However, some applications and use cases require higher quality. Connection Server 7.1 or later is required; Connection Server 7.10 or later is recommended. Although this results in a similar reduction in the network bandwidth required, it uses substantially more CPU processing power to encode and decode. Fortunately, this processing can be offloaded from the CPU to graphics cards (GPU) in the device. The VMware Operating System Optimization Tool can be downloaded from, https://flings.vmware.com/vmware-os-optimization-tool. The evaluation process has been initiated. Blast Multimedia Deliver rich video playback for Flash, HTML5, QuickTime, Microsoft Silverlight and Windows Media to a variety of desktop and mobile endpoints. Figure 2: Internal Connection from Client to Agent Using Blast Extreme. Blast Extreme is a next-generation display protocol, developed by VMware. Explore how VMware can help solve an IT team's most pressing digital workspace challenges. There is two files in this directory C:\ProgramData\Vmware\Vmware Blast: blast-service.log. Use Adobe Flash redirection if extensive use of Adobe Flash must be supported. The Blast Extreme template is named: vdm_blast.admx and can be found in the VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-xxx.zip file, with xxx indicating the corresponding version of Horizon. Requires NVIDIA GPU. Ability to meet performance requirements for visually demanding applications when used with NVIDIA Tesla GPUbased hardware acceleration in the host. While typically supporting just a single user, most households do not yet have LAN-speed Internet connections (gigabit Ethernet). The former option allows Blast Extreme to burst and use more bandwidth when necessary, while the latter attempts to more strictly control it. Like the codec and transport options, they can be set using Group Policy or using your preferred method of making registry changes. For more information, see Configuring HTML5 Multimedia Redirection in Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7. With the exception of Build-to-Lossless which impacts all screens at all resolutions, each logfile entry denotes the codec used, the number of the screen (monitor) being configured of the total number, and its display resolution. Figure 3: Tunneled Connection from Client to Agent Through the Connection Server. Figure 5: Path in the Group Policy Editor for Turning On the Microsoft Teams Optimization Feature Double-click to open and turn on the policy. Refer to Using Horizon to Access Physical Windows Machines for more information about using Blast Extreme with physical desktops. When multimedia redirection (MMR), client-drive redirection (CDR), USB redirection, or some combination of these are enabled by the administrator, this traffic goes through the HTTPS Secure Tunnel on the Connection Server. Therefore, Blast Extreme can typically be left using its default setting of UDP unless the traffic must pass through a UDP-hostile network device such as a TCP-based SSL VPN. If UDP is not enabled or is blocked, the initial TCP connection (Step 3) is used instead. Actual results will depend on the application workloads and usage patterns. Testing has shown this reduces the bandwidth required to support such content by up to 80 percent. Some even suffer from packet loss, where packets never arrive at the destination at all! Work with network partners and circuit providers to fix the network. Therefore, it is imperative to start by verifying that all components are sized properly and have sufficient resources and available capacity. If UDP is not enabled or is blocked, the initial TCP connection (Step 3) is used instead. Before starting to plan or trying to troubleshoot Horizon and Blast connections, it is important to understand how a VMware Horizon Client connects to a resource. The Horizon Performance Tracker does not currently display the codec currently being used per screen by the encoder switch. This detail can be observed by reviewing the logs. This configuration is ideal for digital photography, design and video production. 8 Use View Administrator to configure the Blast External URL setting to use for the Blast Secure Gateway on the applicable View Connection Server instances and security servers. High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) Using articles, videos and labs, this activity path provides the fastest way to learn Workspace ONE! By default, Blast Extreme is capped at 30 frames per second (FPS). For extreme low-bandwidth, high-latency, or high-performance uses cases, however, Blast Extreme comes equipped with several tuning options, as described in this guide. Let us help you become the hero of your department. Note: To enable the new Blast Codec with Horizon Client 5.2, create a file named: config.ini in %appdata%/Vmware in each users profile on