My knowledge with Citrix XenDesktop 4/5.5 HDX 3D Pro and Multiple screens, desired resolution.
I was about to write an article about how to configure a desired screen resolution or if you have multiple screens and you wanted this to work, when you connect your Citrix Receiver to your Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 HDX 3D Pro Virtual Desktop. Citrix support have been so kind and created this knowledge article on how to configure a desired screen resolution or if you have multiple screens.
I have been aware of this solution since Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 HDX 3D Pro was released but i havent shared this with you, sorry for the delay.
But i will share some thoughts that you should be aware of, my knowledge is based from field experience with HDX 3D Pro.
Hint 1:
I recommend that you export EDID informations from the endpoint device that you use Citrix Receiver to connect to your Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 HDX 3D Pro VDI.
This EDID file is the one you apply on your host machine where Citrix VDA 5.5 is installed with HDX 3D Pro.
If your end device have 2 Monitors where 1 is DVI input and the other is VGA input. I recommend that you take the best input (DVI) export the EDID and import this file on the VGA monitor on the end device and then you import the EDID configuration on the host machine where Citrix VDA 5.5 is installed with HDX 3D Pro.
Hint 2:
If you experience issues with mouse cursor is not in sync on the session after you have imported the EDID file(s) i recommend that you disconnect the HDX session and reconnect to get the new screen informations that you have applied with EDID configuration.
Hint 3:
You should be aware that when you create virtual screens with EDID and attach multiple screens the user consumes more bandwidth. This is also the behavior with a higher screen resolution.
Hint 4:
You can use EDID fix with Citrix XenDesktop 4 HDX 3D Pro =O) it works with Windows 7 / Windows XP
How to Get the Desired Desktop Resolution and Configure Multi-Monitor in case of HDX 3D Pro Enabled Desktop in XenDesktop 5.5
Summary
This article describes how to get the desired desktop resolution and configure Multi-monitor in case of HDX 3D Pro enabled Desktop in XenDesktop 5.5.
Supported Desktop Resolution with HDX 3D Pro in XenDesktop 5.5
While connecting the client requests desktop with certain size (resolution ex. 1920×1200), which should be supported by the GPU on server (VDA) and by the monitor attached to the VDA. If there is no monitor attached on VDA, then it should be present in the set of resolutions supported by the GPU. If the matching resolution is found, then the desktop with that resolution is given, else the desktop with the nearest supported resolution is given.
In some cases the use case might require a specific desktop resolution, for example 1440×900, which is not available at the VDA side then it can be added as a custom resolution in the GPU control panel on VDA. If the GPU on the VDA accepts this custom resolution then it is available for the next connection.
Changing the desktop resolution within the session is not supported. If the resolution change is required then following procedure should be used:
If the desktop is in full screen mode then change the client local screen resolution, disconnect and reconnect.
If the desktop is in windowed mode then resize the desktop window to the desired size, disconnect and reconnect to get the desired desktop resolution.
Multi-Monitor Configuration
It is important to note that for HDX 3D Pro in multi-monitor case, the following condition should be satisfied:
Number of Monitors on VDA >= No of monitors on client
So for dual monitor desktop, VDA should have two or more monitors attached.
These monitors can be physical or virtual. The virtual monitors can be configured in NVIDIA control panel for Quadro and Quadro FX cards using forced Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) option.
Procedure to configure virtual monitors using Forced EDID is mentioned in the Configuring Virtual Monitors section.
On first connection, the desktop might be displayed in the single monitor mode only. To get true multi-monitor desktop, move the desktop window across 2 monitors on client and maximize the desktop using desktop viewer toolbar at the top so that it spans across two monitors. Now disconnect and reconnect the desktop. On reconnect, the desktop displays in true multi-monitor mode.
Configuring Virtual Monitors
Virtual monitors can be configured for VDA on physical machine with NVIDIA GPU and for Virtual Machine on XenServer 6 with NVIDIA GPU assigned to it. Following procedure explains how to add multiple virtual monitors:
Step 1: Getting Monitor EDID Files
Complete the following procedure to get Monitor EDID file:
Exporting EDID from NVIDIA control panel:
Attach the desired monitor to the GPU for which the EDID file is required.
Install the latest NVIDIA driver and restart.
Right-click on the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel, as displayed in the following screen shot:
Under Display, select Run multiple display wizard.
Note: Select this option only when View system topology is not seen.
Select View system topology from Workstation, , as displayed in the following screen shot:
Select active Monitor, as displayed in the following screen shot:
Clicking on the active Monitor displays the following screen:
Click Export EDID.
Save the Monitor EDID information in the text format, as displayed in the following screen shot:
Note: In some cases, the EDID file exported from monitor connected using DVI connector can be used only for DVI ports to create virtual monitors. Same applies for other ports, for example the Display port. So it is recommended to use the matching EDID file only.
