Are you tired of manually configuring and customising virtual machine images for Azure Virtual Desktop? Well, we have great news for you! Azure has recently introduced a new feature called Custom Image Templates in public preview. With Custom Image Templates, admins can effortlessly build custom golden images with Azure virtual desktop building customisations and their own customisation scripts.
In the past, creating master images for Azure Virtual Desktop required a tedious and manual process. Admins had to install Windows patches, and desired applications, and configure settings like language packs and group policies on a virtual machine. This virtual machine was then converted into an image, which could be used to create a host pool with hundreds or thousands of virtual machines. Any additional configurations or installations had to be done manually using registry settings or group policies.
But with the introduction of Azure Image Templates, all these manual tasks can be automated during the image creation process. During image creation, you now have the option to automatically configure installations, such as language packs, FS Logics, Teams optimisation, and session timeouts. Azure Image Templates take care of all the customisation automatically in the background. The result? You get master images with all the desired configurations without any manual changes.
Before you can start using Azure Virtual Desktop Custom Image Templates, there are a few prerequisites. First, you need to set up a managed identity, which is a service account that will perform the necessary actions. Next, you’ll need to create a custom role for the managed identity, granting it specific permissions to Azure resources like galleries and images. Once these prerequisites are in place, you can proceed with creating your custom image template.
Creating a custom image template is a straightforward process. You start by providing a name for your template and selecting the subscription, resource group, and location. Then, you choose the image source, either from the Azure Marketplace or your own managed image or shared image gallery. After that, you decide whether to store the image in the managed image portal or Azure compute gallery. Finally, you can leverage the built-in scripts provided by Microsoft for various customisations, such as language packs and application removals. If needed, you can also add your own scripts for further customisation.
With Azure Virtual Desktop Custom Image Templates, creating custom images has never been easier. Say goodbye to manual configuration and welcome automated image creation with all the desired customisations. Save time and effort while ensuring consistent and efficient deployment of Azure Virtual Desktop resources. Give it a try and experience the power of Custom Image Templates today!