“X550 and X350 vSpace 6 Software Release X-6.2.3.6”

[NComputing India]

we published the following article to the NComputing Knowledge Base:

“X550 and X350 vSpace 6 Software Release X-6.2.3.6”
• KB Article URL: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/X550-and-X350-vSpace-6-Software-Release-X-6236_302.html

Product: NComputing vSpace for X350/X550 desktop virtualization kits

Version: X-6.2.3.6 for 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server®
2008 R2, 2008 R2 SP1, Windows MultiPoint Server® 2010 (WMS), WMS 2010
SP1, WMS 2011 and single user instances of Windows 7 (64-bit) and
Windows 7 SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit). Note that this release does NOT
support any other earlier 64-bit Windows operating systems (e.g. it
does NOT support Server 2008 64-bit).

This vSpace software can be configured to deliver a Windows 7 end-user
experience through vSpace virtual desktops running on Windows Server
2008 R2, Windows Multipoint Server 2011/2010, and single-user
instances of 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 SP1. (For licensing details,
see www.ncomputing.com/WindowsMultiUserLicensing, www.ncomputing.com/WindowsLicensingVDI,
and www.ncomputing.com/WindowsDesktopandLaptopEnhancements)

These release notes contain important information regarding this
vSpace software release for X-series products and should be read in
their entirety. Also, please review the X-series User Manual available
for download at http://www.ncomputing.com/documentation
What’s New – Summary:
This is a maintenance release that replaces the previous released
version X-6.2.2.14 of vSpace for 64-bit operating systems and replaces
the previous released version vSpace X-5.2.4 for Windows 7 32-bit
(adding SP1 support). The following is a summary of the key changes:
• Added NComputing tab and link to NComputing Management Console from
within the Windows MultiPoint Manager (on WMS 2011 only).
• Support for Windows 7 SP1 32-bit is included with this vSpace 6
release as an upgrade for customers running vSpace 5 (X-5.2.4.).
• For customers upgrading from vSpace 5, the key changes include:
o Use of new and improved NComputing Management Console (NC Console)
that simplifies management and delivers more capabilities to
administrators (see description of vSpace 6 console in user manual)
o Ability to more seamlessly transition to 64-bit operating systems,
since the same vSpace 6 software can be used for current and new
deployments.
o Overall performance, efficiency and compatibility improvements that
come from running with the latest vSpace 6 architecture
• Single .exe installer applies to all supported operating systems
(separate .MSI installer files are also included for 64-bit and 32-bit
installation convenience)
Important notes on this release:
• Upgrades from vSpace 5 require an uninstallation of the vSpace 5
software prior to installing vSpace 6. Also, you will need to register
the new vSpace 6 software.
• Registration Required: This vSpace release includes a trial license
and must be registered together with the X-series PCI cards using the
NComputing Registration Wizard to allow operation beyond 1 hour of
session time. If vSpace on the host computer is not registered, trial
mode host behavior will last for 30 days, and thereafter, NO X-series
connections can be made. However, the vSpace registration wizard can
still be run from the host system after the trial period expires.
Registration reminder popups will periodically be displayed on the
host console session and inside user sessions to encourage
registration before the trial period expires.DO NOT try to register
the system without X-series cards installed.
• No reset of trial period: The trial license period begins when any
version of vSpace is first installed on a host. Note that uninstalling
and then reinstalling vSpace does not reset the 30-day trial period.
If you are installing this software on a system which previously had
ANY version of vSpace installed (for example, when upgrading Windows
Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 R2), then this vSpace code will
normally need registration before any X-series devices can connect.
• Online and Offline registration options: Online registration can be
done if TCP ports 80 or 3630 are open to the internet. Offline
registration can be done by emailing the file created by the
registration wizard to: regist...@ncomputing.com
• A second reboot after the installation of vSpace may be required.
After the first reboot, sessions may not connect, in this case a
second reboot will be required.
• Do not install on a U-series or L-series host or on top of any beta
software: Do not install this on an OS where vSpace for the U- or L-
series (or any beta version) was previously installed. If your system
has vSpace for U- or L-series installed, you will need to start from a
clean OS installation. However, this version can be installed to
update the previous X-series version X-6.2.1
• Do not install in a virtual machine: the X-series is not supported
with virtual machines. The operating system and vSpace must be
installed directly on the physical hardware.
• Licensing server required: Microsoft RDS CALs (for Server 2008 R2)
or WMS CALs (for WMS) are required to use the system in a multi-user
configuration. You must also implement a Microsoft licensing server to
enable connections. For more information on license requirements, see
www.ncomputing.com/mslicensing and refer to the NComputing Knowledge
Base for information on setting up a license server (search on
“licensing” or go to:
http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/How-to-Configure-a-Remote-Desktop-Licensing-Server-for-vSpace-6_281.html).
Tips and Performance Recommendations
• Installation on Windows MultiPoint Server 2011: device logons will
not be reflected in the MultiPoint Manager console without applying
the Microsoft hot fix KB 2542222. Please see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2542222
• Memory Requirements: 64-bit operating systems in general require
double the memory of Server 2003; therefore, if you are upgrading an
existing host, please make sure the host has 64-bit processing support
and has sufficient memory to accommodate the new operating system and
vSpace. See the user manual for specific memory recommendations.
• Add Users to Remote Desktop Users: The supported Microsoft operating
systems require User Group assignments; so administrators will need to
adjust user account settings to add them into the "Remote Desktop
Users" group(s).
• OS Performance Settings: The operating system Power Options setting
should be configured to “High Performance” (under Control Panel >
Hardware > Power options). Microsoft’s default power setting gives a
false impression that vSpace CPU utilization is much higher than on
previous 32-bit operating systems. Also, for best user performance,
make the following two modifications under the performance section of
the operating system’s “Computer System Properties” Advanced tab:
o Increase virtual memory settings to prevent users from experiencing
sluggish performance and/or running low on available memory.
o Select the “Adjust for Best Performance” option or deselect unneeded
options under Visual effects to remove superfluous desktop visual
effects that can negatively impact performance.
• Do not Hot-swap/Hot-plug access devices: if you need to reconfigure
the cabling to your access devices, power the system down, make the
changes, and then power-up again. Hot swapping/hot-plugging of the
access devices is not supported and could cause a problem with the
host system.
• Windows 7 Desktop Theme: If you install the Windows Server 2008 R2
“Desktop Experience” feature, start the “Themes” system service and
set it to autostart, then each individual can “personalize” their
virtual desktop to use a Windows 7- themed interface. However, remote
sessions do not support the “Aero glass” window transparency feature.
• Restart for Resolution Change: The X-series cards have global
resolution settings (all sessions on one card must have the same
resolution). After changing the resolution, the host has to be
restarted to get the new resolution. Resolutions can be changed only
from the host, not from the sessions (this is the opposite of the
previous version 6.2.1).
• Host session requires USB hub on WMS: For WMS, Microsoft requires
that a USB hub is connected in between the keyboard and mouse used for
the host.
• Browsers: Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox have been found to use
less system resources than Internet Explorer (IE) and are therefore
recommended for virtual desktop environments when many instances of
the browser are launched. Administrators may wish to configure the OS
to replace IE as the default browser application for internet access.
If you do use Internet Explorer for browsing:
o We STRONGLY recommend turning ON Internet Explorer’s option to
"Force offscreen compositing even under Terminal Services". This will
prevent screen flickering that can occur with some web applications
when using Internet Explorer in a vSpace virtual desktop.
o The IE Enhanced Security feature can slow down internet traffic,
prevent the browser from working efficiently, and may degrade the
performance of videos played through the browser. We recommend either
uninstalling the feature or using a different web browser.
• Refer to User Manual for Details: For more information please see
the X-series User’s Guide in the Support section on our website:
http://www.ncomputing.com/documentation

