Yesterday was a great day for the application industry (thanks to Microsoft!). The announcements by Microsoft were great for us in many ways - they made desktop virtualization an even more natural option for the masses because of the changes in licensing and because Hyper-V is becoming an even better candidate as a VDI platform. We already commented on that yesterday so I won’t repeat myself. What I do want to focus on is on another benefit from the Microsoft announcements, which is that we are able to share a little more insight into the great stuff we have planned for the ever-improving Microsoft desktop virtualization stack.

One piece that we can talk about now (a little bit) are our plans for RemoteFX. While we cannot discuss details, we can mention that we are on track in embracing and extending RemoteFX just like we do other parts of RDP. Remember that RemoteFX is architected in such a way that it effectively just a new content type in the RDP display channel. Quest vWorkspace will embrace and extend RemoteFX within RDP - and this is important - not as part of a proprietary protocol. This will enable customers to broaden the uses cases of RDP with RemoteFX with a very clear and distinct value-add, without the need to replace Microsoft technologies in that stack. Because of our intimate knowledge and experience in enhancing the different Microsoft technologies, RDP in particular, and because we realize that it is extremely important that customers can reap the benefits of RemoteFX across the enterprise we currently plan to extend our support to include RemoteFX within 30 days of its availability.

Here’s our full press release on RemoteFX: http://www.quest.com/newsroom/news-releases-show.aspx?contentid=11210

Stay tuned for more exciting news in the weeks to come!

We’ve had many customers, partners and other vWorkspace enthusiasts ask us for our take on today’s announcements from Microsoft pertaining to desktop virtualization. As an important Microsoft partner we were already aware of these changes and, needless to say, we are very excited about the changes Microsoft announced!

 Why are we so excited? Well, for a lot of reasons. First of all, the changes to the licensing model for virtual desktops are extremely exciting. Desktop virtualization will become even more enticing to many more companies and as the volume of projects increases, customers will find out what is really important in these desktop virtualization projects and will look for the product that provides the best management, brokering and user experience (needless to say we know that is vWorkspace J).

 Second of all, there’s RemoteFX. RemoteFX is an extremely exciting addition to the RDP protocol that will make RDP the natural choice for desktop virtualization on Hyper-V. As always, Quest will continue to embrace and extend the RDP protocol where needed. This will not change with RemoteFX. While we cannot disclose all the cool stuff that we have in store for the Microsoft desktop virtualization offerings, I can say that we are extremely excited about RemoteFX.

Then there’s the Dynamic Memory capability for Hyper-V which makes Hyper-V even more interesting for customers to use in their desktop virtualization projects. vWorkspace, which had a industry first integration with Hyper-V, will of course take full advantage of this. Whether or not these cool new capabilities in Hyper-V lead to people migrating from ESX to Hyper-V, Quest vWorkspace offers customers the flexibility of choice while retaining the value of existing investments (you could have ESX and Hyper-V run side by side for example).

So in summary, Quest is extremely excited with the Microsoft announcements pertaining to desktop virtualization of today because they will boost desktop virtualization in the biggest way yet and we are on course to help our customers take full advantage of that!

Overview
Quest vWorkspace offers clients on a multitude of platforms making it a natural choice for Thin Clients. Thin Clients typically come in one of three flavours, these are Microsoft Windows CE, Linux and Microsoft Windows XPe. However, some manufacturers have developer their own operating systems, for example Wyse Thin OS and Sun Microsystems Sun Ray.

This article details native vWorkspace client availability from the different Thin Client vendors.

As of the start of 2009 Microsoft have renamed their Thin Client operating Systems. Windows XPe has been renamed to Microsoft Windows Standard Edition and Windows CE has been renamed to Windows Embedded CE.

There are several caveats when embedding the client onto a Thin Client:-

• i) We currently maintain binaries for Windows CE 5 and 6, for older versions of CE we would need to compile a client.
• ii) The Linux client is based on the 2.6 kernel.
• iii) Windows XPe is typically and open OS and has the capability to install applications locally, therefore in theory we should be able to install our 32-bit client onto any vendor’s XPe Thin Client.