their virtual desktop or shared RDSH server. WANs typically have just a fraction of the bandwidth that is available on local area networks (LANs). VNCRegionEncoder_Create: region encoder BlastCodec. VNCSERVER-WIN32: ***Setting topology completed by Nvidia Display***. For VMware Horizon HTML Access, this feature is supported on Chrome browsers (version 45 or later) if the device supports H.264 decoding. This means the encoder preserves all of the information related to color instead of sacrificing some to increase codec efficiency. Watch conversations with VMware experts on top-of-mind issues. Updated product documentation links to use Horizon 8 documentation. Get to know EUC vExperts from around the world. Start with these recommendations before moving on to more specialized settings. See, Worksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool, You can also configure the remote display protocol at the RDSH server farm level. If possible, prevent or encourage only limited use of bandwidth-intensive services such as file transfer. Horizon is a complete solution that delivers, manages, and protects virtual desktops, RDSH-published desktops, and applications across devices and locations. If users experience any of these issues, HCA can be enabled to improve quality while preserving H.264s multimedia efficiency. For more information see. When client-drive redirection (CDR) is enabled by the administrator, this traffic goes through the Horizon Tunnel on the Unified Access Gateway appliance. The traffic uses the native port for each of the remote experience features between the Connection Server and the agent: With an external connection, the client is connecting from outside the corporate network to the Unified Access Gateway. Adjustable Encoder Image Cache Size and Decoder Image Cache Size settings. Consider using HCA for H.264 with the encoder switch to dynamically match the highest-quality H.264 configuration with the Blast Codec or JPG/PNG. MaxBandwidthKbpsPerMegaPixelSlope The maximum bandwidth used to transfer screen contents per megapixel remoted, in kilobits per second. A codec is used to encode and decode the screen content transferred by Blast Extreme. Here you can create an account, or login with your existing Customer Connect / Partner Connect / Customer Connect ID. Instructions for configuring all of the Blast Extreme codec options are provided in the next chapter, How to Configure Blast Extreme. Fortunately, Blast Extreme can be tuned to handle all of these situations. When helping customers troubleshoot poorly performing infrastructures, VMware Professional Services routinely finds that the virtual desktops have not been sized properly and are consequently running out of critical resources such as virtual CPUs. The VMware Blast service ( VMBlastS.exe) manages user sessions, proxies incoming TCP connections, and prepares the Blast Worker process. Expanded the guidance on how to enable different codecs and verify the running configuration. Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative . Become a desktop virtualization hero with our curated activity path. Figure 4: External Connection from Client to Agent Through the Unified Access Gateway. Explore the latest VMware tools designed to get your end-user computing environment running smoothly and efficiently. (Requires NVIDIA GPU). In testing, Blast Extreme has been measured using essentially the same amount of bandwidth with both TCP and UDP. The descriptions mention various remote experience features. If full-motion graphics must be supported, such as streaming video, use the encoder switch to dynamically switch between the Blast Codec or JPG/PNG and the H.264 codec. The VMware Workspace ONE and Horizon Reference Architecture guide provides guidance for architecting Workspace ONE and Horizon deployments. Increase the frame rate. Optimize the desktops and RDSH servers using the VMware Operating System Optimization Tool. There is something for every experience level. Access technical, third-party tips, tricks, and how-tos. (maximum display bandwidth) to the maximum desired bandwidth utilization per user. Customize your Workspace ONE and Horizon adoption communications using our templates as a starting point. Workspace ONE Access, formerly known as Identity Manager, is a powerful tool. For lossless support, enable Build-to-Lossless (EncoderBuildToPNG = 1). VNCEncodeRegionNvEncGetHandle: region encoder NVIDIA NvEnc H264 using YUV 4:4:4 color space. and includes optimization templates for both Windows desktop and server operating systems. However, it does increase client CPU utilization by up to 200 percent for the duration of the redirection (from an average of 8 to 24 percent on a sample test system). The following tuning options are recommended to increase display protocol quality for all use cases and