

[markferreday]

Would it not be better to use app attach for applications than scripting them into the build?

[Axiizix]

Thank you for your video. There's something I don't understand: previously it was simple. You create your VM, install what you needed, run sysprep, and then you could capture and use the image. But with this new process, when am I supposed to install what I need in my image to create my master? (Sorry, I'm a beginner with AVD.)
If I understand correctly, I create a custom template with this new feature, and then I have to create a VM, customize it with all the software I need, run sysprep, and capture it again? So nothing new in fact ? Maybe I'm missing something in the process to manage the golden image 😅

[Don.vico.]

How would you manage 3rd party updates? Would you have to create a new template based off the previous and add the scripts to update the latest software packages?

[ounet]

After multiple test, the customer image template from avd doesn't work in trusted launch for me. After open microsoft ticket they said. Always uses stanfard. Wierd. do you succed with TL?

[JonathanSchmidt-mdsh]

I used to have a test and a production environment which are running on the same Image. The test environment gets the software updates and if everything is successful I sysprep the test session host, "capture" it manually in the portal and create an image out of the capture to the image gallery. Then first redeploy from the image in stage and if everything works as expected use the same session hosts image from the image gallery to redeploy in production. Did I understand it right, that I can now use the stage session host including all the software and just create an image directly out of it without sysprepping it and immediately deploy new session hosts from it or is it just for the base installation without anything software related added afterwards?
Is it also possible to store images in one "central" tenant and access it from another one? Sorry if you already covererd it somewhere but didn't find something to it.

[fbifido]

@24:27 - at this point how does one install a LOB application and configure it?

[fiokideiglenes]

How do you replace the active session hosts with the new image?

[CFPANDRADE]

what if we want to install apps on those images?

[daveanvs]

Is there a way to do this with terraform?

[fbifido]

A few simple IaaS question:
1. How to upgrade an Azure Windows 11 21H2 Gen2 VM to 24H2 ?
2. How to upgrade an Azure Windows 11 Enterprise Multi-Session 21H2 Gen2 VM to 24H2 ?
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I know it's a hard question, please ask all Microsoft Azure MVP you can reach
Please & Thanks.