Thin Client Manufacturers
There are a multitude of Thin Client vendors in the market place, all of which have their own individual strengths. I have listed the vendors below and covered the functionality they currently offer:

10zig - 10zig offer Thin Clients with Windows CE, Linux and Windows XPe. They ship the Quest vWorkspace 6.x client as standard on their Linux and XPe devices, the V series is a range of devices that are optimized for a VDI environment.
http://www.10zig.com

Computer Labs International - Computer Labs offer Thin Clients with Windows CE, Linux and Windows XPe, they can provide the Quest vWorkspace client on all three operating systems.
http://www.computerlab.com

HP - HP offer Thin Clients with HP ThinConnect, Windows CE, Linux and Windows XPe, they can provide the Quest vWorkspace client on ThinConnect, NeoLinux 3.x\4.x, Windows CE and Windows XPe. In October 2007 HP acquired Neoware, thus integrating their Thin Client portfolio into the HP range. In late 2009 HP released the HP T5325 running the HP ThinPro operating system, this includes the vWorkspace client.
http://www.hp.com

Igel - Igel Technology offer Thin Clients with Windows CE, Linux and Windows XPe\Embedded Standard. They can provide the Quest vWorkspace client on Linux and Windows XPe\Embedded Standard. Please refer to the separate Igel blog article for more details.
http://www.igel.com

LISCON - LISCON thin clients running Linux version 2.28.1 offers the Quest vWorkspace client. You can view their thin client range via their website. 
http://www.liscon.com

Sun Microsystems - Sun have developed a session script that resides on the Sun Ray Server, this script interacts with the Quest vWorkspace connection broker. The Sun Ray Terminals need to be configured to use a Kiosk Session, they can then connect to a VDI or TS desktop via the Sun Ray Server.
http://www.sun.com

Thinspace - Thinspace have a range of Linux and Windows XPe terminals that include the Quest vWorkspace client as standard. Please refer to the separate blog article on their inclusion of the 6.2 Linux client.
http://www.thinspace.co.uk

Thinware - Thinware have a range of Linux terminals and include the Quest vWorkspace client on their devices as standard.
http://www.thinware.it

Wyse Technology - Wyse Technology offer Thin Clients with Wyse Thin OS, Windows CE, Linux and Windows XPe. Windows XPe supports the Quest vWorkspace client and Wyse ThinOS uses its native RDP client to connect to a desktop (VDI or TS) based on a connection allocated by the connection broker.
http://www.wyse.com

Extended client support
The Quest vWorkspace client is available as a Java Client so in theory this could run on any Thin Client offering a Java Virtual Machine. We also offer a U3 Client meaning you can simply copy the files to an XPe based terminal, or a U3 enabled USB stick, and launch AppPortal without having to install it.

Some of the Quest vWorkspace clients do not offer the same functionality as the Windows 32-bit client, it is advised to contact Quest Software or the Thin Client vendor to ensure your functionality requirements are met.

Quest vWorkspace client Installation
If a Thin Client doesn’t offer the Quest vWorkspace client as standard it may be possible to install it yourself. This should be straight forward for Windows XPe as most vendors will supply information to customers explaining how to install applications locally. As for Windows CE or Linux you will need to contact the specific vendor as some vendors will supply a read only operating system that would prevent you being able to install applications locally.

If you are located in the Netherlands (or are just visiting) we would like to invite you to the Heliview Virtualization event (page is in dutch) . Since this event is the leading application, desktop and presentation virtualization event in the Netherlands, Quest vWorkspace as a leading product in this space is a main sponsor. We would love to invite you to attend our session on architecting the perfect workspace. In addition you can have a look at all the vWorkspace goodness in our workshop at the event, free of charge.

So please come up to our booth for some good conversations, we look forward to talking to you!

