1. If needed, start a web browser, navigate to the Azure portal and sign in with your Odl_user credentials.
2. Search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop, then in the Manage section, select Host pools, then select <sName>-cpoF67-hp1.
3. Select Registration key from the top menu. Click Generate new key, select the next day for the Expiration date, click OK, download the file and close.
4. In the Manage section, select Session hosts and verify that the pool consists of two Running hosts, then select + Add.
5. On the Basics tab of the Add virtual machines to a host pool page, review the preconfigured settings and select Next : Virtual Machines.
6. On the Virtual Machines tab, specify these settings, then Review + create (leave others with their default settings):

   Setting	Value
   Resource group	<sName>-cpoF67-21e-RG
   Name prefix	<sName>-sh
   Virtual machine location	the Azure region of the first two session host VMs
   Availability options	No infrastructure redundancy required
   Security type	Trusted launch virtual machines
   Image	Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session, Version 23H2 + Microsoft 365 Apps
   Virtual machine size	Standard D2s_v3
   Number of VMs	1
   OS disk type	Standard HDD
   OS disk size	Default size (128GB)
   Boot Diagnostics	Enable with managed storage account (recommended)
   Virtual network	cpoF67-vnet11e
   Subnet	hp1-Subnet
   Network security group	Basic
   Public inbound ports	No
   Select which directory you would like to join	Microsoft Entra ID
   Enroll VM with Intune	No
   User name	Student
   Password / Confirm password	the same password you used when deploying the session hosts in Lab 01

7. On the Review + create tab of the Add virtual machines to a host pool page, select Create.

   Note: The provisioning process might take about 20 minutes.

   Screenshot must show your Odl_user account, the <sName>-cpoF67-hp1 host pool with its three session hosts including the newly added <sName>-sh session host

1. Search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop, then in the Manage section, select Host pools, then select <sName>-cpoF67-hp1.
2. In the Settings section, select Properties.
3. Review the available configuration options:
   • Preferred app group type: sets the preferred app group type for the host pool to either Desktop or RemoteApp. If end users have both RemoteApp and Desktop apps published to them in the host pool, they will only see the selected app type in their feed.
   • Start VM on connect: allows users to start individual virtual machines in the host pool from the deallocated state.
   • Validation environment: intended for testing service changes before they are deployed to production.
   • Load balancing algorithm: breadth-first distributes new user sessions across all available session hosts; depth-first fills a session host up to the maximum session limit before moving to the next.
4. In the Load balancing algorithm drop-down list, select Depth-first.
5. In the Max session limit text box, enter 8.
6. Set Start VM on connect to Yes.
7. Select Save.
8. Note: Using Start VM on Connect requires assigning the Desktop Virtualization Power On Contributor role-based access control (RBAC) role to the Azure Virtual Desktop service principal at the Azure subscription scope. Screenshot must show your Odl_user account, the <sName>-cpoF67-hp1 Properties page with Depth-first load balancing, max session limit 8, and Start VM on connect set to Yes

1. Start a PowerShell session in the Azure Cloud Shell.

   Note: If prompted, in the Getting started pane, in the Subscription drop-down list, select your lab subscription and then select Apply.

2. Run this command to store your subscription Id in a variable $subId:
   $subId = (Get-AzSubscription).Id
3. Run this command to create a $parameters variable with the RBAC role definition name, the Microsoft Entra application representing the Azure Virtual Desktop service principal, and the subscription scope:
   $parameters = @{ RoleDefinitionName = "Desktop Virtualization Power On Contributor" ApplicationId = "9cdead84-a844-4324-93f2-b2e6bb768d07" Scope = "/subscriptions/$subId" }
4. Run this command to create the RBAC role assignment:
   New-AzRoleAssignment @parameters
   Screenshot must show your Odl_user account, the Azure Cloud Shell PowerShell session with the New-AzRoleAssignment @parameters command and its output
5. Close the Cloud Shell pane.

Note: By default, the AVD agent updates itself automatically whenever a new version is released. The Scheduled Agent Updates feature lets you create up to two maintenance windows for the updates of the AVD agent, side-by-side stack, and Geneva Monitoring agent, so these updates take place outside of business hours.

