Step 2: Setting Up the Virtual Machines

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1

To install Windows 7 with SP1 on the virtual machines in the virtual desktop pool, and then configure them, you must complete the following tasks:

  • Prepare the virtual desktop pool computers (VDP1-CLNT and VDP2-CLNT)

  • Configure the virtual machines for Remote Desktop Services

  • Enable Rollback on the virtual machines

The virtual machines are dynamically assigned to user accounts as they connect to the pool.

Prepare the virtual desktop pool computers (VDP1-CLNT and VDP2-CLNT)

  • Install Windows 7 with SP1.

  • Configure TCP/IP properties and the DNS server.

  • Join the virtual machines to the contoso.com domain.

To install Windows 7 with SP1 on the virtual machines

  1. Log on to RDVH-SRV as CONTOSO\Administrator.

  2. Insert the Windows 7 with SP1 DVD into the DVD drive on the RDVH-SRV server.

  3. To open Hyper-V Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  4. Right-click RDVH-SRV, point to New, and then click Virtual Machine.

  5. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.

  6. In the Name box, type vdp1-clnt.contoso.com, and then click Next.

  7. On the Assign Memory page, in the Memory box, type 1024 if you are using a 32-bit version of Windows 7 with SP1. If you are using a 64-bit version of Windows 7 with SP1, type 2048.

  8. Click Next.

  9. On the Configure Networking page, in the Connection box, select the virtual network that contains the other virtual machines in the contoso.com domain, and then click Next.

  10. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, in the Name box, type vdp1-clnt.contoso.com, in the Size box, type 30, and then click Next.

  11. On the Installation Options page, click Install an operating system from a boot CD/DVD-ROM drive.

  12. In the Physical CD/DVD drive box, select the DVD drive that contains the Windows 7 with SP1 DVD, and then click Next.

  13. On the Completing the New Virtual Machine Wizard page, review the installation options, and then click Finish.

  14. In the Virtual Machines area, right-click vdp1-clnt.contoso.com, and then click Connect.

  15. On the Action menu, click Start to start the installation of Windows 7 with SP1.

  16. Repeat the previous steps for the VDP2-CLNT computer.

To configure TCP/IP properties and the DNS server

  1. Log on to VDP1-CLNT as a member of the local Administrators group.

  2. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet, and then click Network and Sharing Center.

  3. Click Change adapter settings, right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.

  4. On the Networking tab, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.

  5. Click Use the following IP address. In the IP address box, type 10.0.0.9. In the Subnet mask box, type 255.255.255.0. In the Default gateway box, type 10.0.0.1.

  6. Click Use the following DNS server addresses. In the Preferred DNS server box, type 10.0.0.1.

  7. Click OK, and then close the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box.

  8. Repeat the previous steps for the VDP2-CLNT computer.

To join VDP1-CLNT to the contoso.com domain

  1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.

  2. Under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, click Change settings.

  3. On the Computer Name tab, click Change.

  4. In the Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box, under Member of, click Domain, and then type contoso.com.

  5. Click More, and in the Primary DNS suffix of this computer box, type contoso.com.

  6. Click OK, and then click OK again.

  7. When a Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box appears prompting you for administrative credentials, type the CONTOSO\Administrator credentials, and then click OK.

  8. When a Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box appears welcoming you to the contoso.com domain, click OK.

  9. When a Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box appears telling you that the computer must be restarted, click OK, and then click Close.

  10. Click Restart Now.

  11. Repeat the previous steps for VDP2-CLNT.

Configure the virtual machines for Remote Desktop Services

After you have installed Windows 7 with SP1 on the virtual machines and configured the virtual machines for the contoso.com domain, you must configure them to work with Remote Desktop Services.

Use the following procedures to configure the virtual desktops in the virtual desktop pool:

  • Enable Remote Desktop.

  • Add the user accounts that will be using this virtual machine to the local Remote Desktop Users security group.

To enable Remote Desktop

  1. Log on to VDP1-CLNT as a member of the local Administrators group.

  2. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.

  3. Click Remote settings.

  4. Under Remote Desktop, click Allow connections only from computers using Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (more secure), and then click OK.

  5. Repeat steps 1 – 4 on the VDP2-CLNT computer.

To add Morgan Skinner to the local Remote Desktop Users group

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

  2. Click System and Security, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

  3. Expand Local Users and Groups, and then click Groups.

  4. Right-click Remote Desktop Users, and then click Add to Group.

  5. Click Add, and in the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups box, type contoso\mskinner and then click OK.

  6. Close the Remote Desktop Users Properties dialog box.

  7. Repeat steps 1 – 6 on the VDP2-CLNT computer.

Important

All users who will be using RemoteFX on this virtual desktop must be a member of the Remote Desktop Users group, even user accounts that are a member of the local Administrators group.

Enable Rollback on the virtual machines

Rollback is a feature in Remote Desktop Services that reverts all the changes that a user made to a virtual machine when the user logs off the virtual machine.

To enable Rollback on a virtual machine

  1. Log on to RDVH-SRV by using the CONTOSO\Administrator user account.

  2. Open Hyper-V Manager. To open Hyper-V Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  3. Under Virtual Machines, right-click vdp1-clnt.contoso.com, and then click Snapshot.

  4. Under Snapshots, right-click vdp1-clnt.contoso.com, and then click Rename.

  5. Type RDV_Rollback, and then press ENTER.

  6. Close Hyper-V Manager.

  7. Repeat the previous steps for the VDP2-CLNT virtual machine.

You have configured the virtual machines in the virtual desktop pool. Now you can proceed to Step 3: Configuring the Virtual Desktop Pool.