Scanning from local machine to AVD

Hey Steve,

   In our MSP days we used Fabulatech's devices to convert USB scanners into network scanners, but they now have an application geared towards scanner redirection for remote desktops.  You might want to check out their app in the link below:

https://www.fabulatech.com/scanner-for-remote-desktop.html

Thanks for the reply.  I'll look into that program.  I have used and have heard of similar ones.

Sorry, I'm new to this and would appreciate some clarification. I was under the impression that the remote desktop app would be performing redirects of the ports, similar to how the printers are redirected. Is that not the case?

I see there hasnt been many replies to this thread but wanted to weigh in on my experience.  A product like the fabulatech works fine for desktop scanners, we have been using a product from Terminal Works for years that does a great job redirecting printers and scanners (TSPrint and TSScan).  

Many of our clients INSIST on having a scan to folder from their large MFP devices.  For a lot of our clients we do have a site to site VPN which gives the connectivity to the Azure environment and if you have a file server or anything other than the session hosts in a pool it usually works fine.  My struggle is to use scan to folder from an MFP directly to an Azure Files share.  I have spent FAR too many hours trying to make it work and just never could.  I setup private endpoints, changed security settings, even went as far as to try and utilize the HTTP scanning on some newer MFP devices but all failed.  In my experience, Azure Files (premium shares for sure) implement "High Security" and require SMB3.0 and encryption and user authentication from Azure AD (in my scenarios) as well as rely on DNS name resolutions.  My goal in these environments were to have as few servers/machines that need attention (updates, antivirus, ect...) so i ended up purchasing and installing SyncBack Pro which runs on the session hosts and uses a "temp" directory that the scanners connect to then SyncBack moves/copies the files to the appropriate share in Azure Files.  

I'd love to hear from anyone else if they actually got it to work or had a better/lesser solution that actually works to use SMB from an MFP device to an Azure Files share.  

We are using AVD with the golden image template.  We have the printer/scanner drivers and all apps installed that would be needed to run on a virtual desktop for running remote apps.  I'll be looking into Fabulatech for scanning.
What we have found:

https://getnerdio.com/resources/windows-365-vs-azure-virtual-desktop-avd-comparing-two-daas-products/
"3b – Printing and Scanning

Both Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 cloud PCs support printer and scanner redirection via the Remote Desktop client app.  With AVD and Enterprise cloud PCs it is possible to configure network-based printing and scanning with a site-to-site VPN tunnel between the Azure vNet and local network that hosts the printers and scanners.  It is not possible to use network-based printing and scanning with Business cloud PCs since IT admins do not have control of the network where the cloud PCs reside.  Universal Print is Microsoft’s new cloud-based print solution that can be used with AVD and Windows 365 cloud PCs.  Several third-party products exist that help simplifies printing and scanning."

Enabling Multimedia Redirection we have working for printers, but is not for scanners.  
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/multimedia-redirection?tabs=edge

We were using Terminal Works TSScan and TSPrint with an actual terminal server in Azure.  Works fine there.  A trial license works fine with AVD.  The problem here is that the licensing for Terminalworks they advertise is for a traditional terminal server.  Licensing (including unlimited users) is per device.  It is registered to the device hardware ID.  With each new session host VM, there's a different hardware ID than the imaging template VM, thus the licensing is not registered on a session host and throws a license expired message.  Via discussion with Terminalworks, the trial installer does not perform any license registration checks.  Licensing authentication is completely ignored.  So it works with AVD initially.  Then when the trial period is over and you register the license to the golden image template VM it works, but errors on session hosts.  Terminal works has unadvertised licensing for AVD which is $499 per VM.  So if you say I can spin up to 5 VM's, that cost is near $2500.  This week June 2024, I suggested to Terminalworks I thought their trial should also follow licensing to prompt a warning but allow bypass and on their site to reference a request quote for AVD pricing.  It's misleading. They did not agree.  

We are going to try enabling from group policy RemoteFX for device redirection on both golden image and devices connecting to AVD.  I don't foresee this providing the desired results for scanning.  Fabulatech might be the solution.  

Hope that this helps someone.

Thanks for sharing your insight/testing, Larry!
I'm excited to hear how your additional testing pans out and I'm sure it will help be of help to someone on the forums.

I don't know if you saw this post or not (Advanced (USB) Device Redirection in AVD – Nerdio Help Center (getnerdio.com)), but it looks like it covers exactly the use case you're talking about (including a scripted action by Marcos to make the change in NMM).

Larry I am still using TSPrint/TSScan from Terminal works on my AVD Desktop Images but if you use an individual licese the Hardware ID changes slightly on every session host after reimaging and will invalidate the license.  

We have a Site License setup which uses the same license across any machine.  You just need to have enough site licenses to cover your session hosts.  

With that said...the build in device redirection usually works really well but MOST of our users were used to TSPrint already as we moved them from an RDS environment and there some apps that dont handle a printer without a static name.  

DStephenson - I did see that and am trying it.  

Phil Long - You would be using the unadvertised licensing that I mentioned in which one would need to have enough licenses to cover the maximum amount of session hosts VM's that are set to autoscale.  That should work as you stated.  I just didn't care for the fact that Terminalworks doesn't reference anywhere publicly that 1. there is a different licensing model. 2. that downloading a trial will completely ignore their licensing validation.  I am certain if buying X amount of unadvertised licensing from Terminalworks would provide desired results without license error. It worked fine for many years on a traditional terminal server.  

Thank you both for the insights.

Update: Although I still do not care for how Terminalworks addressed my request or how they handle licensing even with a trial, it is going to be the least invasive and most cost effective option in this instance.

TerminalWorks TSSCAN - Same install for AVD as for a terminal server, but have to contact them to update existing licensing.  Can still be used for terminal server and AVD simultaneous.  6 licenses or more and there is no annual fee for what they define being software assurance.

Quest Remotescan - Only option I see listed in Azure marketplace - Perpetual licensing is per scanner not location or users.

Fabulatech - mixture of options all more costly than TSScan for the account we have.

ZeeTim- Up and coming potential option with AVD testing in development tentatively available September 2024.  The guy I talked to is based in France.