RemoteFX vGPU makes it possible for multiple virtual machines to share a physical GPU. This feature was introduced in Windows 7 and was removed as an option for users in Windows Server 2019. We are now aware that the current implementation of RemoteFX vGPU appears susceptible to security vulnerabilities (see the FAQ section for CVE details ). RemoteFX USB redirection is only available when connecting to a RemoteFX-enabled Windows 7 SP1 virtual machine (VM) running on a RemoteFX-enabled Remote Desktop Virtualization Host server. For information about the requirements for RemoteFX, see Beta testing RemoteFX in Service Pack 1. RemoteFX USB redirection is only available when connecting to a RemoteFX-enabled Windows 7 SP1 virtual machine (VM) running on a RemoteFX-enabled Remote Desktop Virtualization Host server. For information about the requirements for RemoteFX, see Beta testing RemoteFX in Service Pack 1.
-->Hi, my name is Max Herrmann, and I am part of the Windows Server Remote Desktop Services marketing team at Microsoft. Two years ago, Microsoft acquired Calista Technologies where I came from – a startup that set out to create technology that allows remote workers to enjoy the same rich user experience over a network as with a locally executing desktop. This experience includes full-fidelity video with 100% coverage for all media types and highly-synchronized audio, rich media support including Silverlight and 3D graphics, and of course Windows Aero. Today, Microsoft announced during its Desktop Virtualization Hour that Microsoft RemoteFX, a platform feature being developed for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will bring a rich, connected user experience to the virtual desktop market. So what is RemoteFX, and how are Calista and RemoteFX related?
Just to be clear, RemoteFX is not a new standalone product from Microsoft. Rather, it describes a set of RDP technologies - most prominently graphics virtualization and the use of advanced codes - that are being added to Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1; these technologies are based on the IP that Microsoft acquired and continued to develop since acquiring Calista Technologies. So think of Microsoft RemoteFX as the ‘special sauce' in Remote Desktop Services that users will be able to enjoy when they connect to their virtual and session-based desktops and applications over the network. With Microsoft RemoteFX, users will be able to work remotely in a Windows Aero desktop environment, watch full-motion video, enjoy Silverlight animations, and run 3D applications – all with the fidelity of a local-like performance when connecting over the LAN. Their desktops are actually hosted in the data center as part of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) or a session virtualization environment (formerly known as Terminal Services). With RemoteFX, these users will be able to access their workspace via a standard RDP connection from a broad range of client devices – rich PCs, thin clients and very simple, low-cost devices.
Also today, we announced a collaboration agreement with Citrix, which will enable Citrix to integrate and use Microsoft RemoteFX within its XenDesktop suite of products and HDX. Microsoft RemoteFX is designed to integrate with partner solutions, and we expect solutions from Citrix and other partners to enable the fidelity of a RemoteFX-accelerated user experience for a broad range of environments.
With SP1 just now being announced (see Oliver's blog) but not available for a while, there will be many more details I will be able to share with you as we progress. This is just the beginning of an exciting time for centralized desktop computing and the benefits of the user experience enhancements that Microsoft RemoteFX will deliver for that architecture. Please stay tuned for great things to come, and check in on my blog every once in a while for the latest news. Meanwhile, I would encourage you to read up more on today's announcements.
Mar 01, 2011 The power and promise of RemoteFX. Microsoft dives in for the kill on virtual desktops. In addition to needing to buy a graphics card for your remote desktop server, you need a lot of graphics card memory for each RemoteFX-based remote screen running on that server. (A single 1900x1200 screen requires 220 MB of memory.). RemoteFX has a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2020-1036) that has no patch to fix. As a result, Microsoft decides to remove the RemoteFX feature to eliminate the risk. IMPORTANT: continue using RemoteFX poses security risk to your system. Use it at your own risk or stop using RemoteFX to avoid the risk.
