Microsoft RDS, VDI, RemoteFX and

what Service Pack 1 will bring us

Ronnie Isherwood

@virtualfat

E2E Virtualization Conference

Rough Agenda

• Introduction

• RemoteFX Requirements

• Architecture

• USB Redirection

• Planning

• Things to know, monitoring, support etc

• 3rd Party Enhancements

Introduction to RemoteFX

RDP 7.1 for Session Host

Uses server CPU to render rich graphics

such as HD film, DirectX, flash and

HTLM5

RDP 7.1 USB Redirection

New redirection capabilities for devices

such as scanners and webcams.

RDP 7.1 for VDI

Can leverage Server GPU to render rich

graphics such as HD film, DirectX, flash

and HTLM5

RemoteFX™ HD Demo

RDSH running HD Video on RDP 7.0

VS

RDSH running HD Video on RDP 7.1

RemoteFX requirements

• RDVH– SLAT-enabled processor

– GPU

• The GPU driver must support DirectX 9.0c and DirectX 10

• If more than one GPU is installed in the RemoteFX server, the GPUs must be identical

• Enough GPUs or VRAM to cope with the number of users

• To use Live Migration, the source and destination RemoteFX servers must have the same GPU installed.

• RDSH– The processor on the RD Session Host server must support Streaming SIMD

Extensions 2 (SSE2)

RemoteFX - More System Requirements

• Hyper- V Host

– Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1

(Hyper-v, Standard, Enterprise, and DataCenter

editions)

• VDI Virtual Machine

– Windows 7 Enterprise with SP1

– Windows 7 Ultimate with SP1

• Remote Client Device

– Windows 7 with SP1

– Devices with RDP 7.1

RemoteFX Architecture

• The whisle-stop tour of…

• Hyper-V VDI Components

• Session Host Components

• RFX for RDSH

• The RFX Payload

• Client components and graphics pipeline

Hyper-V VDI + RemoteFX Components

W7 SP1

Guest OS

VGPU Driver

Hyper-V

Parent

Partition

RCC

VMBUS

Hyper-V

Integrated

Shared

Memory

Comms

RDP

GPU

• VGPU output

rendered to

physical GPU

via DirectX.

• Screen deltas

captured from

GPU.

• First phase of

CODEC runs on

GPU.

Inter-VM Communications

Optionally offloads

CODEC from CPU/GPU

increasing fidelity and

scale.

Protocol Fundamentals

(e.g. Authn, Encryption)

vGPU (WDDM)

driver exposes

parent GPU to

guest OS.

RemoteFX

Hardware

ASIC and

Driver

WS08 R2 SP1 Hyper-V Server

RemoteFX Virtual GPU and Rendering Pipeline

9

Silverlight ActiveX Control

DX9 APIs GDI

GPU

RemoteFX Capture and Encoding Pipeline

DX10 APIs

GPU Vendor

Driver

GPU

RDP

User

Kernel

Session [1…n]

RemoteFX-for-RDSH (aka TS)

TS Core

Session 0

RDP CoreWIN32K.SYS

RDP

RemoteFX-enabled RDS Server Infrastructure

RemoteFX-enabled Remote ClientRemote Client

RDS Server

Infrastructure

Graphics Virtual Channels

(VCs)Mouse &

Keyboard VCsPartner Virtual Channel Plug-

Ins

Bulk Compression (RDP5+, RDP6.0, RDP6.1)

Virtual Channel Multiplexing and Framing

Security Layer (SSL/Kerberos/NTLM)

Transport Layer (e.g. TCP, RPC/HTTP, Windows Live Tunnel)

Device

VCs

RemoteFX leverages the RDP protocol structure

RDSH (TS)

RDVH

The RemoteFX ‘Payload’

RDP 7.1 Client Components and Graphics

Pipeline

HW Decode

Driver

CA Decode

ASIC

CPU

GPU

RDP

RDP 7.0 + RemoteFX USB

Device Redirection

Isochronous

RDP Device Redirection + RemoteFX!

Demo USB redirection

For more information about RemoteFX USB Redirection, see the Configuring USB Device Redirection with

RemoteFX Step-by-Step Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=192431) on the Windows Server 2008

R2 Technical Library.

Planning

• Understand the user and applications requirements

• Download the planning guides

• Create a test lab, test apps and benchmark

• Talk to the hardware vendors

• Enhance with software solutions from partners e.g. Citrix,

Quest.

• Combine technologies and focus on consistent user

experience if using multiple technologies.

Planning - GPU

Minimum resolution Maximum number of monitors in virtual machine setting

1 monitor 2 monitors 3 monitors 4 monitors

1024 x 768 75 MB 105 MB 135 MB 165 MB

1280 x 1024 125 MB 175 MB 225 MB 275 MB

1600 x 1200 184 MB 257 MB 330 MB N/A

1920 x 1200 220 MB 308 MB N/A N/A

Planning

• New Physical Core to Virtual CPU Ratio

– Specifically for Window 7 VDI

– 12 vCPU to 1 Physical Core or Thread

Suggest 2 x vCPU per VM

• Suggest 2 GB Memory per VM

• LAN, 0.5Mb/s to 9.5Mb/s

Things to know

• Hotfixes

• KB2519946– Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) randomly occurs in a virtual machine that uses

the RemoteFX feature in Windows Server 2008 R2

– Host and Client, Reboot required

• KB2523676

– GPU is not accessed leads to some VMs that use the RemoteFX feature to not start in

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

– Host only, Reboot required

Things to know

• DRAC/ILO not supported, install RemoteFX cap driver.

• When clustering VDI guest need to have identical

graphics cards to live migrate

• Identical cards. Don’t connect cards e.g. Crossfire or SLI

• Confirm card length width and total power draw against

the server, blade, blade expansion or PCI chassis design

and supported configuration.

Things to know

VMM 2008 R2 SP1

• VDI Management

• RemoteFX Config

• Dynamic Memory

Thing to know At

capacity

already

SCVMM Dynamic Placement

Blogs

• The Remote Desktop Services Blog

• http://blogs.technet.com/RDS/

• The Windows Virtualization Team blog:

• http://blogs.technet.com/b/virtualization/

• The SCVMM Team blog:

• http://blogs.technet.com/scvmm/

Links

• IPD Guide for Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services.

• Introducing Microsoft RemoteFX USB Redirection: Part 1

• Hyper-V Dynamic Memory test for VDI density

• Requirements and Limits for Virtual Machines and Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2

• Q&A: Microsoft RemoteFX and Remote Desktop Session Host Servers

• http://blogs.technet.com/b/virtualization/archive/2008/01/21/calista-joins-the-microsoft-virtualization-product-

lineup.aspx

• http://talhasaeed1.blogspot.com/2011/04/john-savills-faqs-for-411-monitoring.html

• http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000009858

[MS-RDPRFX]: Remote Desktop Protocol: RemoteFX Codec Extension

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff635423.aspx

[MS-RDPBCGR]: Remote Desktop Protocol: Basic Connectivity and Graphics Remoting Specification

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc240445(v=prot.10).aspx

Demo

• Configuring

– Enable RemoteFX

– Add VM Card

Questions?

Thank you – see you in London

Ronnie Isherwood

@virtualfat

E2E Virtualization Conference