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Test Azure Virtual Desktop connectivity and RTT

Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes, we need to check some basic connectivity from end user devices to a service like Azure Virtual Desktop. Most networks have a custom firewall equipped where we must allow certain traffic to flow to the internet.

Previously there was a tool from Microsoft available, the Azure Virtual Desktop experience estimator, but they have discontinued that. This tested the Round Trip Time (RTT) to a specific Azure region and is a calculation of what the end user will get.

AMC - Module 11: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and DevOps

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this module, we cover Azure: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and DevOps. This module focuses more on development on Azure, with less emphasis on automation and IT management. While IaC and DevOps might seem less exciting at first, they are essential for modern cloud-based application development and operations, helping streamline deployments, ensure consistency, and integrate continuous delivery pipelines.

Azure Portal, Azure Powershell and Azure CLI

There are multiple environments to manage Azure and its resources:

AMC - Module 9: Databases & AI

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this we will explore various possibilities of Databases and AI in Microsoft Azure.

Types of data and structures

Data in general can be stored in different ways for various purposes.

Relational: Relational data consists of rows and columns following a predefined schema. The schema is represented as a table, which is essentially a type of spreadsheet where the rows contain entities and the columns store properties. For example, in an online webshop, orders would be represented as rows (entities), while columns would contain data such as the order ID, customer address, timestamp, payment method, etc.
- Examples: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL
Non-relational: Non-relational data is less structured, such as a document or a JSON file. However, it is self-descriptive, meaning the file itself makes it clear how the data is stored.
- Examples: NoSQL, MongoDB, Gremlin, Cosmos DB
Unstructured: Unstructured data consists of various file types where the structure is not clearly defined.
- Examples:.docx, .xlsx, .jpg, .mp4 and other standalone files

Databases in Microsoft Azure

In Microsoft Azure, there are different ways to deploy a database where each type has it’s own charasteristics and requirements:

AMC - Module 8: Application Services and Containers

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This module is about application services in Microsoft Azure. It mainly focuses on containers and containerized solutions but also explores other serverless solutions. These are solutions where, as a customer or consumer of Microsoft Azure, you do not need to manage a server.

Statefull vs. Stateless

We can categorize servers/VMs into two categories: Stateful and Stateless:

Stateful: Stateful servers are uniquely configured and have a specific role, for example:

Migrate Group Policies to a new server or domain like a pro

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Once in a while, we as IT administrators need to export and import our Group Policies of Windows Server to another server. Sometimes to copy a great policy you’ve built, or to migrate a customer to a new server.

By default, the only option Microsoft has built in into Group Policy Management (gpmc.msc) is the backup option. This creates some administrative tasks.

The Export and Import scripts

I have created two scripts with Powershell that fully exports and imports all Group Policy Objects (GPOs). This with 2 seperate scripts. These can be found and downloaded from my Github page:

Bulk create Active Directory users with Powershell

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

When it comes to creating users for Active Directory, especially in new implementations, you want to minimize the time needed to create the accounts. This is possible by creating the AD users with Powershell.

Requirements

Minimal knowledge of Powershell
An Active Directory environment

Full script for creating AD users

Here is the full script including CSV that creates the ad users:

Show PowerShell script on Github