Max
UPDATES: here are answers to your questions
Q: Will RemoteFx support also OpenGL hardware acceleration which is the 3D high level API used by professional applications like CAD systems or medical applications ?
A: RemoteFX will support certain OpenGL applications. However, as the development of RemoteFX is still ongoing, it is too early to provide any specifics at this point.
Q: Are you plan to introduce RemoteFX also for Windows 7 because their are many scenarios where the remote system is not a server but a high end workstation ?
A: RemoteFX has been designed as a Windows Server capability to support the growing demand for multi-user, media-rich centralized desktop environments. Windows 7 will be supported as a virtual guest OS under Hyper-V.
UPDATE #2
@mattspoon: Session virtualization, formerly known as Terminal Services, will also benefit from RemoteFX support in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
@fiddley: Windows 7 SP1 will have an updated RDP client to support RDP connections with RemoteFX. Unfortunately, it is too early for us to make any statements about future down level client support.
@someone: With Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, RemoteFX will support both multi-user deployment scenarios in Remote Desktop Services: VDI and session virtualization (formerly known as Terminal Services). There will be an updated RDP client for end points.
Microsoft RemoteFX is a Microsoft brand name that covers a set of technologies that enhance visual experience of the Microsoft-developed remote display protocol Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).[1] RemoteFX was first introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and is based on intellectual property that Microsoft acquired and continued to develop since acquiring Calista Technologies.[2] It is a part of the overall Remote Desktop Services workload.
History[edit]
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1[edit]
RemoteFX components introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 include:
- RemoteFX vGPU: the ability to present a virtualized instance of a physical GPU into multiple Windows 7 virtual machines. This provides VMs with access to the physical GPU, enabling hardware-acceleration for rich graphics scenarios such as 3D rendering and game play.
- RemoteFX USB Redirection: generalized support for redirecting USB devices into Windows 7 VMs. This allows peripheral devices connected to thin client terminals to be used within virtual machines.[3][4]
- RemoteFX Codec (also referred to as RemoteFX Calista Codec): a lossy codec that is capable of preserving a high-fidelity experience for both video and text. The RemoteFX Codec does not require any special hardware, and uses the CPU for encoding.[5]
Windows Server 2012[edit]
In Windows Server 2012, the following components were added to RemoteFX.[6]
- RemoteFX Adaptive Graphics: The RemoteFX graphics pipeline dynamically adapts to various runtime conditions, such as graphic content types, CPU and network bandwidth availability, and client rendering speed.[7]
- RemoteFX for WAN: a series of changes to the network transport pipeline to support UDP and ensure a fluid experience in both WAN and wireless network configurations.[8]
- RemoteFX Multi-Touch: supports remoting of gestures (e.g. pinch and zoom) between the client and host with up to 256 touch points[9]
- RemoteFX Media Redirection API: allows Voice over IP (VoIP) applications to natively integrate with RemoteFX, and enables transmission and rendering of audio and video content directly on the client side.[10]
- Choice of GPU: All RemoteFX features can be used with either a software-emulated GPU, which is available by default in all virtual machines and session hosts, or they can benefit from hardware acceleration when a physical video card is placed in the server and the RemoteFX vGPU is enabled.[11]
In addition, the following components were updated:
- RemoteFX vGPU: updated to support DirectX 11[9]
- RemoteFX USB Redirection: updated to support all desktop remoting scenarios vGPU-enabled virtual machines, traditional VMs, desktop sessions and physical desktop hosts[9]
- RemoteFX Codec (also referred to as RemoteFX Progressive Calista Codec): updated to include progressive rendering, which is more effective for rendering content over the WAN by sending images at full resolution only if bandwidth permits.[12]
Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Enterprise[edit]
In Windows Server 2016 (RDP 10), the following components were added to RemoteFX.[13]
- OpenGL 4.4 and OpenCL 1.1 API support in a virtual machine with the RemoteFX adapter
- More dedicated VRAM for the RemoteFX adapter
- Various performance improvements in transport and API implementations
RemoteFX Media Streaming (H.264) replaced Multi Media Redirection (MMR). Note: MMR is now completely removed from RDP 10 given that RemoteFX Media Streaming works for all types of video content whereas MMR which just worked for some.[14]
RemoteFX vGPU Deprecation[edit]
In Windows Server 2012, the following components were added to RemoteFX.[6]
- RemoteFX Adaptive Graphics: The RemoteFX graphics pipeline dynamically adapts to various runtime conditions, such as graphic content types, CPU and network bandwidth availability, and client rendering speed.[7]
- RemoteFX for WAN: a series of changes to the network transport pipeline to support UDP and ensure a fluid experience in both WAN and wireless network configurations.[8]
- RemoteFX Multi-Touch: supports remoting of gestures (e.g. pinch and zoom) between the client and host with up to 256 touch points[9]
- RemoteFX Media Redirection API: allows Voice over IP (VoIP) applications to natively integrate with RemoteFX, and enables transmission and rendering of audio and video content directly on the client side.[10]
- Choice of GPU: All RemoteFX features can be used with either a software-emulated GPU, which is available by default in all virtual machines and session hosts, or they can benefit from hardware acceleration when a physical video card is placed in the server and the RemoteFX vGPU is enabled.[11]
In addition, the following components were updated:
- RemoteFX vGPU: updated to support DirectX 11[9]
- RemoteFX USB Redirection: updated to support all desktop remoting scenarios vGPU-enabled virtual machines, traditional VMs, desktop sessions and physical desktop hosts[9]
- RemoteFX Codec (also referred to as RemoteFX Progressive Calista Codec): updated to include progressive rendering, which is more effective for rendering content over the WAN by sending images at full resolution only if bandwidth permits.[12]
Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Enterprise[edit]
In Windows Server 2016 (RDP 10), the following components were added to RemoteFX.[13]
- OpenGL 4.4 and OpenCL 1.1 API support in a virtual machine with the RemoteFX adapter
- More dedicated VRAM for the RemoteFX adapter
- Various performance improvements in transport and API implementations
RemoteFX Media Streaming (H.264) replaced Multi Media Redirection (MMR). Note: MMR is now completely removed from RDP 10 given that RemoteFX Media Streaming works for all types of video content whereas MMR which just worked for some.[14]
RemoteFX vGPU Deprecation[edit]
Beginning in July 2020 RemoteFX vGPU was deprecated in all versions of Windows because of security vulnerabilities. It was scheduled to be completely removed in February 2021.[15]
Requirements[edit]
In Windows Server 2008 R2, the RemoteFX Codec could be leveraged for both session hosting (Remote Desktop Session Hosts) and VDI scenarios (and Remote Desktop Virtualization Hosts). The RemoteFX vGPU and RemoteFX USB Redirection features could only be used in VDI scenarios (Remote Desktop Virtualization Hosts).[16]
Windows 10 version 1511 brings RemoteFX to client Hyper-V, removing dependency on Remote Desktop Services role.[17]
Generation 2 VMs on Windows Server 2012 R2 do not support RemoteFX.[18] Windows Server 2016 added such support.[19]
In Windows Server 2012, all features of RemoteFX (with the exception of the vGPU) can be used with or without a physical GPU present in the server.[20] When no GPU is present in the server, a synthetic software-emulated GPU is used to render content. When a GPU is present in the server, it can be used to hardware accelerate the graphics via the RemoteFX vGPU feature.
RemoteFX vGPU Requirements[edit]
The RemoteFX vGPU has the following requirements:[21]
- Hyper-V must be installed on the server. The VMs must be created and run using Hyper-V.
- The server's CPU must support Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), and have it enabled.
- For Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, at least one DirectX 9.0c and 10.0 capable graphics card must be installed on the server.
