Provision Networks is currently developing graphics acceleration for the Microsoft RDP Protocol. In my previous tests performed in June I tested the first prototype and was amazed at the improvement in end user experience over a limited bandwidth connection. This is key for Terminal Services and VDI deployments, as any remoting protocol looks great over a gigabit connection, but when users are connecting over DSL or 3G connections, graphical content and multimedia may be unusable.
Yesterday I received the second prototype build of our GDI Plus Graphics Acceleration for RDP. Once I got it installed I decided to compare the bandwidth usage to that of the standard Microsoft RDP 6 client.
My test setup included
- Client - Windows XP SP2 Professional with RDP Client 6.0 (San Diego, CA)
- VDI Host - Windows XP SP2 Professional (Reston, VA)
- Network Connection - Verizon BroadbandAccess Wireless Cellular Card + VPN
- NetLimiter Pro - used to measure data transmission
The content I tested was from the following Flickr Site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelbolt/sets/72157594253077556/
I launched the page, clicked on the Slideshow link and let the slideshow play thru to its completion. I did this with a standard remote desktop connection, then I logged off, logged back on and repeated the test with our GDI Plus compression enabled.
So what did I find?
- The Provision Networks GDI Plus accelerator compressed the bandwidth consumed by the RDP Display 8.5 to 1 over the standard RDP connection. The standard RDP connection sent 15,322,091 bytes to the client, whereas the Provision Networks accelerated connection sent only 1,793,232. It should be noted that when I performed the same task using my local Internet browser, it downloaded 2,016,251 bytes, so the Provision Networks acceleration used less bandwidth than running the same task locally.
- Completing the same tasks listed above took 100 seconds via the standard RDP connection and only 40 seconds with the Provision Networks Graphics Acceleration.
- Displaying the slideshow via the standard RDP was slow and choppy, whereas the accelerated slideshow played as if it were playing locally.
So what did I learn? RDP is not stupid. It dynamically adjusts the amount of data sent to the client based upon how much bandwidth is available. When I limited my network connection to 128Kbps, this same set of tasks consumed 4,737,020 bytes via standard RDP and only 1,026,072 bytes when compressed with Provision Networks’ GDI Plus acceleration. When I limited the connection to 20Kbps the standard RDP transmitted about the same amount of data, 5,051,238 bytes but the Provision Networks accelerated connection was still able to be compressed further, down to 741,966 bytes.
In my next demonstration I will show how different levels of compression affect bandwidth consumption, and end user experience. The RDP compression in this version is virtually lossless, when compared to the compression of Citrix ICA.
Provision Networks Enhanced RDP vs Citrix ICA Compression:
RDP struggles to display highly graphical content over a low bandwidth connection, which makes this compression technology even more important.' Even on a low bandwidth connection, this flickr slideshow was head and shoulders better performing with GDI Plus acceleration than with standard RDP.' RDP draws graphics sequentially from left to right, top to bottom in 64x64 pixel squares when starved for bandwidth.' With Provision Networks RDP Compression, this is completely eliminated.'
This compression dramatically improves the end user experience.' In my next demo video I will compare this technology against Citrix ICA to debunk the myth that RDP is a inferior display protocol.
As of today, August 26, 2008 this technology is not a shipping product, but is slated to be released in the 4th quarter of 2008.' This and other new technologies will be demonstrated at the Microsoft Virtualization Launch Event on September 8th in Bellevue, WA and at VMworld 2008 in Las Vegas, NV.
RDP Flickr Slideshow results:
Provision Networks enhanced-RDP Flickr Slideshow results:
Locally rendered'Flickr Slideshow results:
RDP Flickr Slideshow results over 128Kbps connection:
Provision Networks enhanced-RDP Flickr Slideshow results over 128Kbps connection:
