RemoteFX Adds Dimension to Hyper-V VDI in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta
by Cameron Sturdevant
Overview
In the upper right you see the virtual machines I used to look at SP1. These VMs were running on a physical system with a professional-class graphics card that was used to support the new RemoteFX display features.
Remote Desktop Connection Manager
Virtual machines that are managed by the Connection Manager must be Aero capable to use the RemoteFX features including advanced graphics and advanced USB redirection.
Virtual Machine Pool
Here you see a couple of the VMs I created for remote use. In a production environment there would be a much larger number of systems here. However, even this small number is enough for IT managers who want to get an idea of the new features that are available in the SP1 beta.
Remote Desktop Session Host Server
Session Host (formerly Terminal Services server) configuration provides basic connection information.
RemoteApp Manager
There isn’t much new in the SP1 beta relating to RemoteApp setup. I did make a couple of basic utilities available in my test environment.
VM Settings
Here you see that I’ve just added the RemoteFX 3D video adapter to one of my test VMs.
Video Remoting
This is a known condition, so don’t be alarmed. Once the RemoteFX video adapter is added to a VM it can’t support a console connection. I would expect this to be corrected by the time SP1 exits beta development.
Remote Desktop USB
Here you see that some USB devices (webcam, fingerprint reader, telephone headset) have been picked up by the RemoteFX USB support.
Available USB Devices
Here you see that the physical webcam on my test laptop is available for use inside the virtual machine.