The Heliview Virtualization event is free of charge!

Recently we earned a exclusive endorsement from the AHA and that is something we are very proud of. We at Quest like to believe that the proof is in the pudding and so do our customers. So when we were at the HIMMS event, we recorded this demo that shows you one of the reasons why vWorkspace is so popular in hospital environments.

The demo shows a typical hospital environment where doctors and nurses move from room to room (and thus from client device to client device) with their session following them, when all they do to achieve that is to tap their smartcard. This “tap in, tap out, tap over” demo is very impressive and shows you what vWorkspace can do.

Take a look at the demo here:

One of the key features of Quest vWorkspace 7.0 is the integrated support for Microsoft App-V. What many people do not know is that Microsoft App-V is not the only supported application virtualization technology. Quest vWorkspace 7.0 can also integrate with VMware ThinApp application virtualization technology to allow it to be more effective by delivering VMware ThinApp virtualized applications into virtual desktops, blade PCs and Terminal Services/RDS sessions.

This post demonstrates how Quest vWorkspace integrates with VMware ThinApp application virtualization by embracing it and simplifying application delivery for the Enterprise. Integration with ThinApp allows, among other features, delivery of virtual applications to end users assigning them to Active Directory Users, Groups and Organizational Units as well as IP Subnets and Thinclient devices.

Once the ThinApp virtual applications have been assigned to users, they are presented in three ways:

• Using Quest vWorkspace Web Access
• Using Quest vWorkspace AppPortal Client
• Populating the application shortcuts dynamically on the virtual machine’s Desktop or Start Menu folders

Putting it to the test

ThinApp Integration is easily achieved by publishing a new application using the Quest vWorkspace Management Console. In our example we are creating a new managed application named “ThinApp Word 2007″ that has bee previously been packaged by a ThinApp administrator and placed in a network share available to users.

The managed application is configured as “Content” and  published on “Server”. This means that the virtual application will be executed remotely in either a Virtual Machine or Terminal Server/RDS session. If we choose the  “Client” option the application will be launched locally to the client, that is, no remote session will be opened therefore the virtual application is local to the end user.

The next step in the new Managed Application wizard allows you to select the target Terminal Server/RDS host or Managed Computer Group servicing the virtual application. In this example we are using pool of Windows XP desktops hosted on VMware vCenter

Under Program Specifications we simply provide the UNC path to the executable on the network share where the ThinApp virtual applications reside. Please note on how we also offer full integration Microsoft App-V allowing to directly obtain a list of virtual application hosted on App-V management servers.

Finally, it is time to assign this ThinApp virtual application to the corresponding or authorized users by selecting the apropiate security group, in our case Domain Users. Don’t forget that you could also assign the virtual application to a set of Users, Organizational Units, IP Subnets or ThinClient devices by using the device name.

In folder type, we have published the application shortcut to the Virtual Machine’s Desktop and to the AppPortal and Web Access folders.

The end result, as the following screenshots show, is that your virtual infrastructure users can easily access ThinApp Virtualized Applications using Quest vWorkspace.

ThinApp Virtualized Applications presented to users in their Virtual Machine’s Desktop

ThinApp Virtualized Applications presented to users in their Virtual Machine’s Start Menu

ThinApp Virtualized Applications presented to users in Quest vWorkspace Web Access

ThinApp Virtualized Applications presented to users in Quest AppPortal

Many hospitals have the ability to benefit from the advantages associated with centralized computing ( like VDI or TS) but hospital environments however are very demanding and complex. The products that they use must be therefore be able to meet those complex and specific requirements.  I guess that’s the reason why Quest vWorkspace has been so successful in hospital environments. The large feature set (our customers love our perfect tap in / tap out  technology) and flexibility options make it the ideal solution for hospitals. Of course that’s just me saying it ;-). Don’t take my word for it though. Today the American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced it has awarded an exclusive endorsement to Quest vWorkspace for its desktop virtualization management, connection brokering, and user experience capabilities. Needless to say we are very proud of this recognition!

Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

“Quest vWorkspace delivers a solution for desktop virtualization that consolidates multiple desktop virtualization techniques and technologies enabling the centralized management of all virtual desktops from a single console, saving significant time and resources for any IT department. AHA Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of the AHA, awards the AHA endorsement to organizations that help member hospitals and health care organizations achieve organizational excellence.

Desktop virtualization offers hospitals many benefits but requires a comprehensive, easy to use, adaptable and cost-effective management solution. vWorkspace from Quest Software offers a single management console spanning Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services), and blade PCs. vWorkspace supports multiple VDI platforms (Microsoft, VMware, and Parallels) giving hospitals the flexibility to mix and match desktop and application delivery to provide dynamic and location-independent access for varying user types. The vWorkspace Experience Optimized Protocol (EOP) drives employee adoption by accelerating images and multimedia content, delivering high-quality audio and universal support for USB devices so that the virtual desktop behaves and feels like a physical one.

“At a time when hospitals are struggling with shrinking budgets and increased regulation, many are seeking ways to simplify desktop and application management to increase clinician productivity and patient care while reducing expenses and improving security and compliance,.,” said Anthony Burke, president and CEO, AHA Solutions, Inc. “Quest vWorkspace offers a cost-effective solution and provides a high level of scalability and flexibility for hospital needs.”

“We’re honored to receive this endorsement, which was earned based on the flexibility and breadth of vWorkspace features;” said Simon Pearce, vice-president and general manager of Quest Software’s Desktop Virtualization Group “Hospitals have unique requirements for desktops and are great candidates for the benefits of desktop virtualization. vWorkspace is well positioned to meet their needs today and well into the future by delivering flexible building blocks, scalability, and automation of operations needed to simplify the management and use of virtual desktops.”

Read the full press release here ( I got it off Forbes.com but it is everywhere) : http://www.forbes.com/feeds/businesswire/2010/02/24/businesswire135849777.html

By the way, if you are in the health care business please come visit us at HIMMS. We would love to show you why we earned this exclusive endorsement!

Quest vWorkspace 7.0 Feature Spotlight: Enhanced Bi-Directional Audio

Today we will be looking into the improvements that were made in vWorkspace with regard to its audio capabilities. With Quest vWorkspace 7.0 the bi-directional audio capabilities have been enhanced to provide for better sound quality while using less bandwidth.

For a long time now vWorkspace has extended to RDP protocol to provide bi-directional audio. Quest extended the RDP protocol because native RDP just provided downstream audio meaning you could for example have sounds from a Terminal Server / RD Session Host session play on your client device (”the you-have-new-mail-sound”) while Quest vWorkspace provided upstream audio, meaning you could use microphones and other audio input devices in a vWorkspace session.

From the configuration page of a device that has the vWorkspace client installed, it looks like this:

When you enable the new bi-directional capabilities of Quest vWorkspace 7.0 a new audio codec is used for both the upstream and downstream audio. This results in less bandwidth being used while the sound quality increases. This is extremely useful for customers that connect to the datacenter over a shared (WAN) connection. An example of the bandwidth savings: ( for obvious reasons you will just have to take our word for the enhanced audio quality )

This screenshot shows a real-time bandwidth meter that is monitoring two concurrent vWorkspace sessions. The top one ( Process 6516) is utilizing the enhanced bi-directional audio capabilities of vWorkspace where the lower session (Process 3580) is using the native RDP audio redirection. The bandwidth is measure in kilobits per second (kbps) and as you can see, the enhanced bi-directional audio capabilities of vWorkspace use about a third of the bandwidth that native RDP audio redirection while delivering higher sound quality. These tests were done with the “CD Quality” configuration setting (see first screenshot). Most usage cases could do with lower quality settings which would create even more bandwidth savings.

