Category: Azure

MDT in a Box – Part 7 – Add Language Pack

    Stefan Peters

MDT in a Box – Part 7 – Add Language Pack

Introduction

This BLOG will describe the instruction how to create your very own “MDT in a Box” server. You can use this server to create images for physical computers, RDS, WVD and probably also other VDI environments. MDT is Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a few Windows tool to automate the Operation System Deployment (OSD). I use this often in my work for customers to create “golden images” for RDS or WVD.

With the MDT in a box you can create VHD or WIM files for your environments, or for you client environments. You can install several applications, scripts, language packs and updates in this task sequence.

In my work I use MDT to create “golden images” for RDS2019 and Windows Virtual Desktop with Windows 10 Enterprise Multi Session.

This BLOG is very long so I split it in a few parts.

1. Prepare the Server

2. Install MDT

3. Configure MDT

4. Deploy Windows 10 – ISO

5. Deploy Windows 10 – Multisession (WVD)

6. Add applications

7. Add language pack.

8. Add Windows Updates

MDT in a Box – Part 7 – Add Language Pack

If you are building an image for WVD and you want to change the language you need to add a language pack. In this example I add the Dutch (NL) language pack.

For the Windows 10 – 1909 version we need to use the 1903 language pack. I used this ISO file downloaded from MSDN: mu_windows_10_language_pack_version_1903_x86_arm64_x64_dvd_c45a68ac.iso

Continue reading MDT in a Box – Part 7 – Add Language Pack →

MDT in a Box – Part 8 – Windows Updates

    Stefan Peters

MDT in a Box – Part 8 – Windows Updates

Introduction

This BLOG will describe the instruction how to create your very own “MDT in a Box” server. You can use this server to create images for physical computers, RDS, WVD and probably also other VDI environments. MDT is Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a few Windows tool to automate the Operation System Deployment (OSD). I use this often in my work for customers to create “golden images” for RDS or WVD.

With the MDT in a box you can create VHD or WIM files for your environments, or for you client environments. You can install several applications, scripts, language packs and updates in this task sequence.

In my work I use MDT to create “golden images” for RDS2019 and Windows Virtual Desktop with Windows 10 Enterprise Multi Session.

This BLOG is very long so I split it in a few parts.

1. Prepare the Server

2. Install MDT

3. Configure MDT

4. Deploy Windows 10 – ISO

5. Deploy Windows 10 – Multisession (WVD)

6. Add applications

7. Add language pack.

8. Add Windows Updates

MDT in a Box – Part 8 – Windows Updates

It is very useful to have the OSD install all recent Windows Updates. For this to work we need a working WSUS environment. If you have one in your environment, you can use that one. In this blog I will install the WSUS role on the MDT server.

On the MDT server, start the Server Manager.

Click on 2 “Add roles and features”

On the before you begin page, click next.

Continue reading MDT in a Box – Part 8 – Windows Updates →

Azure NAT with Ubuntu Linux

    Stefan Peters

Introduction

When creating a workplace for your users in Azure using RDS or Windows Virtual Desktop you might recognize this issue. All servers in Azure use a dynamic outbound IP for browsing. When you need to access websites that require IP whitelisting this can be an issue.

You can use multiple solutions for this problem:

  • Route your internet traffic back to on-prem via ExpressRoute or VPN
  • Use Azure Firewall, or a virtual firewall appliance (can be costly)
  • Use a self-build outbound NAT VM

This blog will explain how to build your own outbound NAT VM for your Azure virtual net. Although this is not Enterprise ready it will work just fine. Determine production readiness for yourself.

Continue reading Azure NAT with Ubuntu Linux →

WVD Group Assignments – PowerShell

    Stefan Peters

Windows Virtual Desktop is a great way of publishing remote desktops to your users. In contrast of Remote Desktop Services (RDS) you do not have to manage the infrastructure of brokers, gateway etc. the WVD service will manage all of this to you.

I have been working with WVD for several months now and I have created some PowerShell scripts to make WVD life easier. At time of writing assigning user by user to a WVD hostpool is the only method of assigning users to hostpools. There is no method to assign an AzureAD group or WSAD group to a hostpool. Because managing the user (upn) assignments of hundreds of users is not very convenient I created a PowerShell script to make this easier.

The PowerShell script read a Windows Server Active Directory (WSAD) group, takes out the UPN of the members and assigns them to the HOSTPOOL. It is a one-way sync with add and remove.

Continue reading WVD Group Assignments – PowerShell →

Create a WIM file from the WVD VHD file.

    Stefan Peters

Microsoft has a new Virtual Desktop to host desktops managed by Microsoft running on Azure. At time of writing the Windows 10 Enterprise for Virtual Desktops is not available as ISO file, so running SCCM or MDT to build your own WVD “Golden Image” is not that easy. Combining some techniques allows me to create a WIM file of the VHD that Azure delivers. The WIM file can be used to do an MDT OS Deployment.

What do you need?

  • Microsoft Azure subscription (https://portal.azure.com)
  • MDT Server
  • An up and running Windows Virtual Desktop environment

Steps to get the WIM file.

  1. Create an Azure VM with the correct Windows 10 version.
  2. SYSPREP the VM and shutdown/deallocate.
  3. Download the VHD file
  4. Convert the VHD to WIM with a few PowerShell lines
  5. Import the WIM file in MDT for a regular OS deployment task sequence.

Continue reading Create a WIM file from the WVD VHD file. →