Errata
The following are known issues that have been observed with this
release:

• Logon to host and stations with same user ID can cause BSOD: on some
systems if a user logs into the host session (directly connected to
the host computer) with the same user ID as a user that has already
logged into a X-series station, then the host system may lock up with
a blue screen. Several workarounds are available including:
o Primary recommendation: use unique user login IDs for each station
and the host
o Ensure that the host user logs in before any stations using the same
user ID log in.
o Change the DirectX configuration by changing the following registry
setting to 0: [HKEY Local Machine > System > CurrentControlSet
>Control > Multiuser > Disable DirectX]
• DirectX applications: For certain gaming applications (not generally
recommended for use with vSpace) and some video formats played in
Windows Media Player, you may experience a high degree of CPU
utilization with these applications. You can adjust vSpace’s handling
of DirectX by changing the following registry setting to 0: [HKEY
Local Machine > System > CurrentControlSet >Control > Multiuser >
Disable DirectX]
o However, when doing so, you may encounter problems with Windows
Media Player. If you do, you should either: 1) not have a user logged
into the host session, 2) turn off the Aero interface on the host
session, or 3) uninstall the native video card driver on the host and
install the default Windows VGA driver.
• Windows Media Player Video performance: Under certain conditions
where CPU utilization is high, and certain types of streaming media
are being played in Windows Media Player for a long time (e.g. looping
a high resolution HD video), you may encounter that the update rate of
video frames will not keep up with the audio being played and slow
down substantially and/or stop. In these circumstances, you can either
restart the video file, increase the available host performance or
simply use another type of free media player such as VLC or Media
Player Classic (in non-EVR mode).
• On the X350, 1360x768 resolution is NOT supported with this release
on 64-bit systems. The X550 DOES support this resolution on 64-bit
systems.
• Silent mode installation: does not currently support all parameters
(may result in pop-ups that must be clicked through on server
operating systems)
• Screen saver: the Windows screen saver function is not supported.
Instead use the monitor power saving feature built into the vSpace
Management Console (can set the timing in the station settings).
• Auto-login: when setting up autologin for the stations from the
management console, the username may become truncated. If this is
encountered, enter the username in the Auto-login settings in the
NCTray utility within each user session.
• Kiosk mode: not supported in this release (access denied error may
appear if configured). Note, in case this mode is accidentally entered
from within the NCTray utility in a session, the parameter can be
changed from the central management console.
• Microphone connection on host: if a microphone is used on the host
together with a sound recording application, the recording application
may stop functioning (e.g. Windows Sound Recorder)
• Installation may require a second reboot after the installation of
vSpace. After the first reboot, sessions may not connect, in this case
a second reboot is required.


• KB Article URL: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/X550-and-X350-vSpace-6-Software-Release-X-6236_302.html
Let me know if you have any questions.