Windows Server Remote Desktop Services: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

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## High Availability Configuration

### Connection Broker High Availability





```powershell
## Requirements:




## - SQL Server database




## - Multiple RD Connection Broker servers




## - DNS round-robin or load balancer





## Configure Connection Broker for HA (first broker)
Add-RDServer -Server "RDS-Broker01.contoso.com" `
```text
-Role RDS-CONNECTION-BROKER `
-ConnectionBroker "RDS-Broker01.contoso.com"

Create HA database

SQL Server: Create database "RDS-HA"

Configure HA on Connection Broker

Set-RDConnectionBrokerHighAvailability -ConnectionBroker "RDS-Broker01.contoso.com" `

-DatabaseConnectionString "DRIVER=SQL Server Native Client 11.0;SERVER=SQL01;Trusted_Connection=Yes;APP=Remote Desktop Services Connection Broker;Database=RDS-HA" `
-ClientAccessName "rds-broker.contoso.com"

Add second broker to HA

Add-RDServer -Server "RDS-Broker02.contoso.com" `

-Role RDS-CONNECTION-BROKER `
-ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com"

Verify HA configuration

Get-RDConnectionBrokerHighAvailability -ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com"

## Session Host Load Balancing

```powershell




## Load balancing is automatic with Connection Broker





## Configure session host drain mode (for maintenance)
Set-RDSessionHost -SessionHost "RDS-SH01.contoso.com" `
```text
-ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" `
-NewConnectionAllowed No

View session distribution

Get-RDUserSession -ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" |

Group-Object HostServer | 
Select-Object Count, Name | 
Sort-Object Count -Descending

## Performance Tuning

### Graphics Optimization





```powershell
## Enable RemoteFX (requires GPU)




## RemoteFX deprecated in Windows Server 2019+, use GPU partitioning with VDI





## Configure graphics mode
Set-RDSessionCollectionConfiguration -CollectionName "Office Apps" `
```text
-ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" `
-CustomRdpProperty "use multimon:i:1`naudiomode:i:0`naudiocapturemode:i:1"

Optimize for VDI

Set-RDVirtualDesktopCollectionConfiguration -CollectionName "VDI Desktops" `

-ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" `
-CustomRdpProperty "use multimon:i:1`ndevicestoredirect:s:*`nredirectprinters:i:1"

## Bandwidth Optimization

```powershell




## Configure compression and caching
Set-RDSessionCollectionConfiguration -CollectionName "Office Apps" `
```text
-ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" `
-CustomRdpProperty "compression:i:1`nbitmapcachesize:i:1500`nbitmappersistedcache:i:1"

Disable unnecessary redirections for low bandwidth

Figure: Program.cs – service registration with IntelliSense for DI lifetimes.

Set-RDSessionCollectionConfiguration -CollectionName "Office Apps" `

-ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" `
-CustomRdpProperty "redirectprinters:i:0`nredirectcomports:i:0`nredirectsmartcards:i:0"

## Performance Monitoring

```powershell




## RDS-specific performance counters
$rdsCounters = @(
```text
'\Terminal Services Session(*)\% Processor Time'
'\Terminal Services Session(*)\Working Set'
'\RemoteFX Network(*)\Current TCP Bandwidth'
'\RemoteFX Network(*)\Current UDP Bandwidth'
'\User Input Delay per Session(*)\Max Input Delay'```
)





Get-Counter -Counter $rdsCounters -SampleInterval 5 -MaxSamples 10 | 
```powershell
ForEach-Object { $_.CounterSamples | Format-Table -AutoSize }

Monitor active sessions

Figure: Azure Monitor Logs – KQL query results with time-series visualization.

Get-RDUserSession -ConnectionBroker "rds-broker.contoso.com" |

Select-Object UserName, HostServer, UnifiedSessionId, SessionState, IdleTime | 
Format-Table -AutoSize

## Capacity Planning

```powershell




## Calculate capacity
$capacityReport = @"




## RDS Capacity Planning





## Session Host Sizing:
- Light users (Office apps): 15-20 users per 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM
- Medium users (multiple apps): 10-15 users per 8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM
- Heavy users (graphics/dev): 5-10 users per 8 vCPU, 64 GB RAM





## Storage Requirements:
- User Profile Disk: 10-30 GB per user
- Session host OS: 60 GB minimum, 100 GB recommended
- RemoteApp: Add application size + 20% overhead





## Network Bandwidth:
- Per session: 50-150 Kbps (Office apps)
- Per session: 150-300 Kbps (multimedia)
- Gateway overhead: Add 20%





## Example: 100 office users
- Session hosts: 6 servers (8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM each)
- UPD storage: 2 TB
- Network bandwidth: 15 Mbps
"@





$capacityReport | Out-File "C:\Reports\RDS-Capacity.txt"

Architecture Decision and Tradeoffs

When designing server infrastructure solutions with Windows Server, consider these key architectural trade-offs:

Recommendation: Start with the managed approach for most workloads and move to custom only when specific requirements demand it.

Validation and Versioning

• Last validated: April 2026
• Validate examples against your tenant, region, and SKU constraints before production rollout.
• Keep module, CLI, and SDK versions pinned in automation pipelines and review quarterly.

Security and Governance Considerations

• Apply least-privilege access using RBAC roles and just-in-time elevation for admin tasks.
• Store secrets in managed secret stores and avoid embedding credentials in scripts or source files.
• Enable audit logging, data protection policies, and periodic access reviews for regulated workloads.

Cost and Performance Notes

• Define budgets and alerts, then monitor usage and cost trends continuously after go-live.
• Baseline performance with synthetic and real-user checks before and after major changes.
• Scale resources with measured thresholds and revisit sizing after usage pattern changes.

Official Microsoft References

• https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-server/
• https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/security/
• https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-arc/

Public Examples from Official Sources

• These examples are sourced from official public Microsoft documentation and sample repositories.
• Documentation examples: https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-server/
• Sample repositories: https://github.com/microsoft/Windows-Containers
• Prefer adapting these examples to your tenant, subscriptions, and governance requirements before production use.

Key Takeaways

• RDS delivers virtual desktops and RemoteApp applications
• Session hosts provide shared desktop sessions
• RD Gateway secures remote access over HTTPS
• RemoteApp publishes individual applications
• Licensing requires RDS CALs (Per User or Per Device)
• High availability uses Connection Broker with SQL Server
• Performance tuning optimizes graphics and bandwidth
• Capacity planning ensures adequate resources

Next Steps

• Deploy RDS with Connection Broker and Session Hosts
• Configure RD Gateway for secure external access
• Publish RemoteApp applications
• Activate and configure RDS licensing
• Implement high availability with multiple brokers
• Optimize performance for user experience
• Monitor RDS health and capacity

Additional Resources

• Remote Desktop Services
• RDS Architecture
• RD Gateway
• RemoteApp

Connect. Publish. Scale. Secure.