How to Create a New Host Pool in Nerdio Manager for Azure Virtual Desktop

How to Create a New Host Pool in Nerdio Manager for Azure Virtual Desktop

Creating a new host pool is one of the essential steps in setting up your Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environment using Nerdio Manager. After creating your desktop images, you can easily configure and deploy host pools. Host pools are collections of identical Azure VMs where users access their virtual desktops or published applications. These pools are integral to providing a flexible and scalable desktop environment for your end users.

In this blog post, I’ll guide you through the process of creating a new dynamic host pool using Nerdio Manager, explaining each step in detail.

What is a Host Pool?

A host pool is a group of Azure VMs configured with the same settings, including:

• VM Size
• OS Disk Size
• Base Image
• Active Directory (AD) Domain
• User Profile Storage Location

Host pools can be configured as either static or dynamic:

• Static Host Pool: A fixed number of session hosts are created. These hosts don’t scale automatically based on demand.
• Dynamic Host Pool: Auto-scale is enabled, allowing the host pool to automatically scale in or out based on usage. For a dynamic host pool, additional session hosts are automatically created when user demand increases.

When you first deploy Nerdio Manager, it sets up static host pools by default. However, these can later be converted into dynamic host pools.

Steps to Create a New Dynamic Host Pool

Follow these steps to create a new dynamic host pool in Nerdio Manager.

Step 1: Navigate to Workspaces

First, navigate to the Workspaces section within Nerdio Manager. Workspaces are a collection of dynamic host pools, desktops, and applications for your users.

Step 2: Select Your Workspace

Next, choose the workspace you want to add the host pool to.

Step 3: Add a New Dynamic Host Pool

Now, navigate to Workspaces > Dynamic Host Pools, and click Add dynamic host pool.

Step 4: Enter Host Pool Information

You’ll be prompted to enter details for your new dynamic host pool. Here’s a breakdown of the required fields:

• Name: Provide a name for your host pool.
• Description: Optionally, enter a description for the host pool. You can also select Generate using AI to automatically create a description.
• Desktop Experience: Select the type of desktop experience:
  • Multi-user desktop (pooled): Full desktop shared by multiple users.
  • Multi-user RemoteApp (pooled): Published applications, not a full desktop experience.
  • Single user desktop (pooled): Full desktop assigned to individual users, with a preconfigured number of spare desktops.
  • Single user desktop (personal): Dedicated desktops for each user.

Step 5: Directory Selection

Choose the Directory from the drop-down list. By default, it will use Nerdio Manager’s global AD configuration, but you can select a custom configuration if needed. Here we will use the Entra ID Profile.

Step 6: FSLogix Profile

Select the FSLogix profile to manage user profile storage. For the purpose of this blog post , We will select “OFF” and focus on the FXLogix on another post.

Step 7: Session Host Naming

Configure the naming convention for the new session hosts. You have two options:

• Prefix: A basic naming convention where a unique suffix is appended automatically (e.g., AVDHOST-s72h).
• Pattern: A more advanced option using characters like {###} for sequential numbering or {???} for random alphanumeric characters (e.g., AVDHOST-{###}).

Step 8: Network Configuration

Select the Network from the list. This will determine the Azure region where the VM is deployed. Nerdio Manager checks if enough IP addresses are available on the network and will notify you if any issues arise. You can select the

Step 9: Desktop Image

Select the Desktop Image for your host pool. This image serves as the base for all newly created session hosts. You can select from the Drop down to select the appropriate image for your host.

Step 10: VM Size and OS Disk

Choose the VM Size and OS Disk Size for the session hosts. Ensure the OS Disk size is at least as large as the desktop image.

Tip: For optimal performance, avoid using Standard HDD (S-type). Instead, choose Premium SSD.

Step 11: Assign Users

Under Quick Assign, select the users or groups to pre-assign to the new desktops. Ensure the number of users does not exceed the number of session hosts being added. Start typing the name of the group and select from the drop down.

Step 12: Apply Tags

Optionally, apply Azure tags to the host pool by specifying the tag name and value. These tags help with resource organization and billing.

Step 13: Application Policies

Optionally, configure any application policies or app group settings for the host pool.

Step 14: Monitor Host Pool Creation

Once the process begins, Nerdio Manager creates the dynamic host pool. This may take some time, especially if auto-scaling is enabled. During this time, you can monitor the progress in the Host Pools Tasks section.

Step 15: Completed

Newly created Host Pools will now be listed under the Dynamic Host Pools.

Conclusion

Creating a dynamic host pool in Nerdio Manager is a seamless process that provides great flexibility in managing your Azure Virtual Desktop environment. By following these steps, you’ll be able to configure and deploy host pools that scale according to user needs, ensuring a high-performance and cost-effective virtual desktop infrastructure.

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