Creating Private Links for Azure Virtual Desktop Preview

The primary caveat to virtual desktops that must be mitigated for cloud-based desktop virtualization to work well is the quality of network connections. Slow and intermittent Internet can make it impossible to access virtual desktop instances that are hosted in the cloud. This is a problem that can be overcome by using private links between the data center and the VMs in the cloud.

To create a Private Link, open the Azure Virtual Desktop portal and select "New," then "Virtual machine." Skip the "Advanced" and "Tags" screens and click "Review + create." Once you've created the VM, you can use the settings to set up your private link. You must choose a VNIC, and you can create a static IP address for the VM if you want to avoid having to change it each time you deploy a new instance of the virtual machine.

Another important setting is the shutdown time for the VM. This is critical for a WVD environment because it helps minimize resource costs. You should choose a shut down time that's long enough for the VM to be completely dormant before the next user logs in.

To deploy AVDs, you must have an Azure Active Directory domain controller, configured for Azure AD Connect with at least one user account synced to it and a Point-to-Site VPN set up in your data center to provide a secure connection to the virtual network in the cloud. The VMs that you want to host in the AVD deployment must also be a member of this Active Directory domain.