Microsoft AVD Logon Simulator Test

This test emulates a user logging into an AVD Web Client and launching an application/desktop. In the process, the test reports the total duration of the simulation, time taken for the login to be authenticated, the time taken for application/desktop enumeration, duration of application/desktop launch, and log out duration. Additionally, the test also captures failures (if any) at each step of the simulation. Using the insights provided by this test, Microsoft AVD administrators can proactively detect logon slowness/failures and precisely pinpoint the root-cause of the anomaly - is it login authentication? enumeration? application/desktop launch? or logout? This way, administrators are enabled to isolate the probable pain-points of their Microsoft AVD infrastructure, even before users begin to actively use applications/desktops.

Target of the test : Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop

Agent deploying the test : An external agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for every published application that the simulator is configured to launch

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed. The default is 15 minutes. Note: Some parameter changes can sometimes impact the simulation duration. Most often, this can happen in the following situations: If multiple applications are configured for launching against Published Resources: In this case, the test will repeat the entire sequence of steps for every configured application - i.e., after an application is launched, the test will logoff and then log in again to attempt the launch of the next application. This can increase the duration of the simulation. If the value of the Launch Timeout and/or the Logoff Delay parameters of the test is significantly increased: If this is done, then the simulator will wait that much longer for the application launch or logoff to happen, thereby increasing simulation duration. Sometimes, these changes can cause the simulation to take more time than the configured Test Period. If this happens, the test will fail after logging an error to that effect in the <EG_AGENT_INSTALL_DIR>\agent\error_log file. To avoid this, it would be good practice to relook at the Test Period configuration every time one of the parameters mentioned above is modified, and increase it if required.
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Port	Refers to the port used by the Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop. By default, this is NULL.
Site URL	Specify the URL for connecting to the AVD Web Client. By default, the Site URL is specified as https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient.
Users and Published Resources	To know how to configure the users and published resources to be monitored, refer to How to Configure Users and Published Resources for Monitoring?.
Console Username	The simulator needs to run in the account of a user who has local administrator rights on the simulation end point - i.e., the system on which the external agent has been installed. Specify the name of this user here. This user should also be logged in at all times for the simulator to run continuously.
Console Domain	If the user specified in Console Username belongs to a domain, specify the name of the domain in the Console Domain text box. By default, none is specified against this text box.
Launch Timeout	By default, this parameter is set to 90 seconds. This implies that the simulator will wait for a maximum of 90 seconds (by default) for an application/desktop to launch. If the application/desktop does not launch even after the 90 seconds have elapsed, then the simulation will be automatically terminated, and the simulator will mark that application/desktop launch as 'failed'. Accordingly, the Application launch availability measure for that published resource (i.e., application/desktop) will report the value 0, and no launch duration will be reported for the same. In some environments, one/more published applications may take a little longer to launch than the rest. In such environments, you can instruct the simulator to wait longer for launching each of the configured published resources, by increasing the Launch Timeout. The high time out setting for resource launch ensures that the simulator captures and reports only genuine launch failures, and does not treat a launch delay as a failure.
Web Logoff Delay	By default, this parameter is set to 30 seconds. This implies that the simulator will wait for a maximum of 30 seconds (by default) after each resource launch, for the logoff to occur. If the logoff does not happen even after the lapse of 30 seconds, then the simulation will be automatically terminated, and the simulator will mark the logoff attempt as 'failed'. A logoff duration will hence not be computed or reported in this case. In some environments, even during normal operation, logoff may take longer. In such environments, you can instruct the simulator to wait longer for the logoff to occur, by increasing the Web Logoff Delay. The high time out setting for logoff ensures that the simulator waits for the log off to complete and captures and reports the accurate logoff duration.
Screenshot Required	By default, the logon simulator will automatically take screenshots of failure conditions and displays the same in the layer model against the measure that reported failure as well as in the graphical view of the detailed diagnosis. To this effect, this flag is set to Yes, by default. If you do not wish to view the screenshot for the simulation, then, set this flag to No.
Success Screenshot Required	By default, this flag is set to No indicating that the logon simulator will not capture a screenshot and display the same in the graphical view of the detailed diagnosis if the simulation performed was successful. If you wish to capture a screenshot for successful simulations too and display the same, then, set this flag to Yes.
Success Screenshot Frequency	Specify the frequency i.e., measurement period for which a screenshot captured for a successful simulation should be retained in the layer model/graphical view. By default, this is set to 5 indicating that the screenshot captured for a successful simulation will be displayed for the subsequent 5 measurement periods provided, the logon simulation is successful during all those 5 measurement periods.
Enable Session Active	For the logon simulation to be successful on the simulation endpoint at all times, it is important for the Windows user session to always remain 'active'. To this effect, this flag is set to Yes by default.
DD Frequency	Refers to the frequency with which detailed diagnosis measures are to be generated for this test. The default is 1:1. This indicates that, by default, detailed measures will be generated every time this test runs, and also every time the test detects a problem. You can modify this frequency, if you so desire. Also, if you intend to disable the detailed diagnosis capability for this test, you can do so by specifying none against dd frequency.
Detailed Diagnosis	To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option. The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled: The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.

