Virtual Desktop Infrastructure ================================== Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a technology that delivers desktop environments to end-users via virtual machines hosted on centralized servers. .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 1 :hidden: :includehidden: RDP ICA PCoIP Blast_Extreme .. list-table:: :widths: 20 60 20 :header-rows: 1 * - Protocol - Description - Use Case * - RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) - Microsoft protocol for remote graphical desktop access over TCP port 3389. Enables users to control Windows desktops remotely with GUI support. - Remote desktop access for Windows environments. * - ICA (Independent Computing Architecture) - Citrix’s remote display protocol that compresses and transmits GUI input/output over TCP port 1494 (and UDP 2598 for HDX). Optimized for high-latency WAN environments with features like session reliability. - Virtual application and desktop delivery in Citrix environments. * - PCoIP (PC-over-IP) - VMware’s remote display protocol delivering desktop visuals using H.264, H.265, HEVC over networks. Designed for rich multimedia and 3D workloads with adaptive encoding. - VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) scenarios for high-performance desktops. * - Blast Extreme - VMware protocol optimized for high-performance remote display over TCP/UDP. Supports H.264 encoding, bandwidth adaptation, and mobile-friendly transport. - High-performance remote access in VMware Horizon environments, especially for mobile or low-bandwidth scenarios. .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) **Main Features** - Remote graphical desktop access over TCP port 3389 - Supports full Windows desktop GUI control - Includes features like audio redirection, clipboard sharing, multi-monitor support - Optimized for Windows environments **RFC References** - Microsoft proprietary protocol (no formal RFC) - MS-RDP Protocol Documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/windows_protocols/ms-rdpbcgr/ **Use Cases** - Remote desktop access for Windows systems - IT support and remote administration with GUI - Remote working environments and virtual desktops **Alternative Protocols** - VNC – Cross-platform remote desktop sharing - TeamViewer, AnyDesk – Proprietary remote access solutions - SSH with X11 forwarding – GUI access on Unix/Linux .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: What You Will Learn in This Section **Let us learn more about RDP:** * :ref:`Learnings in this section ` * :ref:`Terminology ` * :ref:`Version Info ` * :ref:`RDP Version&IEEE Details ` * :ref:`RDP Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 ` * :ref:`RDP Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 ` * :ref:`RDP Protocol Packet Details ` * :ref:`RDP Usecases ` * :ref:`RDP Basic Features ` * :ref:`Reference links ` .. button-link:: ./RDP.html :color: primary :shadow: :expand: Jump to "RDP" .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: ICA (Independent Computing Architecture) **Main Features** - Citrix-developed protocol for remote desktop and application delivery - Optimized for WAN with compression, caching, and session reliability - Supports multimedia, printing, and peripheral redirection - Formerly known as Thinwire; now part of Citrix HDX stack **RFC References** - Proprietary Citrix protocol (no formal RFC) **Use Cases** - Delivering virtual apps and desktops to remote clients in enterprise networks - Low-bandwidth or high-latency environments where connection reliability is essential **Alternative Protocols** - RDP – Microsoft’s native remote desktop protocol - PCoIP – For high-fidelity visual workloads - VNC – Basic desktop sharing across platforms .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: What You Will Learn in This Section **Let us learn more about ICA:** * :ref:`Learnings in this section ` * :ref:`Terminology ` * :ref:`Version Info ` * :ref:`ICA Version&IEEE Details ` * :ref:`ICA Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 ` * :ref:`ICA Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 ` * :ref:`ICA Protocol Packet Details ` * :ref:`ICA Usecases ` * :ref:`ICA Basic Features ` * :ref:`Reference links ` .. button-link:: ./ICA.html :color: primary :shadow: :expand: Jump to "ICA" .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: PCoIP (PC‑over‑IP) **Main Features** - VMware’s remoting protocol optimized for graphic-intensive and multimedia workloads - Uses adaptive compressions via H.264, H.265, and HEVC - Dynamically adjusts bandwidth and quality based on network conditions - Offers USB, audio, and display virtualization **RFC References** - Proprietary VMware protocol (no formal RFC) **Use Cases** - VDI setups requiring high-performance desktop experience - CAD, video editing, and applications with rich graphics and 3D **Alternative Protocols** - RDP – General-purpose Windows remote desktop - ICA – Citrix-optimized remote desktops - SPICE – Open-source and multimedia-capable desktop protocol .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: What You Will Learn in This Section **Let us learn more about PCoIP:** * :ref:`Learnings in this section ` * :ref:`Terminology ` * :ref:`Version Info ` * :ref:`PCoIP Version&IEEE Details ` * :ref:`PCoIP Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 ` * :ref:`PCoIP Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 ` * :ref:`PCoIP Protocol Packet Details ` * :ref:`PCoIP Usecases ` * :ref:`PCoIP Basic Features ` * :ref:`Reference links ` .. button-link:: ./PCoIP.html :color: primary :shadow: :expand: Jump to "PCoIP" .. tab-set:: .. tab-item:: Blast Extreme **Main Features** - VMware proprietary remote display protocol used in VMware Horizon. - Supports both TCP and UDP transport, offering better performance over WAN. - Uses H.264 (and optionally HEVC) for efficient video encoding and rendering. - Bandwidth-adaptive with support for hardware acceleration (GPU offload). - Designed for high-performance, mobile-friendly remote desktop experiences. **RFC References** - No formal RFC (VMware proprietary protocol). - VMware Blast Extreme Documentation: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Horizon/Latest/horizon-remote-desktop-clients/GUID-BD9D54F3-3E5B-45D3-9159-CE6B7F18C8A3.html **Use Cases** - Delivering virtual desktops and applications via VMware Horizon. - Optimized experience for mobile, thin client, and low-bandwidth users. - Secure remote work and VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) deployments. - Environments requiring multimedia support and high graphical performance. **Alternative Protocols** - PCoIP – Also used by VMware, focused on pixel delivery rather than video. - RDP – Standard Windows protocol for remote desktop access. - Citrix HDX – Competing protocol from Citrix with similar goals. .. panels:: :container: container pb-4 :column: col-lg-12 p-2 :card: What You Will Learn in This Section **Let us learn more about Blast Extreme:** * :ref:`Learnings in this section ` * :ref:`Terminology ` * :ref:`Version Info ` * :ref:`Blast Extreme Version&IEEE Details ` * :ref:`Blast Extreme Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 ` * :ref:`Blast Extreme Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 ` * :ref:`Blast Extreme Protocol Packet Details ` * :ref:`Blast Extreme Usecases ` * :ref:`Blast Extreme Basic Features ` * :ref:`Reference links ` .. button-link:: ./Blast_Extreme.html :color: primary :shadow: :expand: Jump to "Blast Extreme"