applications. , which uniformly limits the bandwidth of all Blast Extreme services, can also be used to support more difficult network conditions. General settings include both Computer Configuration and User Configuration settings. VNCRegionEncoder_Create: region encoder h264 4:4:4. Join the community by engaging in forums, events, and our premier community programs. This will reduce both network bandwidth and CPU utilization. Figure 2: Codec Options Available in the Horizon Client. Another important aspect to consider is the size of the monitor (or monitors) to be used, and their screen resolutions. Because of its efficiency and excellent performance, UDP, which is the default transport protocol Blast Extreme uses, should not be changed, with two exceptions. HCA turns off 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, providing a 4:4:4 sample rate instead. See the faces behind the names of our Tech Zone content. 0 turn off upload and download To observe this in action we can control the codec selection using the VMware Blast settings on the Horizon client. After a fair amount of research, we came to the conclusion that it is best to run cameras on Thin Clients, as opposed to Zero Clients. Blast Extreme can also use the certificate thumbprint of the Blast Secure Gateway or virtual desktop. If this functionality is used, configuration settings are created within each users profile in the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Vmware, Inc.\Vmware Blast\Config. HEVC also requires clients to have graphics cards with H.265 decode support, but fortunately, as with H.264, most client devices manufactured since 2015 have them. If USB redirection is enabled, this traffic, this traffic uses TCP port 443 from the client to the Horizon Tunnel on the Unified Access Gateway. Blast Extreme was carefully designed to provide an excellent out-of-the-box experience, with no additional configuration required in almost all cases. Problem is with second file, which is growing sometimes up to 15GB, then new files are created. After comprehensive testing, we have determined that limiting frame rate provides little to no reduction in bandwidth or CPU utilization for typical applications and use cases. Offloading the display protocol encoding is enabled by default but can also be turned off if the GPUs must be dedicated to supporting other tasks. Typical productivity applications such as Microsoft Office, plus those requiring support for fine details and higher still image quality. Blast-Worker-SessionID#.txt. Reducing network bandwidth is key to enabling support for all adverse network conditions. Note: Despite the presence of a physical GPU, Blast Extreme with physical desktops is not able to offload H.264, H.264 with High Color Accuracy, or High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoding, even with NVIDIA GPUs. This section details the workflow of connections that are made so that Blast Extreme can provide the best remote display experience, regardless of whether the user is inside or outside of the corporate network. Learn how to architect the right security solutions for your business needs. EncoderSwitchEnabled Enables or turns off automatic switching between H.264 and JPG/PNG based on screen content. Readers should also have a solid understanding of desktop and application virtualization, as well as a good working knowledge of networking and supporting infrastructure, covering topics such as Active Directory, Group Policy, and supporting technologies. The following registry settings have been determined through extensive testing to provide the biggest impact on system resources and user experience. Anirban Chakraborty, Senior Product Line Manager, Desktop Product Management, VMware, Kiran Rao, Senior Director, Desktop Product Management, VMware, Sandro Moiron, Staff Engineer, Virtual Workspace R&D, VMware, Sean Samenfeld-Specht, Director of Engineering, Virtual Workspace R&D, VMWare, , EUC Staff Architect, EUC Mobile Marketing, VMware, , Staff EUC Architect, Desktop Technical Marketing, VMware, Valeria Pressler, Staff Engineer, Virtual Workspace R&D, VMware, Mike Oliver, Staff Engineer, Virtual Workspace R&D, VMware, , Senior Manager, EUC Technical Marketing, Desktop Technical Marketing, VMware, HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, H.265), Offloading H.264 and H.264 with High Color Accuracy to an NVIDIA GPU, Additional Optimizations for Low Bandwidth, Additional Optimizations for High Latency, Additional Optimizations for Still Image, 3D Design, and Font Quality, Additional Optimizations for High-End Multimedia and Video Gaming. This means most should be considered medium- to high-speed WAN use cases. Although it has more of an impact on multimedia and video gaming, experiment with different values, up to the maximum of. Note: Requires