- For Windows Server 2012, at least one DirectX 11.0 capable graphics card with a WDDM 1.2 driver must be installed on the server.[22]
- The host machine must not be a Domain Controller. For single server configuration, Microsoft supports running Domain Controller as a Hyper-V virtual machine.[23]
Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 has been tested for up to twelve virtual machines per GPU, for a total of twenty-four virtual machines on two physical GPUs.[21]
Although any GPU meeting the above requirements will be capable of using RemoteFX, the Windows Server Catalog carries an additional qualification to further define the requirements for server-qualified GPUs. These specifications define GPUs configuration requirements and provide VM performance targets.[24]Graphics cards that meet these are typically professional workstation products such as ATI/AMD's FirePro, v5800, v5900, v7800, v7900, v8800, v9800, and Nvidia's Quadro 2000, 3800, 4000, 4800, 5000, 5800, 6000, Quadro FX 2800M and 880M, QuadroPlex 7000 and Tesla M2070Q.[25]
Servers running the RemoteFX vGPU need to accommodate such graphics cards with either larger power supplies and more PCIe slots[26] or alternatively connect existing servers to an external PCIe expansion chassis.
Guest OS requirements[edit]
The RemoteFX virtual graphics adapter is only supported by Enterprise editions of Windows,[27] starting from Windows 7 SP1. Other editions are missing the required drivers to use the RemoteFX graphics adapter and will fall back to the default emulated graphics adapter instead.
References[edit]
- ^'Microsoft Announces New VDI Brand RemoteFX'. Redmond Channel Partner.
- ^'Explaining Microsoft RemoteFX'. Windows Virtualization Team Blog.
- ^'Introducing Microsoft RemoteFX USB Redirection: Part 2'. Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security Team.
- ^'Introducing Microsoft RemoteFX USB Redirection: Part 3'. Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security Team.
- ^'RemoteFX Codec'. Microsoft Protocol Specifications.
- ^'What's New in Windows Server 2012'. Remote Desktop Services Blog.
- ^'RemoteFX Adaptive Graphics in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8'. Remote Desktop Services Blog.
- ^'RemoteFX for WAN: Overview of Intelligent and Adaptive Transports in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012'. Remote Desktop Services Blog.
- ^ abc'Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services (RDS)'. Windows Server Blog.
- ^'Fast and fluid audio/video experience with the new Lync and RemoteFX'. Remote Desktop Services Blog.
- ^'Remote Desktop Services in Windows 8'. concurrency.com.
- ^'RemoteFX – Windows Server 2008 R2 vs. Windows Server 2012'. croftcomputers.wordpress.com.
- ^'RemoteFX vGPU Updates in Windows Server Next'. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ^'Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 10 AVC/H.264 improvements in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview'. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ^'Update to disable and remove the RemoteFX vGPU component in Windows'. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
- ^'Microsoft RemoteFX'. Microsoft Technet.
- ^'After 9 months of begging, it looks like RemoteFX is coming to client Hyper-V'. Reddit.
- ^'Generation 2 Virtual Machine Overview'. Microsoft Technet.
- ^'RemoteFX and vGPU Improvements in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V'.
- ^'Delivering a Fast and Fluid User Experience on WAN RemoteFX in Windows Server 2012'. Remote Desktop Services Blog.
- ^ ab'Hardware Considerations for RemoteFX'. Microsoft TechNet.
- ^'Your desktop will be a rich DX11-based experience, and your virtual GPU should be too'. Remote Desktop Services Blog.
- ^'New and existing RemoteFX-enabled virtual machines do not start on a domain controller that is running the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host service in Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1'.
- ^'RemoteFX Additional Qualifications'. Windows Server Catalog.
- ^'RemoteFX qualified video cards'. Windows Server Catalog.[dead link]
- ^'Is That a Graphics Card in My Server?'. dcsblog.burtongroup.com.
- ^'RemoteFX vGPU Setup and Configuration Guide for Windows Server 2012'. Microsoft TechNet Wiki.
Microsoft Remotefx Synth3d Vsp Driver
External links[edit]
Microsoft Remotefx Rdp
