Different end users have different needs. After you have customized a golden image for use in your Horizon Cloud environment, you'll want to ensure it will result in giving your end users optimal performance when using their assigned desktops and applications that are based on that image. This topic provides some prescriptive guidance to help you in achieving the optimal performance based on end-user personas.
This topic includes the following sections:
- The Five Key Steps
- Optional: Install a User Experience Monitoring Tool
- Codec Selections and VM Series Sizing Recommendations For Farms Used By Various End User Personas and Workload Types
Tip: Among other sources, these five key steps are informed by Tech Zone's Omnissa Blast Extreme Optimization Guide and Manually Creating Optimized Windows Images for Horizon VMs.
The Five Key Steps
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To prepare the image's Microsoft Windows operating system for the optimal remote experience, download the Horizon Windows OS Optimization Tool to the golden image VM, run the tool, and follow the tool's on-screen advice.
You can obtain the tool from Customer Connect. You must have a Customer Connect login for downloading the tool. When logged in, navigate to the Customer Connect Downloads area, locate the row for the tool, and view its download components. On the page that lists the release date, use Go To Downloads to see the page with the binaries and download the tool from there.
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In the golden image's operating system, enable the setting to use the WDDM graphics display driver for Remote Desktop Connections. This setting can be enabled in multiple ways. One way to enable the settings is using the Local Group Policy Editor:
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In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to Local Computer Policy > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Remote Session Environment. The following screenshot is an illustration of this location.
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Set the policy named Use WDDM graphics display driver for Remote Desktop Connections to Enabled.
You must restart the VM after enabling the WDDM graphics display driver for the changes to take effect.
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In the VM, set a codec that is appropriate for the anticipated end-user workloads.
For VDI desktop assignments, see the Codec Options section of the Omnissa Blast Extreme Optimization Guide and its table of ideal applications for each codec.
For farms, which use images built on Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session or Windows Server operating systems, see the guidelines in the following section Codec Selections and VM Series Sizing Recommendations For Farms Used By Various End User Personas and Workload Types.
Important: As described in the Codec Options table of the Omnissa Blast Extreme Optimization Guide's Enabling Codecs and Codec Options section, some codec options require a corresponding Horizon Client setting. For the Blast codec and H.264 codec, the end users must make an appropriate selection in their Horizon Client.
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As described in Create a Base Virtual Machine Automatically from the Microsoft Azure Marketplace and Pair it with Horizon Cloud on a Per-Pod Basis, under Advanced Options, the wizard gives you options to enable Horizon remote experience features in the golden image at the time it is being created. Some of those toggles are enabled by default for installation in the image. In the wizard, you should verify that only those remote experience features that are specifically required by your business needs are enabled before you submit the wizard to create the VM. As a simple example, the client drive redirection toggle is on by default, and unless you have determined your business needs require your end users to have client drive redirection, you would switch off that toggle to prevent enabling the client drive redirection.
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Ensure the VM is set for your desired performance by opening the VM's System Properties > Advanced System Settings > Performance Options and verifying the settings. The optimal setting is Adjust for best performance. The following screenshot illustrates the location of these settings.
Optional: Install a User Experience Monitoring Tool
Installing a user experience monitoring tool helps to measure various performance metrics within the VM's operating system, such as FPS, bandwidth, CPU consumption, codec type, and so on. One such tool is the third-party tool RDAnalyzer.
Codec Selections and VM Series Sizing Recommendations For Farms Used By Various End User Personas and Workload Types
The following VM examples and sizing suggestions are based on typical workloads from farms in Horizon Cloud. Farms provision session-based desktops and remote applications to your end users. Farms are based on images that are running Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session or Microsoft Windows Server operating systems. You must determine the optimal sizing that will give you the best results in your individual business scenarios. To help you determine that optimal sizing, we recommend you use simulation tools to run tests in your environment, especially as Microsoft debuts newer and faster VM sizes over time. If you need additional guidance, please contact your Horizon Cloud representative. For more details about setting the codecs listed below, see Tech Zone's Omnissa Horizon Blast Optimization Guide sections 'Enabling Codecs and Codec Options' and 'Configuration Settings for Administrators'.
| VM Series in Microsoft Azure | Workload Type | Maximum Users per vCPU/Total Users | Personas | Optimal Codec | Description | Application Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D2s_v3, F2s_v2 | Light | Maximum per vCPU = 6 Total = 12 | Task worker | Blast codec | Low CPU and bandwidth usage. Tighter bandwidth and frame rate control for optimal experience. | Database entry applications, command-line interfaces (CLIs) |
| D4s_v3, F4s_v2 | Medium | Maximum per vCPU = 4 Total = 16 | Consultants and market researchers | Blast codec | Low CPU and bandwidth usage. Tighter bandwidth and frame rate control for optimal experience. | Database entry applications, command-line interfaces (CLIs), Microsoft Word, static web pages |
| D4s_v3, F4s_v2 | Heavy | Maximum per vCPU = 2 Total = 8 | Engineers and content creators | H.264 | Moderate CPU and bandwidth usage. Good experience for multimedia. | Database entry applications, command-line interfaces (CLIs), Microsoft Word, static web pages, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, dynamic web pages |
| D4s_v3, F4s_v2, NV6 | Power | Maximum per vCPU = 1 Total = 4 | Graphics designers | H.264 | Moderate CPU and bandwidth usage. Can deliver exceptional experience for multimedia and 3D graphics applications by changing the frame rate to 60 FPS (frames per second). When using NV6, leverage hardware acceleration for graphics. | Database entry applications, command-line interfaces (CLIs), Microsoft Word, static web pages, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, dynamic web pages, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) |
Additional Information
For more information on optimizing VMs for remote experience use cases, see:
- The Microsoft documentation topic Virtual machine sizing guidelines, which includes sizing recommendations for Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session when the VM is running on Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
- Omnissa Blast Extreme Optimization Guide at Omnissa Tech Zone
- Windows OS Optimization Tool for Horizon Guide also in Omnissa Tech Zone
- Manually Creating Optimized Windows Images for Horizon VMs also at Omnissa Tech Zone
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