Horizon Agent 7.10 and VMware Horizon Client 5.2 or later. VNCRegionEncoder_Create: region encoder switch. If USB redirection is enabled, this traffic uses TCP 32111 between the client and agent. Running traditionally full-screen applications in a window instead of full-screen can also slash bandwidth utilization. The most common reason to tune all display protocols is to enable them to support wide area networks (WANs). The author wishes to thank the following people for their contributions to this paper and the growing knowledge of how to optimize VMware Blast Extreme: To comment on this paper, contact VMware End-User-Computing Technical Marketing at euc_tech_content_feedback@vmware.com. EncoderBlastCodecEnabled Enables or turns off the Blast Codec. For the following conditions, VMware recommends that you use TCP rather than UDP: For all other network conditions, VMware recommends that you use UDP for the best user experience. The Blast Worker process determines whether UDP is enabled on the agent and allowed on the client. Blast Extreme Display Protocol in VMware Horizon Technical Guide, Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7, Using Horizon to Access Physical Windows Machines, VMware Workspace ONE and VMware Horizon Reference Architecture, Deploying Hardware-Accelerated Graphics with VMware Horizon, VMware Windows Operating System Optimization Tool Guide. Set, Turn off audio unless absolutely required. The encoder switch dynamically switches between either the JPG/PNG codec or the Blast Codec, and H.264, depending on the screen content type. Then select the appropriate Horizon version and click Go To Downloads. EncoderImageCacheSizeKB Introduced in Horizon 8 (2111). H264maxQP The lowest quality that H.264 will start with before building the screen to higher quality. Deselect all other codecs and codec options. These encryption mechanisms apply to the H.264, H.265, and JPG/PNG codecs. Entitle users to desktops and published applications. If the primary use-case is full motion video or high-speed motion graphics such as gaming, use the H.264, H.264 with High Color Accuracy or High Efficiency Video Coding (codecs), offloaded to an NVIDIA Tesla or newer GPU. See Enabling the USB Over Session Enhancement SDK Feature. Deselect all other codecs and codec options. In testing, UDP has been shown to handle packet loss better than TCP in most situations. Lower power consumption means longer battery life. Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure Activity Path. 1 enabled in both directions Without QoS, there is nothing to prevent lower value network traffic from impairing the performance of time-sensitive applications including Voice over IP and virtual desktops supported by display protocols like Blast Extreme. Yes: Deselect all codecs and codec options (uncheck: H.264, Allow High Color Accuracy, and Allow High Efficiency Video Coding). For details about the remote experience features, see Configuring Remote Desktop Features, in the guide Configuring Remote Desktop Features in VMware Horizon. Although this strategy makes for reliable delivery, the process adds overhead. The following tuning recommendations apply to all WAN conditions. Applications requiring lossless reproduction of original screen content such as non-diagnostic medical imaging. These were typically not sized to handle organizations rapidly shifting their workforces to work-from-home deployments. The connection continues from the Unified Access Gateway to UDP port 22443 on the agent. But that's not really the case on corporate owned, standardized and locked down devices. Encoder Switch: There are some special considerations when supporting work-from-home and home-office-to-cloud use cases: The other common reason to tune display protocols is to increase quality. MinBandwidthKbp and MaxBandwidthKbps also impact all services, including audio and file transfer, while MaxBandwidthKbpsPerMegaPixelSlope only limits the bandwidth used to transfer the screen contents. Display resource-intensive multimedia content in a window instead of full screen. Horizon Client version 5.2 only also requires a special configuration file on the client (see the note following this table). When client-drive redirection (CDR) is enabled by the administrator, by default, the traffic is side-channeled on the Blast Extreme channel. Applications that require the same quality as H.264 with less bandwidth utilization or that require higher quality with similar bandwidth utilization as H.264. It also causes some screen content to letterbox, which may impair user experience. Horizon Agent 7.5 or later is required; Horizon Agent 7.10 or later is recommended. Except under unique conditions, it is not possible to increase quality while limiting system resources. TCP 443 is used between the client and the Unified Access Gateway.