I've set up a test Server 2012 VDI deployment (VMs assigned to users). The VMs are Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 (due to application compatibility issues with Windows 8). My setup consists of the following:
- Physical Domain Controller server running Server 2012
- Physical Hyper-V Virtualization Host server running Server 2012, which hosts the following VMs:
- Virtual "Remote Desktop Services" server running Server 2012 (RD Connection Broker, RD Web Access, RD Licensing)
- Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 workstation assigned to user
- Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 workstation assigned to user
- Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 workstation assigned to user
I've successfully got the VDI environment up and running. Test users connect to their Virtual Desktops through the RD Web Access site on both Windows 7 and Windows 8 workstations, and I'm connecting to my Virtual Desktop through a Wyse R10L thin client.
I'm not really concerned with the lack of Aero in the Virtual Desktops, but I noticed some slowness watching YouTube videos, dragging Windows around, etc. I did some reading on RemoteFX and decided I needed to try it out on a single Virtual Desktop to see the improvement. Because I'm running Windows 7 VMs, my understanding is that the Server 2012 software-based GPU isn't available (only to Windows 8 VMs).
Therefore, I installed an ATI Radeon HD 6450 in the Virtualization Host. This particular machine doesn't have onboard graphics, so I removed the existing video card (wasn't compatible with DirectX 11) when I installed the 6450. I enabled the 6450 for RemoteFX use in the Hyper-V settings, then added the Remote FX 3D Video Adapter to my Windows 7 VM in its Hyper-V settings. I set it to Max 1 monitor with Max 1920x1200 resolution.
I know RemoteFX is enabled, because I can now enable Aero when I connect to my Virtual Desktop. However, I've connected from a Windows 7 desktop, a Windows 8 laptop, and my Wyse R10L thin client. RemoteFX is enabled in all places, but I don't notice any performance increase. I've disabled the Aero theme so it's a fair test (as I don't want the GPU's possible improvements to go only towards transparent windows).
With RemoteFX, I don't notice any difference in dragging windows around, watching YouTube videos/visiting content heavy websites, scrolling, minimizing and maximizing windows, etc. I've disable and re-enabled the RemoteFX adapter on my VM multiple times and really see no noticeable difference.
I'm slightly disappointed, as I was hoping this would bring the experience closer to an actual desktop. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions or tips on why I'm having this issue. My LAN is 100Mbps. Connecting via RDP directly to the VMs doesn't change the performance (compared to connecting through the Connection Broker through RD Web or thin client).
Thanks, I appreciate any help! If you need more information about anything, just let me know!