Joe Poyzer

Specializing in networking, systems, cloud, and automation.

📋 PLANNED

📌 Overview

This project is planned as a full Remote Desktop Services (RDS) deployment lab, covering a complete five-server topology with modern profile management. The design phase is complete; build-out is next on the lab roadmap, following the AVD Lab, which was prioritized first.

🗺️ Planned Topology

  • Domain Controller (DC)
  • RD Gateway (RDGW)
  • RD Connection Broker (RDCB)
  • 2x RD Session Hosts (RDSH)

🔧 Planned Objectives

  • Deploy a full five-role RDS environment: DC, Gateway, Broker, and two Session Hosts
  • Configure FSLogix for user profile management across session hosts
  • Integrate OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM) for folder redirection, so user documents/desktop sync through OneDrive rather than a traditional file-share redirect
  • Validate RD Gateway external access and session load balancing across both session hosts

🤔 Why This Design

FSLogix plus OneDrive-based folder redirection reflects how RDS environments are increasingly deployed in practice — combining traditional on-prem RDS infrastructure with cloud-connected profile and file storage, rather than a fully legacy on-prem design. This also mirrors patterns used in Azure Virtual Desktop deployments, making the two labs complementary rather than redundant.

📝 Why It's on the Roadmap

AVD was prioritized first, ahead of this RDS build, due to a limited-time Azure trial.