You asked for it and we have it for you – you can now use Azure VMs to create images for RemoteApp. We’re also making available an Azure VM Gallery Image that meets all the requirements for RemoteApp – you can use this as a template to create your own custom RemoteApp images.
My name is Sandeep Patnaik, and I work in the Remote Desktop team. Many of you reached out to us via the Azure RemoteApp forum and asked for a way to import images from your Azure virtual machines library. This feature is now live on the Azure Management Portal. Step-by-step instructions are provided below for your help.
We went a step further and have created a starter image that meets all Azure RemoteApp prerequisites. This image, Windows Server Remote Desktop Session Host , is now available in the Azure Virtual Machine image gallery for you to use. The image is based on Windows Server 2012 R2 and meets all the requirements for RemoteApp (as outlined here ).
Creating a custom image based on the VM image
You can follow these steps to create your custom image based on the image we provide:
1. Create an Azure virtual machine using the “ Windows Server Remote Desktop Session Host ” image from the Azure virtual machine image gallery. This image meets all the Azure RemoteApp template image requirements. For details, see Create a VM running Windows .
2. Connect to the VM and install and configure your applications and perform any additional Windows configurations required by your applications. For details, see How to Log on to a Virtual Machine Running Windows Server .
3. Run the validation script by double-clicking " ValidateRemoteAppImage " icon on the desktop. This script validates all the pre-requisites for Azure RemoteApp. Ensure that all errors reported by the script are fixed before proceeding to the next step.
4. SYSPREP generalize and Capture the image. For details, see How to Capture a Windows Virtual Machine to Use as a Template .
Adding this image to Azure RemoteApp template image library
Follow these steps to import the above image into Azure RemoteApp template gallery:
1. Go to the Template Images tab under the RemoteApp extension in Azure Management Portal.
2. To launch the Add new template image wizard, click on "UPLOAD OR IMPORT A TEMPLATE IMAGE" link (shown when there are no template images):
or click the "+Add" button (shown when you have at least one template image):
3. Select the "Import an image from your Virtual Machines library" option.
4. In the next page, select your custom image from the drop down and confirm that you have followed the steps listed below to create your image.
5. In the next page, provide a name and location for the new RemoteApp template image.
You can import images from any Azure location supported by Azure Virtual Machines to any Azure location supported by Azure RemoteApp.
Note: Depending on the locations the import can take up to 25 minutes.
Thank you!
Note: Questions and comments are welcome. However, please DO NOT post a request for troubleshooting by using the comment tool at the end of this post. Instead, post a new thread in the Azure RemoteApp forum .