Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration
How RemoteFX Will Change the Virtualization Game
As I noted yesterday, the forthcoming Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 will include a fairly significant new feature: RemoteFX, a Hyper-V virtualization...
As I noted yesterday, the forthcoming Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 will include a fairly significant new feature: RemoteFX, a Hyper-V virtualization enhancement that Microsoft says will allow thin clients to function as robust, full-featured desktops--without a lot of high-powered hardware.
ZDNet's Ed Bott goes so far as to call this the "reinvention of the mainframe." This past weekend, he saw a preview of various RemoteFX technologies and noted that, "collectively, they solve some of the nagging issues that have made virtual desktops second-class citizens to PCs."
Here's an excerpt from Bott's very informative overview of how RemoteFX works its magic:
RemoteFX starts with a Windows Server running Hyper-V. It virtualizes the graphics for each VM--including high-definition video, the full Aero interface, and even high-end apps like AutoCAD--and then sends that output to the remote client using a new codec, which can run in hardware or software. A single graphics card on the server can handle the graphics needs of multiple virtual guests, which need only low-end graphics hardware and a Virtual GPU driver that will come with the new Remote Desktop client in Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions. (The RemoteFX code also runs on similar editions of Windows Vista, but not on Windows XP.)How this will affect the enterprise remains to be seen, but it seems a safe bet that if RemoteFX lives up to its promise, users will be able to enjoy a full-featured Windows 7 desktop on all manner of systems--not just high-powered new ones. What's your take on RemoteFX? Do you think Bott is on the money in likening Hyper-V-powered servers to mainframes? Or will end users need more computing power than a thin client can ever possibly deliver? For more on the subject, see the Virtualization Team Blog's Explaining Microsoft RemoteFX.