Figure 1 : The measures reported by the Microsoft AVD Logon Simulator test

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Logon availability	Indicates whether/not the simulator logged into the AVD Web Client successfully, when attempting to launch this application/desktop.	Percent	The value 100 for this measure indicates that logon was successful, and the value 0 indicates that logon failed. If this measure reports the value 0, then no other measures will be reported for that application/desktop. You can also use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to view the output of the simulation script, scrutinize it, and isolate the failure and problem points of the Microsoft AVD infrastructure at first glance.
Logon duration	Indicates the time taken by the simulator to login to the AVD Web Client, when attempting to launch this application/desktop.	Secs	If the Total simulation duration for an application/desktop exceeds its threshold, compare the value of this measure with that of the other duration values reported by the test to know where the bottleneck lies - in login authentication? application/desktop enumeration? application/desktop launch? or log out?
Application/desktop enumeration availability	Indicates whether/not applications/desktops were successfully enumerated on the AVD Web Client console, when the simulator attempted to launch this application/desktop.	Percent	The value 100 for this measure indicates that application/desktop enumeration was successful, and the value 0 indicates that enumeration failed.
Application/desktop enumeration duration	Indicates the time taken for application/desktop enumeration to complete, when the simulator attempted to launch this application/desktop.	Secs	If the Total simulation duration for an application/desktop exceeds its threshold, compare the value of this measure with that of the other duration values reported by the test to know where the bottleneck lies - in login authentication? application/desktop enumeration? application/desktop launch? or log out?
Application/desktop launch availability	Indicates whether/not the simulator launched this application/desktop successfully.	Percent	The value 100 for this measure indicates that application/desktop launch was successful, and the value 0 indicates that the launch failed. By comparing the value of this measure across applications/desktops, you can quickly identify which application/desktop could not be launched.
Application/desktop launch duration	Indicates the time taken by the simulator to launch this application/desktop.	Secs	If the Total simulation duration for an application/desktop exceeds its threshold, compare the value of this measure with that of the other duration values reported by the test to know where the bottleneck lies - in login authentication? application/desktop enumeration? application/desktop launch? or log out?
Logoff duration	Indicates the time taken by the simulator to log out of AVD Web Client.	Secs	If the Total simulation duration for an application/desktop exceeds its threshold, compare the value of this measure with that of the other duration values reported by the test to know where the bottleneck lies - in login authentication? application/desktop enumeration? application/desktop launch? or log out?
Total simulation duration	Indicates the total time taken by the simulator to simulate the launch of this application / desktop.	Secs	An abnormally high value for this measure could indicate a logon slowness. In such a case, compare the value of all the duration values reported by the test to know where the bottleneck lies - in login authentication? application/desktop enumeration? application /desktop launch? or log out?

Use the detailed diagnosis of the Logon availability measure to view the output of the simulation script, scrutinize it, and isolate the failure and problem points of the Microsoft AVD infrastructure at first look. A summary of the simulation is also provided as part of the detailed diagnostics. This includes the Site URL configured for monitoring, the user name used for the simulation, the exact time at which the simulated user logged into the site, and the published resource that was accessed as part of the simulation.

Figure 2 : The detailed diagnosis of the Logon availability measure