When preparing for the AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop exam, a significant area to focus on is configuring backup and restore for FSLogix user profiles, personal virtual desktop infrastructures (VDIs), and golden images. Effective backup and restore strategies are crucial for minimizing the impact of system failures and ensuring business continuity.
Configuring Backup and Restore for FSLogix User Profiles
FSLogix primarily serves to deliver a high-performance user experience while minimizing hardware costs and simplifying management. It ensures the profile’s state is captured, stored and can be reinstated when required.
To configure backup and restore for FSLogix user profiles, the following steps are typically involved:
- First, ensure that the ‘FSLogix Apps’ software is installed on the selected machine. This allows the machine to manage FSLogix profiles.
- Next, configure the location where user profile disks will be stored. This can be a file share, NetApp files, or Azure premium file shares. Azure premium file shares are generally recommended for large deployments.
- Also, enable FSLogix group policies on the Azure Virtual Desktop host pool to redirect user profiles to the storage location.
- Finally, use the backup solution of your choice to schedule regular backups of the user profiles disk location.
For restoration, you would simply deploy the backed-up profiles to the desired location and reconnect them to the users.
Configuring Backup and Restore for Personal Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs)
Personal virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI) offer individualized environments for users. Hence, ensuring these environments are well safeguarded against failure is critical.
To safeguard Personal VDIs, consider setting regular backup schedules aligning with the organization’s data protection policy. Azure offers in-built services like Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery that can be utilized for this need.
Please refer to the following steps for configuring backup for Personal VDIs:
- In Azure portal, create a Backup vault.
- Define a backup policy, specify the frequency and times of backup, and retention period.
- Select the virtual machine to be backed up, in this case, the personal VDI.
- Once the backup has been scheduled, Azure will automatically take care of backing up the virtual machine adhering to the set policy.
To restore a personal VDI, simply choose the suitable recovery point from the Backup vault and commence the restore operation.
Configuring Backup and Restore for Golden Images
Golden images, which are preconfigured templates for VDI deployment, reduce installation and configuration costs.
To back up a Golden Image in Azure Virtual Desktop:
- Ensure that the image is stored as a Managed Disk in Azure.
- Navigate to the “Backup Center” within the Azure portal.
- Select “+Backup” to create a new backup strategy.
- Choose “Azure Virtual Machine” as the backup target and configure your backup strategy.
- Select your Golden Image disk as the source and finalize setting the backup.
To restore a Golden Image, you simply navigate to the backup instance and select “Restore VM,” which recreates the VM from the backup.
Conclusion
The AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop exam requires a practical understanding of backup and restore strategies. Understanding the way these strategies apply to FSLogix user profiles, personal virtual desktop infrastructures, and golden images, as detailed above, is essential for managing and maintaining Azure VDI environments.
Practice Test
True or False: FSLogix profiles can be stored in Azure files.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: FSLogix profiles are stored in blobs in Azure files. The Azure files provide a familiar SMB interface, and this is Microsoft’s recommended method for storing profiles.
Which of the following is a key component when configuring backup and restore for FSLogix user profiles?
- A. Azure Storage.
- B. Azure Virtual Network.
- C. Azure Load Balancer.
- D. Azure Traffic Manager.
Answer: A. Azure Storage.
Explanation: Azure Storage is essential for the storage and retrieval of FSLogix user profiles.
True or False: The process of creating a golden image comprises installing apps, updates, and configurations.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: A golden image is essentially a template for a virtual machine’s hard disk, and creating one involves installing required applications, updates, and configurations.
Can FSLogix profile containers be configured to use cloud caching?
- A. Yes
- B. No
Answer: A. Yes
Explanation: FSLogix Profile Containers can be configured to use cloud caching, which can help improve login and logout speed.
True or False: Azure Backup cannot be used to back up file shares containing FSLogix profiles.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Backup can indeed be used to back up file shares that contain FSLogix user profiles.
Azure Site Recovery is used for the backup and restore of golden images. True or False?
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Site Recovery is used for the disaster recovery of applications running on Azure Virtual Machines rather than backup and restore of golden images.
True or False: A personal VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) associates a user with a specific virtual machine.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: A personal VDI does indeed associate each user with a specific virtual machine in which they retain their settings and data.
Which of the following would you leverage to create backups of FSLogix profiles?
- A. Azure Site Recovery.
- B. Azure Data Factory.
- C. Azure Backup.
- D. Azure Active Directory.
Answer: C. Azure Backup.
Explanation: Azure Backup is a solution that you would use to protect your FSLogix profiles from accidental deletion and other potential forms of data loss.
In Azure Virtual Desktop, what is a golden image?
- A. A backup of a virtual network.
- B. A backup of a user profile.
- C. A master template for a virtual machine.
- D. A snapshot of a storage account.
Answer: C. A master template for a virtual machine.
Explanation: A golden image is a template for a VM’s hard disk that is used to quickly clone and deploy more VMs.
True or False: Golden images cannot be used with Azure Virtual Desktop.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Golden images can indeed be used with Azure Virtual Desktop. They simplify administration and enable you to consistently reproduce virtual machines with identical configurations.
Interview Questions
What is FSLogix?
FSLogix is a set of solutions that enhance, enable, and simplify non-persistent Windows computing environments. FSLogix can be used to improve VDI environments such as those provided by Azure Virtual Desktop.
What is the role of FSLogix in Azure Virtual Desktop environments?
FSLogix helps to significantly improve the user experience in Azure Virtual Desktop environments by ensuring a fast, smooth performance of user profiles. It is especially beneficial in non-persistent VDI scenarios because they store and manage user profiles in a separate container, enabling a ‘local’ user experience even in a non-persistent environment.
How do you configure a backup for FSLogix profiles?
You can utilise Azure Backup service or a third-party backup solution to back up FSLogix containers. You just have to ensure that the backup solution used supports backing up open files since FSLogix profile containers are attached to the user session as a VHD(X) file.
What is a golden image in the context of Azure Virtual Desktop?
A golden image in Azure Virtual Desktop is a pre-configured template for virtual machines. It has the OS, applications, updates, and configurations that the VMs need, ensuring consistent setup and quicker rollout across multiple VMs.
How do you create a golden image in Azure Virtual Desktop?
You can create a golden image manually by setting up and configuring a VM in Azure and then capturing an image of the VM. You can also automate this process using configuration management tools like Windows Autopilot, Configuration Manager, or PowerShell scripts.
How can you restore FSLogix user profiles using the Azure Backup service?
To restore an FSLogix user profile using Azure Backup service, navigate to the vault in Azure portal where your backups are stored. In the vault, search for the file share which contains the user profiles you wish to restore, choose an appropriate recovery point and proceed with the recovery process.
What are Personal Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs)?
Personal VDIs are virtual desktop instances that are permanently assigned to users. Once a user is assigned a personal VDI, they will always be connected to that same instance, allowing them to customize their workspace according to their preference.
What are the steps to restore a Personal VDI in Azure Virtual Desktop?
Restoring a Personal VDI in Azure Virtual Desktop involves creating a new VM from a backup disk. You would select the backed up disk and create a new VM from it in the Azure portal. You can then assign the new VM to the user.
How would you back up a golden image in Azure Virtual Desktop?
You can back up a golden image using Azure Disk Backup. This allows you to create point-in-time backups to recover the VM image.
Are there any limitations with using Azure Backup to back up FSLogix profiles?
Yes, Azure Backup can only run once a day and it doesn’t support backing up differential changes or versioning. It also doesn’t backup open files, which means users might need to log out of their sessions during the backup process.
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