Workspace and App Virtualization
The Workspace and App Virtualization domain tests how you deliver desktops and applications without binding users to one physical endpoint. Questions cover VDI, RDSH session hosts, published apps, app layering, golden images, profile and data separation, broker roles, display protocols, and capacity planning. The exam expects you to select the simplest delivery model that meets isolation, performance, and management needs.
Core rules
- Separate the OS image, the app layer, the user profile, and the data. Persistent desktops keep a one-to-one image; nonpersistent pools reset from a golden image and need profile containers or roaming profiles.
- Use RDSH when many users need the same few apps and cost matters; use VDI when users need desktop isolation, custom drivers, or admin rights.
- Treat the broker as a matchmaker, not a compute host. It authenticates, selects a resource, and returns a protocol connection; gateways provide external access.
- Plan for boot storms, login storms, antivirus scans, and profile I/O. Test protocol behavior over real latency and packet loss.
Worked example
Fifty task workers use three line-of-business apps plus email. They need fast login and low cost per user. Full persistent VDI would overprovision and complicate patching. A better design is RDSH session hosts built from a golden image, apps published from the session, FSLogix profile containers for user settings, and a gateway for remote access. Capacity is based on concurrent sessions and app memory, not total headcount.
Traps
Do not mix persistent and nonpersistent assumptions in one pool. Do not forget profile capture; a reset desktop loses settings. Do not blame the protocol for poor DNS or undersized hosts. Do not publish an app that needs a per-user driver without testing.