In addition, the enhancements to vWorkspace bi-directional audio allow the audio quality settings to be configured in details to provide the optimal mix between audio quality and bandwidth usage. There’s even the possibility to configure the network buffering to allow for flawless playback of extended audio fragments (like MP3s). Finally the usage of upstream audio (a microphone for example) can be fine-tuned as well by provided the desired quality and complexity details.

All these enhancements to the bi-directional feature of Quest vWorkspace 7.0 allows customers to achieve a rich audio experience in any vWorkspace in using complex device configurations and even when using a bandwidth constraint connection.

This is just another example of the many unique features of Quest EOP that extend RDP into a protocol that delivers a great user experience, regardless if it is LAN or WAN.

In this feature spotlight we will have a look at one of the more esthetically pleasing new features of Quest vWorkspace 7.0, in that this version fully supports and extends the RDP7 protocol shipped with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have a new version of the Microsoft RDP protocol: RDP7. Because Quest vWorkspace truly embraces and extends the Microsoft platforms, Quest vWorkspace also support and leverages the new features in the RDP7. I want to take this opportunity to emphasize that embracing and extending the Microsoft RDP protocol is a very important and fundamental decision here at Quest. We have decided to truly embrace and extend the RDP protocol instead of creating our own protocol (with all the associated risks for customers that a proprietary protocol brings). This allows Quest to provide customers with an unparalleled user experience yielded from the native Microsoft RDP7 capabilities combined with the Quest EOP enhancements.

This screenshot shows you some of the cool new user experience enhancements in Quest vWorkspace 7.0:

Font Smoothing is a technology for displaying computer fonts so that they appear clear and smooth, especially when you are using an LCD monitor.

Desktop Composition is also known as Aero Remoting. It allows you to have all the cool Aero effects like Aero 3d Flip, Live Preview and Aero Glass in a Remote Desktop Session (to either a Windows Server 2008 R2 RD Session Host or a Windows 7 Desktop)

Microphone Redirection allows you to redirect audio recording devices such as microphones on the client computer. This is ideal for applications like Windows 7 voice recognition and applications that record audio. This technology is available in addition to the Microsoft redirection that already existed in earlier version of Quest vWorkspace 7.0.

Have a look at this video to have a taste of the great user experience that Quest vWorkspace 7.0 enables:

In this feature spotlight we will discuss the enhancements to the USB virtualization capabilities of vWorkspace that were introduced in Quest vWorkspace 7.0. USB virtualization was first introduced in vWorkspace 6.0 and allows for the redirection of local USB devices into virtual desktops. This allows customers to, for example, use USB headsets or cameras in their virtual desktop sessions. The enhancements that we made to the USB virtualization in Quest vWorkspace 7.0 allow more control for customers over the virtualized USB devices.

Specifically, it allows customers to:

• Control the amount of bandwidth that the USB devices are permitted to use
• Compress the USB traffic before it goes over the wire.

From the new tab in the USB virtualization configuration page, this is what it looks like:

A typical use case for this advanced management of USB virtualization in vWorkspace 7.0 is PoS (Point of Sale) environments. One common characteristic of these environments is that they typically have a very specific USB device that is used in every single PoS location, like a USB barcode scanner for example. Another characteristic is that they also typically have (very) limited bandwidth to connect back to the data center (where the virtual desktop is located). The new options in USB virtualization management options in vWorkspace 7.0 allow customers like the aforementioned, to manage the USB devices in such a way that less bandwidth is used by the USB devices, both by the new bandwidth control and the new compression options.  This allows them to effectively use their USB devices within their virtual desktops, even when their locations have limited bandwidth. This critical for these kinds of customers because without the unique USB virtualization management options in vWorkspace 7.0 the USB devices would suck up all the network bandwidth with all kinds of problems as a consequence.

Of course this is just an example of a usage scenario for the advanced USB virtualization options in Quest vWorkspace 7.0 but many more examples exist ranging from Webcams to VOIP devices.

Happy USBing ! (no search engine fun intended).