Load Balancing 2012 R2 Session Host Collection with External Network Load Balancer

Question

Hi,
We are moving from a 2008 R2 Remote Desktop session host deployment to 2012 R2. Previously, we used our Kemp hardware load balancer to distribute load between RDSH servers. We had a connection broker deployed so that if an existing disconnected session was
detected during the initial connection, the user was directed back to that session.  
In 2012 R2, we planned to again used the Kemp load balancer to main high availability for our RDSH collection, but are experiencing strange issues. It seems that the RD Connection Broker is also performing load balancing--the result being that initial connections
to the RDSH collection may go to one RDSH server with the least connections through the Kemp, but then be redirected to a different RDSH server by the broker, even when there is no existing session for the user on that second server.
Our question is: Should we not be using the Kemp balancer at all (how would this work)? Or should we disable load balancing by the connection broker (if so...how)?
Further complicating our redirection issue with that the RDSH servers have multiple interfaces--one with public addresses and others with private. The connection broker seems to abritrarily pick among the destination RDSH server's available IP addresses
for the redirection and trying to redirect to a private address will fail. We think we have worked around this by connecting to each RDSH server from a 2008 R2 server's RDSH Configuration console and choosing just the public adapter under the Network Adapters
tab--is there no way to access this setting in 2012 R2?
Thanks in advance!   
Matthew

Answer 1

Hi Matthew,
 As you are most likely already aware, inn Remote Desktop Services 2012 / R2 the Connection broker uses round robin DNS to load balance.
To simplify things I would recommend that you let the connection broker load balance the sessions and use the KEMP to Load balance the RDweb and Gateway servers.
Have a look at the following articles:
http://ryanmangansitblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/create-a-rdwa-farm-using-a-kemp-load-balancer/
http://ryanmangansitblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/rds-2012-configuring-a-rd-gateway-farm/
http://ryanmangansitblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/load-balance-rds2012-rdwa-and-rdgw-using-sub-interfaces-on-kemps-loadmaster/
As you have mentioned that you are migrating from a 2008R2 configuration, have a look at the following article:
http://ryanmangansitblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/publish-rds-2008r2-desktop-on-rds-2012/
Ryan Mangan | [email protected] | Help keep the forums tidy, if this has helped please mark it as an answer