By Alex Hunter

September 13, 2021

  0

Microsoft RemoteFX USB Redirection: Improve User Experience

Every virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) deployment aims to deliver a user experience that matches physical desktops’ performance. However, this is often challenging because virtual desktops must share resources with other desktops that do not have their own graphical processing units (GPUs) and suffer from latency.

Microsoft RemoteFX USB redirection can improve the end-user VDI experience by providing advanced codes and redirecting USB devices in virtual machines (VMs). Learn more about how Microsoft RemoteFX USB redirection works and how it can enhance the end-user VDI experience in this article.

Learning about Microsoft RemoteFX

Microsoft RemoteFX is a set of remote desktop protocol (RDP) technologies that facilitate a rich desktop environment for endpoints, including rich PCs, thin clients and ultra-thin clients. It can also enhance the end-user VDI experience by providing a 3D virtual adapter, advanced codecs and the ability to redirect USBs in VMs.

RemoteFX is integrated with RDP by default, allowing for shared authentication, encryption, management and endpoint support. The protocol can enable end users who are working remotely to watch full-motion videos, run 3D applications and enjoy Silverlight animations—all with the fidelity of local-like performance.

RemoteFX is based on the intellectual property (IP) that Microsoft acquired from Calista Technologies and unveiled starting with Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Microsoft has since then improved the technology, incorporating many features such as:

• RemoteFX USB Redirection. It allows peripheral devices such as printers, scanners and USB drives connected to thin clients to be used within VMs.
• RemoteFX Adaptive Graphics. This enhances host-side rendering and bitmap encoding.
• RemoteFX virtual GPU (vGPU). It allows VMs to access the physical GPU, enabling rich graphics scenarios like gameplay and 3D rendering.
• RemoteFX Media Redirection application programming interface (API). It renders audio and video content directly to the client endpoints.

Understanding How Microsoft RemoteFX USB Redirection Works

VDI users can use the inbuilt, RDP-based remote-desktop USB redirection feature in Windows to connect local peripherals such as flash drives and other input devices to their VMs. This feature supports USB redirection with high-level functions such as:

• Easy print. Print to local printers during remote desktop sessions.
• Drive redirection. Access file systems on a local drive within a remote desktop session.
• Smart card redirection. Enables users to authenticate themselves to an RDP session via smart cards or tokens.
• Plug and play device redirection. Access picture transfer protocol (PTP) cameras, media transfer protocol (MTP) music players and point of service (POS) for .NET devices during remote desktop sessions.
• Input redirection. Access keyboards and mice during RDP sessions.
• Port redirection. Access and control parallel and serial ports during remote desktop sessions.
• Audio redirection. Record and playback audio in remote desktop sessions.

However, not all peripheral devices are a good fit for remote desktop USB redirection with RDP. Scanners, for example, run sequential processes that consume a lot of resources, making them difficult to work with RDP. Also, audio and video devices consume a lot of bandwidth and can cause problems with remote desktop USB redirection.

With RemoteFX, Microsoft has added significant capabilities and improvements to remote USB redirection. Unlike the remote desktop USB redirection, RemoteFX supports numerous devices such as scanners, and multi-function printers and scanners. In this regard, the RemoteFX USB redirection complements USB redirection when the standard RDP redirection is not enough.

Key Differences Between RemoteFX USB and Standard RDP Redirection

The table summarizes the key differences between RemoteFX USB redirection and standard RDP redirection.

Publishing and Deploying to Rich and Thin Clients

Microsoft has designed the RemoteFX USB redirection feature to work seamlessly with the RDP-powered USB redirection mechanism. For example, some peripheral devices can get redirected via RDP’s high-level device redirection on rich clients, while others can leverage RemoteFX USB redirection.

This way, users obtain the best of both RemoteFX USB redirection and RDP’s high-level redirection. The RDP publishing mechanism uses the command usbdevicestoredirect:s: to publish and deploy devices for redirection. IT administrators can use this command to specify which devices they would like to redirect either by class or redirection type.

Rich Clients

On rich clients, the usbdevicestoredirect:s:* command provides RemoteFX USB redirection for most devices that do not have drivers or RDP’s high-level redirection mechanism. On the other hand, the high-level USB redirection selects most drivers while Class GUIDs pick up additional devices.

Thin Clients

On thin clients, the usbdevicestoredirect:s:* command selects all the devices without drivers. This way, IT administrators can create an optimized, published RDP file that works for both rich and thin clients by updating usbdevicestoredirect:s:*. Next, they can add class GUIDs for the devices they want to use from rich clients.

IT administrators can achieve more granular control of the redirected peripheral devices by leveraging device installation restriction policy settings. Using these settings, IT administrators can, for example, restrict the device based on its setup class, device identifier (ID) and whether or not the user is an administrator.

Requirements and Supported Devices

Below are requirements to consider when using Microsoft RemoteFX USB redirection:

• The server OS must be Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or higher.
• Hyper-threading must be enabled in the remote desktop virtualization host server’s BIOS.
• The virtual desktops must run Windows 7 SP1 or higher versions.
• Users must enable the Windows Aero desktop experience.
• The clients must run a version of remote desktop client software that is higher than 7.1.
• VMs should contain drivers for any peripheral devices that end users may use for remote desktop sessions.
• The LAN should have a latency of fewer than 20 milliseconds for the USB redirection to work optimally.

RemoteFX USB redirection supports the following devices:

Parallels RAS Provides an Excellent User Experience on All Devices

VDI is a go-to solution for most enterprises that want to provide remote access to their employees because it allows workers to access corporate resources from devices of their choice. However, remote access can make business sense only if the VDI deployment delivers a user experience that matches that of physical desktops.

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) is a VDI provider with exceptional user experience ratings that enterprises can use to deliver corporate resources to heterogeneous devices. With Parallels RAS, you can transform any Windows-based software into a mobile application with a consistent and intuitive user experience across any device.

Some of the user experiences that Parallels RAS offers include:

• Accelerated file retrieval. The drive redirection feature allows users to retrieve and enumerate local files and folders quickly.
• Local drive redirection. Parallels RAS can instantly redirect the local drive from the user’s device to the remote session. This can allow employees to work on local files when working with virtual applications.
• RemoteFX support. Parallels RAS integrates and supports Microsoft RemoteFX USB redirection. Users can use this feature to enable local services such as scanning, printing and USB.
• Ultra-fast logon. Parallels RAS leverages machine learning (ML) to analyze users’ login habits. Users can log in to their virtual workspaces quickly whenever they need them.

Download your free, 30-day Parallels RAS trial today, and experience an excellent VDI experience across all devices!