New article: Microsoft's non-Windows based RDP clients

My new article “Microsoft's non-Windows based RDP clients” is now published on VirtualizationAdmin.com

“…The Microsoft Remote Desktop Client (RDP Client) is used to connect to Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments. Nowadays more referred to as Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure VM-based and Session Based. Traditionally, Microsoft only delivered RDP clients for Windows-based operating systems. This has recently changed and this article will talk about this change, and why this is important for the industry. It also covers an overview of one of the client’s capabilities…”

Read the complete article here:
http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/vdi-articles/microsoft-hyper-v/microsofts-non-windows-based-rdp-clients.html

Microsoft RDV Team: RemoteApp improvements in Windows Server 2012 R2

The Microsoft RDV team has released a new blog post discussing the Remote App Improvements in RDP 8.1 in more detail.

Most of the info around Move/Resize and live thumbnails wad been previously published, but relatively new new is the GPO setting “Use advanced RemoteFX graphics for RemoteApp” which can be used to disable these improvements in case the impact on memory and bandwidth is more important.

“…In some scenarios, for example if users keep multiple applications maximized that have continuous screen updates, the features mentioned in this blog could lead to an increase in memory and bandwidth usage, which could impact high scalability. If performance is more important than these improvements and this is a core scenario for your users, it is possible to disable these improvements by setting the following Group Policy setting to Disable:

Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Remote Desktop Services/Remote Desktop Session Host/Remote Session Environment/Use advanced RemoteFX graphics for RemoteApp…”

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2013/11/25/remoteapp-improvements-in-windows-server-2012-r2.aspx

Update on Microsoft Remote Desktop Clients for iOS, Android and OS X

Microsoft has released an update for their Remote Desktop Client for non-Windows based devices. Below the details;

iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id714464092

• Pinch to zoom support in Mouse Pointer mode
• Performance improvements
• iPhone 5 screen resolution fix
• A number of bug fixes

Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.rdc.android

• Pinch-to-zoom support in Mouse Pointer mode
• Performance improvements
• Improved support for stylus input
• A number of bug fixes

OS X:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id715768417?mt=12&ls=1

• Improved full screen support for OS X 10.7 - 10.9
• Performance improvements
• A number of bug fixes

Remote Desktop Protocol 8.1 update for Windows 7 SP1 is now available !

The Microsoft RDV team has announced that the Remote Desktop 8.1 update for Windows 7 SP1 is now available !

“…With this update, users who use Windows 7 SP1 client devices will be able to connect to Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 remote computers and experience all the new features that the latest versions of these operating systems introduce, such as:

· Support for faster reconnection times

· RemoteApp experience improvements

· Remote Desktop Gateway pluggable authentication and authorization

This knowledge base article has more information on new features, setup instructions, and download locations. Head over there to download and install the update. Following are answers to some of the questions you might have about the update…”

Source & more info: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2013/11/12/remote-desktop-protocol-8-1-update-for-windows-7-sp1-released-to-web.aspx

Microsoft released Windows Azure: Desktop Hosting Deployment Guide

Microsoft has just released a Desktop Hosing Deployment Guide for running in Windows Azure.

Direct download link: Windows Azure: Desktop Hosting Deployment Guide

I have performed several tests with running RDS in Windows Azure, for more info see:

Load balancing Remote Desktop Services Web Access & Gateway with KEMP Load Master for Azure

Running Dell vWorkspace in Windows Azure

Performance testing RDS (Session-Based Desktop deployment) on Azure

Running VDI Session-Based Desktops on Azure now supported for SPLA

GPU Requirements for RemoteFX on Windows Server 2012 R2

The Microsoft RDV team posted a new blog on GPU requirements for Remote FX in Windows Server 2012 R2.

“…In this blog post we’ll share our recommendations to help you understand the options available to you, and most importantly to help you make a decision on the cards that you can consider as you deploy a VDI solution with RemoteFX vGPU..”

The reduces the complexity and provides guidance in selecting the right GPU component to address the appropriate experience for your end users.

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2013/11/05/gpu-requirements-for-remotefx-on-windows-server-2012-r2.aspx