1. Navigate back to the <sName>-cpoF67-hp1 host pool page.
2. In the Settings section, select the Scheduled agent updates entry and select the Scheduled agent updates checkbox.
3. In the Schedule section, select the Use local session host time zone checkbox.
4. In the Maintenance window section, in the Day drop-down list, select Saturday and, in the Time drop-down list, select 11:00 PM.
5. Select Apply. Screenshot must show your Odl_user account, the Scheduled agent updates page of <sName>-cpoF67-hp1 with the Saturday 11:00 PM maintenance window

1. On the <sName>-cpoF67-hp1 page, in the Settings section, select the RDP Properties entry.
2. Review the available RDP Properties configuration options:
   • Microsoft Entra single sign-on: determines if connections will leverage Microsoft Entra authentication to sign in to Microsoft Entra-joined session hosts. The client computer does not need to be Microsoft Entra-joined.
   • Credential Security Support Provider: controls the use of CredSSP, which forwards user credentials from the client to the session host, but does not support Entra ID authentication.
   • Alternate shell: specifies an executable to start whenever a new connection is established. Applies only to session hosts running Windows Server.
   • KDC proxy name: proxies Kerberos authentication traffic to Active Directory domain controllers.

   Note: three of these options are not applicable in our scenario (Microsoft Entra-joined session hosts without Active Directory Domain Services), so you will configure only the first one — the enablerdsaadauth:i:value RDP property.

3. In the Microsoft Entra single sign-on drop-down list, select Connections will use Microsoft Entra authentication to provide single sign-on and then select Save.
4. Select the Session behavior tab and review the available options:
   • Reconnection: determines whether the client computer will automatically try to reconnect if the connection is dropped.
   • Bandwidth auto detect: determines whether to use automatic network bandwidth detection.
   • Network auto detect: enables automatic detection of the network type, used with Bandwidth auto detect.
   • Compression: determines whether the connection should use bulk compression.
   • Video playback: enables RDP efficient multimedia streaming for video playback.
5. On the Session behavior tab, in the Reconnection drop-down list, select Client automatically tries to reconnect and then select Save.
6. Select the Device redirection tab and review the available options, including the two main categories Audio and video and Local devices and resources.

   Note: By default, redirection applies to all disk drives, including the ones which are mounted after the initial connection is established.

7. Select the Display settings tab and review the available options, including support for multiple displays, smart sizing, and specific desktop sizes (in pixels).
8. Select the Advanced tab and review the existing configuration settings. Note that these settings reflect the changes you made earlier in this task. Screenshot must show your Odl_user account, the <sName>-cpoF67-hp1 RDP Properties page with the Advanced tab reflecting the Microsoft Entra single sign-on and reconnection settings you saved

Minimum 2-3 sentences each — original thinking, your own words!

1. Task 1 – Deploy additional Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts — Why is it important to add additional session hosts to an Azure Virtual Desktop host pool as user demand increases?
2. Task 1 — Explain how session host scaling impacts performance, user experience, and overall availability.
3. Task 2 – Review and configure host pool properties — How do the selected host pool settings (load balancing algorithm, max session limit, and Start VM on Connect) support cost optimization and efficient resource utilization?
4. Task 2 — In your answer, describe how these settings influence session distribution and VM power management.
5. Task 3 – Assign the required RBAC role to the Azure Virtual Desktop service principal — Why is assigning the Desktop Virtualization Power On Contributor role to the Azure Virtual Desktop service principal necessary when using Start VM on Connect?
6. Task 3 — Discuss what would happen if this role were missing or incorrectly scoped.
7. Task 4 – Configure scheduled agent updates — How do scheduled agent update maintenance windows help balance system stability and business availability in an Azure Virtual Desktop environment?
8. Task 4 — Provide an example of how improper update timing could affect end users.
9. Task 5 – Configure RDP properties of the host pool — How do the configured RDP properties (Microsoft Entra single sign-on and automatic session reconnection) improve usability and security for end users?
10. Task 5 — Explain how these settings enhance the remote desktop experience in a Microsoft Entra–joined environment.

Screenshots you attach above and your Task 6 answers appear here. This is exactly what prints/exports as your PDF.

1. All attached screenshots must be high quality, with your Odl_user account clearly visible.
2. A brief explanation added for each screenshot.
3. Export with Print / Save as PDF and upload it to the Blackboard lab submission page.