Plan and implement RDP Shortpath and quality of service (QoS) policies

Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) provides users with the ability to access their desktops and applications from anywhere using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). To ensure a seamless user experience, it is essential to plan and implement RDP Shortpath and quality of service (QoS) policies. In this article, we will explore how to configure and operate these policies in the context of Azure Virtual Desktop.

1. Understanding RDP Shortpath:

RDP Shortpath is a feature that optimizes the end-to-end user experience by reducing latency and improving performance. It achieves this by bypassing the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) stack and rendering graphics directly on the client device. This significantly reduces network traffic and enhances the overall user experience.

To enable RDP Shortpath on Azure Virtual Desktop, you need to perform the following steps:

Step 1: Ensure the AVD session hosts are running Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session or Windows Server 2022.

Step 2: Update the RDP client on the user devices to the latest version that supports RDP Shortpath.

Step 3: Use Group Policy or the registry to enable the RDP Shortpath setting on the AVD session hosts.

To configure RDP Shortpath using Group Policy, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Group Policy Management and locate the appropriate Group Policy Object (GPO).

Step 2: Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Remote Session Environment.

Step 3: Enable the “Use the hardware default graphics adapter for all Remote Desktop Services sessions” policy.

Step 4: Refresh the Group Policy settings on the AVD session host.

2. Implementing Quality of Service (QoS) Policies:

QoS allows you to prioritize network traffic for AVD to ensure better performance for critical applications. By implementing QoS policies, you can allocate bandwidth, throttle data rates, and define network priorities for AVD connections.

To implement QoS policies for AVD, consider the following steps:

Step 1: Identify the network traffic generated by AVD. This includes RDP traffic, UDP traffic for multimedia redirection, and TCP traffic for file transfers.

Step 2: Configure QoS policies on your network devices such as routers, switches, or firewalls to prioritize AVD traffic based on application ports, IP addresses, or DSCP values.

Step 3: Implement traffic shaping or bandwidth allocation techniques to ensure a consistent user experience.

Here is an example of configuring a QoS policy using PowerShell:

New-NetQoSPolicy -Name "AVD QoS Policy" -AppPathNameMatchCondition "C:\Windows\System32\mstsc.exe" -IPProtocolMatchCondition TCP -MinBandwidthAction "DoNotExceed" -MinBandwidthWeight 20

This PowerShell command creates a QoS policy named “AVD QoS Policy” that matches the RDP application path and assigns a minimum bandwidth weight of 20.

3. Monitoring and Troubleshooting:

To ensure the effectiveness of RDP Shortpath and QoS policies, monitoring and troubleshooting are crucial. Azure Monitor provides several tools and features to monitor AVD connections and diagnose any potential issues.

Be sure to leverage Azure Monitor to monitor the following metrics:

• Remote Desktop Connection Manager event logs for AVD session hosts.
• Network performance indicators such as latency, round trip time, and packet loss.
• AVD diagnostic settings for session host diagnostics and virtual machine diagnostics.

Utilize Azure Monitor Workbook and Log Analytics queries to create customized dashboards and gain insights into the performance of AVD and the effectiveness of your QoS policies.

Conclusion:
Implementing RDP Shortpath and quality of service (QoS) policies for Azure Virtual Desktop can greatly enhance user experience and application performance. By following the steps outlined in this article, you will be able to optimize network traffic, reduce latency, and troubleshoot any issues effectively. Remember to regularly monitor and fine-tune your policies to ensure optimal performance for your Azure Virtual Desktop environment.