Oct 19 2021 04:48 AM - edited Oct 24 2021 06:31 AM
Just notice that I have a new tab under my AVD Portal for Scaling Plan.
Before I just explore it, I checked Microsoft DOCs to understand the new feature and see how I can enable it, but I didn't find any relevant info even when I google it I end up with the same result... did I stop here.. Absolutely not, created a temp host pool and followed the wizard to enable and configure the new feature and here is my test result
Autoscaling is a demanded feature and has been waiting for so long, we used to automatically scale host sessions using PowerShell scripts and Azure Automation, but it was long and complicated procedures involving a lot of components, Now with AVD Scaling plans you can define ramp-up hours, peak hours, ramp-down hours, and off-peak hours for weekdays and specify autoscaling triggers. but you can only add one schedule per day and a Scaling plan must include an associated schedule for at least one day of the week.
Requirements
Click on JSON Tab
Click on Edit Tab
Past the following JSON template
{
"properties": {
"roleName": "Autoscale",
"description": "Friendly description.",
"assignableScopes": [
"/subscriptions/<SubscriptionID>"
],
"permissions": [
{
"actions": [
"Microsoft.Insights/eventtypes/values/read",
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/deallocate/action",
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action",
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/powerOff/action",
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action",
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/read",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/write",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/sessionhosts/read",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/sessionhosts/write",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/sessionhosts/usersessions/delete",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/sessionhosts/usersessions/read", "Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/sessionhosts/usersessions/sendMessage/action",
"Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostpools/sessionhosts/usersessions/read"
],
"notActions": [],
"dataActions": [],
"notDataActions": []
}
]
}
}
Change <SubscriptionID> with your SubscriptionID
Save the template
Click Review + Create.
Last, Click Create.
Next, Click on Select members
In the search bar, enter and select Windows Virtual Desktop, as shown in the following screenshot.
Last, Click Review + Assign.
As you can see the below step is almost the same as the previous one, so just to clarify the difference:
Usually, every application has its own peak hours where concurrent users tend to increase slowly before the start of peak time. same for AVD users start getting in slowing to the host sessions and at a specific time most of the users will start hitting the services (this is the peak hour)
Then Create..
In the next step, we have to assign the host pool that we will apply this schedule on, scaling plan can be assigned to any number of host pools.
Review and Create..
Testing And Validation
After a few minutes of creating the scaling plan..
Jump to the running AVD virtual machine and check the activity log, you should get an activity stating that the VM was started and this event initiated by WindowsVirtal Desktop App.
Mar 03 2022 08:09 AM
Thanks for the update on this, even if this is not the news we hoped or expected!
Are you able to elaborate on the UK South capacity issues please, and why exactly this Scaling Plan functionality for the AVD platform is affected by such a capacity issue? Based on the existing scaling script and logic app method that's available to us already (for scaling AVD platforms), I cant image this new Scaling Plan functionality is that resource demanding on a data centre, surely?!?
Mar 03 2022 08:25 AM
Mar 03 2022 08:28 AM
Apr 19 2022 10:54 AM
Apr 19 2022 10:55 AM
Apr 19 2022 10:56 AM
May 04 2022 05:43 AM
May 04 2022 11:35 AM
May 04 2022 10:13 PM
May 05 2022 12:14 AM - edited May 05 2022 03:27 AM
While I appreciate Microsoft finally having an integrated scaling solution, it is painfully basic. I am a Microsoft Certified Trainier giving AVD training and conducting workshops and have been struggling selling AVD for a year now. AVD is complex. AVD is just a platform, not a solution.
Now, things starting to change, partners and myself are excited about AVD again since I started training and selling AVD using Nerdio MSP.
Their scaling allows me to even use Session Hosts with Ephemeral Disks, which are slightly more expensive (like 10$/month more for a D4ds vs a D4s), but do not need a managed disk and have *zero* disk cost while running and zero cost when not running (obviously, since they cannot be stopped/started, but are always created and destroyed) - and have 50% better Disk I/O throughput.
Even for a partner starting with a customer with just 25 AVD-enabled employees, I save so much compute and storage cost, that the 12$/seat license I pay covers 75% of the Nerdio license (compared to a 3-year RI calculation). The remaining 25% are equivalent to an Swiss IT guys average 1h work rate, around 80$.
And their solution is production ready. Now if you compare it with the scaling solution Microsoft is providing, the cost saving is less, but you cannot compare the scaling plan functionality with Nerdios'. It is so much more powerful, light years ahead. Check out the print screen and you will understand what I mean. You will end up with the 3-year RI solution that many customers opted for, because setting up and maintaining Scaling is either lacking functionality (like the new Scaling Plans) or too complex (Azure Automation).
Do a FULL COST calculation and you will see that (at least in a place like Switzerland, where labor is expensive), a solution like Nerdio might be a better fit - and saves you A LOT of headaches. In my case, using Swiss labor rates and comparing how much MORE time you need to maintain AVD WITHOUT a proper tooling like Nerdio MSP, we save 39%, from a TCO perspective.
Best of all, this Friday, May 6th, they roll out a release that allows me to use AADJ with FSLogix (using Blob storage), so bye bye to two DC's and two days of work for cloud native customers (our instruction manual ist over a hundred pages long for this seamless SSO setup with ADFS). If you are not experienced with Azure, you need a week to set this up, if you hire me, I will do it in two days. If you have Nerdio MSP, you have this up and running before lunch time. :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:
Reach out to me if you are based in Switzerland and I will demo you the magic.
Nerdio MSP Auto-Scaling Print Screen
May 05 2022 01:12 AM
May 05 2022 03:13 AM
May 09 2022 03:03 AM - edited May 09 2022 03:04 AM
Hello @Seneca_Friend,
Thanks first and foremost -
Read through the comments and undertand the UK South limitations. However, how does one stay notified about this being released in UK South?
Should I just keep coming back to this post to find out?
Thank you.
May 09 2022 09:58 AM
Sep 02 2022 12:20 AM
Oct 13 2023 03:14 PM
Oct 19 2023 11:18 PM
@MiguelOmar Currently, you can either send diagnostic logs for autoscale to an Azure Storage account or consume logs with Microsoft Azure Event Hubs.
Set up diagnostics for autoscale in Azure Virtual Desktop | Microsoft Learn