Release date: March 10th 2019
Welcome to my VMware Horizon series. In this sub-session I will describe how I customized Windows in my MS Server 2012R2 RDS template prior to installing agents and applications.
After successfully deploying a new 2012R2 vm in my previous session, I’m now ready to proceed with customizing the MS 2012R2 Server. Normally I would update the server from MS Windows Update, but as I keep my vm templates updated on a regular basis, this won’t be necessary in this session. The first thing I do with my template is to disable Server Manager startup automatically at logon and disable IE Enhanced Security.
Next I will add the RDS-role and Desktop Experience Feature
I start the “Add Roles and Features Wizard” in Server Manager, Next
The Telnet Client comes in handy often, therefore I add this as well
As I forgot to add the Desktop Experience feature above, I restart the wizard and add this feature.
The server will now be restarted to complete the installation of roles and features.
Once my 2012R2 RDS Server is restarted, I run “NGEN and Dism”-commands to optimize and compress the template.
That concludes my session about how I customized Windows Server 2012R2 in my template. My next logical step will be to generalize Windows Server 2012R2, covered here: VMware Horizon – Setup Server 2012R2 RDS Template – Generalize and prepare Windows
Recommended reading:
VMware Tech Zone: Creating an Optimized Windows Image for a VMware Horizon Virtual Desktop
VMware Horizon – Setup 2012R2 RDS Template
VMware Horizon planning, deployment etc.
Disclaimer: Every tips/tricks/posting I have published here, is tried and tested in different it-solutions. It is not guaranteed to work everywhere, but is meant as a tip for other users out there. Remember, Google is your friend and don’t be afraid to steal with pride! Feel free to comment below as needed.
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