Windows Server VM Creation for Verde Servers In-a-Box

Windows Server VM Creation for Verde Servers In-a-Box

Product Line:  VERDE

In order to support a one-system/all in one setup, VERDE supports building a Windows Domain/Active Directory server as a Virtual Machine (VM) within the VERDE system's own Gold Image Collection.

The following Knowledge Base article, covers the Goal, the infrastructure requirements and the step-by-step instructions.

Goal:

To create an ALL Verde environment that includes:

Verde server to host and create Gold images for:  W2012R2 or W2016 Windows server VMs

Use the virtual Windows Servers to host:  Active Directory, DHCP, FTP and other Services or Business applications



Requirements:

Need Static IP for each Server instance (Verde VM) for 'Servers In-a-box' project

Need Static Machine Name for each Server instance for 'Servers In-a-box' project


Steps:

1.  Create Verde Gold image for Windows Server using standard process and leave as WORKGROUP.

      After installing OS, Patches and base Applications, Shutdown the Gold image and do a 'Check-in'

      from the Verde Management Console

 

2.  Create 'Session Settings' with specifics for:  RAM, vCPU, Local Windows Profile disk space, etc

      Example:  Shows 6Gig RAM, 16 Gig User partition and 4 vCPUs for the Windows 2012 server




3.  Create 'Desktop Policy' with Windows server Gold image and specify Deployment Mode:  VDI / STATIC
                Do not select 'DYNAMIC' 





4.    Create Local Verde User accounts for each Windows server manager, to login to Verde.

        Requires a matching 'Desktop Policy' Rule for these Local Users.

        NOTE:  Do NOT use the ‘Revert’ function.  This will reload the original Gold image into the current VM and you will lose all of your installations and configurations.

 

5.    Create netcfg file to import into Verde from 'General Settings' that includes:  Static IP, Windows Machine name

        NOTE:    Cannot login as 'Administrator' and change the Server name. 

Verde assigns it using default:  VBI-VDI-0001 .. ffff

           

        SAMPLE of ‘Netcfg.csv’ file to Import for Static IP and Windows machine names:



NOTE:   1st line is for documentation ONLY.  Remove BEFORE ‘Importing’ into Verde

                        Data fields are separated by Commas


6.    Login to Verde client to instantiate the Windows Server VMs.  Use the Local Verde User accounts that were created.

        Ex:   ‘winadmin1’ and ‘winadmin2’  -  In order to maintain separate Verde environments, you must use (2) Local Verde Accounts. 

Option:  Local Windows Accounts can be installed within each Gold image to match the Local Verde User accounts to provide for Single Sign-on (SSO).  Otherwise, the initial Windows Login will fail.

 

        Note:  Verde will pass the Local User account as Credentials into each Windows VM and it won't match. (Normal)

        Windows will Prompt for a Login.  Use the local Windows 'Administrator' account for full rights and authority of the Windows server.

 

7.    Upon initial Login to the Windows server VM, need to ADD the DNS Server IP - (this is not part of netcfg import)

 

8.    Going forward, you can use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection to access the Windows Server Console to install Windows Services and other Business software

 




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