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Upgrading your Remote Desktop Virtualization Host

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Applies to: Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2016

RD Virtualization Host servers in the deployment where VMs are stored locally

These servers should be upgraded all at once. Complete the following steps to upgrade:

  1. Log off all users.

  2. Turn off or save all virtual machines on each host.

  3. Upgrade the servers to the new Windows Server version.

  4. All collections should be available and functional after the upgrades are complete.

RD Virtualization Host servers in the deployment where VMs are stored in Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV)

  1. Determine an upgrade strategy where some of the RDVH servers are upgraded and some continue to host VMs on the earlier version of Windows Server.

  2. Isolate one or more of the RDVH servers targeted for the initial round of upgrading. By migrating all VMs to other 'not to be upgraded yet' RDVH servers that remain part of the original cluster.

    1. Open Failover Cluster Manager.

    2. Select Roles.

    3. Select one or more VMs. Right-click to open the context menu.

    4. Select Move and choose either Live or Quick Migration to move the VMs to one or more of the RD Virtualization Host Servers that aren't part of the initial upgrade. Use Live or Quick Migration depending on factors such as hardware compatibility or online requirements.

  3. Evict the RDVH servers, prepared for upgrading, from the original cluster.

  4. Upgrade the isolated RDVH servers.

  5. After the targeted RDVH servers have been successfully upgraded, create a new cluster and CSV, which needs to be on an entirely different SAN volume.

  6. Join all upgraded RDVH servers to the new cluster.

  7. Create a folder structure in the new CSV that mimics the existing folder structure in the existing CSV. This includes the collection folders and each VM's top level subfolders.

  8. From the various VM Collection folders on the original CSV, copy over the /IMGS folder and contents to the new collection folders in the same locations on the new CSV.

  9. On the source RDVH machine, use Cluster Manager to remove the VM's configuration for high availability:

    1. Launch Cluster Manager.

    2. Select Roles.

    3. Right-click the VM objects, and then select Remove.

  10. On one of the nonupgraded RDVH servers, use Hyper-V Manager to move all VMs to one of the upgraded RDVH servers and new Cluster CSV:

    1. Open Hyper-V Manager.

    2. Select one of the nonupgraded RDVH servers.

    3. Right-click one of the VMs to be moved, and then select Move.

    4. Choose Move the virtual machine, and then select Next.

    5. Provide the targeted upgraded RDVH server's name on the Specify Destination Computer page, and then select Next.

    6. Choose Move the virtual machine's data to a single location, and then select Next.

    7. Browse to the destination location.

      Important

      Ensure this path is to an empty folder for the specific VM.

      Note

      As mentioned, you need to have already created a new destination subfolder prior to this step. The Select Folder dialog won't allow you to create a subfolder in this step.

      Select Next, and then select Finished.

  11. Once the VMs are relocated, add them as cluster High Availability objects:

    1. Open Failover Cluster Manager on an upgraded RD Virtualization Host Server.

    2. Right-click the Roles node, and then select Configure Role. Select Next on the Start page of the High Availability wizard.

    3. Choose Virtual Machine from the list of available roles, and then select Next. A list of VMs that aren't configured is shown.

    4. Select all the VMs. Select Next and then select Next again on the confirmation page to start the configuration task.

  12. Once you have relocated all VMs, upgrade the remaining RDVH servers. Use the above steps for balancing VM locations as appropriate.

Note

Heterogeneous Hyper-V servers in a cluster aren't supported.