Creating custom Monitor EDID file
Some EDID tools available can be used to create the custom EDID files, which can be imported in the GPU control panel on VDA to create virtual monitors.
Download EDID files
These EDID files are created for the following specifications:
Monitor: HP LP2475w
GPU: NVIDIA Quadro 5000
Maximum Resolution: 1920×1200
Refresh rate: 60 Hz
If the requirement is similar to the preceding requirement then the following EDID files can be directly used:
Step 2: Importing EDID File to Create Virtual Monitor
Once the EDID file is available, it can be used to create the virtual monitors.
Complete the following procedure to import the EDID file in the NVIDIA control panel:
Right-click on the desktop and open NVIDIA Control Panel.
Select View system topology from Workstation
Now click on the monitor that is in Not Connected state, as displayed in the following screen shot:
Ensure to choose the appropriate Connector type, as displayed in the following screen shot:
Click Load EDID and select the appropriate EDID file, as displayed in the following screen shot:
Once the EDID loading is successful, the following message is displayed:
Monitor_EDID.txt EDID successfully loaded.
7. Click OK
8. After the virtual monitors are configured using the Forced EDID, the final status is as displayed in the following screen shot:
Note: This way by creating virtual monitors on VDA (Physical Machine or Virtual Machine), HDX 3D Pro desktop can be used in multi-monitor mode.
This article lists the hardware used by Citrix to test the HDX 3D Pro feature for the August, 2011 release of XenDesktop 5.5. It is intended that this article provide guidance for customers when choosing hardware to be used with HDX 3D Pro and XenDesktop 5.5. Note that this is not an exhaustive list of all the hardware that can be used with HDX 3D Pro, just a list of the hardware that was specifically used for testing by Citrix Engineering. Other hardware not listed below that meets the system requirements for HDX 3D Pro may also be used.
Graphics Processing Units
GPUs Tested with HDX 3D Pro Virtual Desktop Agent
Manufacturer
Model
Deployment Recommendations
Tested by Citrix
GPU-Based Deep Compression
Standalone
Passthrough
Standalone
Passthrough
Single Monitor
Dual Monitor
NVIDIA
Tesla M2070Q
E
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Quadro 6000
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Quadro 5000
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Quadro 4000
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Quadro 2000
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Quadro FX 3800
Y
E
Y
N
Y
Y
Quadro FX 4800
Y
E
Y
N
Y
Y
Quadro FX 5800
Y
E
Y
N
Y
Y
Quadro FX 4600
Y
E
Y
N
Y
N
Quadro FX 2800m
Y
E
Y
N
Y
N
GeForce GTX 480
Y
E
Y
N
Y
Y
Quadro NVS 210S
Y
N
Y
N
N
N
GeForce 6150 LE
Y
N
Y
N
N
N
ATI-AMD
Radeon HD 6870
Y
E
Y
N
N
N
Firepro MV 2450
Y
E
Y
N
N
N
Standalone = Physical machine with GPU; Passthrough = XenServer VM with GPU passthrough;
Y = Yes, tested and recommended; N = No, not tested or recommended; E = Experimental, not tested but expected to work.
Based on the testing carried out by Citrix, most NVIDIA Quadro and Quadro FX graphics cards should work in standalone mode with HDX 3D Pro. Citrix has tested only a few NVIDIA Tesla and GeForce graphics cards. Although it is expected that these classes of graphics cards will work, Citrix recommends that you carry out your own testing before putting such graphics cards into a production environment.
Although Citrix has only tested a few ATI-AMD graphics cards, it is expected that they will work with CPU-based compression.
Hardware for Application Host and User Device
The hardware requirements for both the computers hosting the graphical application (along with the HDX 3D Pro Virtual Desktop Agent) and the devices from which users access the host are given in the System Requirements for HDX 3D Pro[http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-als/hd-3d-sys-req.html]. Any hardware that matches these specifications can be used. Citrix tested the HDX 3D Pro feature using the following hardware.
Tested Host Hardware
Testing Mode
Physical Machine
Virtual Machine
HP ws460cG6 Blade Workstation
Y
Y
HP z800 Workstation
Y
Y
HP z400 Workstation
Y
N
HP xw6600 Workstation
Y
N
HP xw6400 Workstation
Y
N
Dell Precision T3500
Y
Y
The following machines were used as endpoints for testing.
HP xw4400 Workstation
HP xw4600 Workstation
HP z400 Workstation
Monitors Used for Testing
There are no restrictions on the monitors that can be attached to the user device and the computer hosting the graphical application, provided that they support the required resolution. Citrix used the following monitors for testing.
Citrix have released a new version of HDX 3D Pro Health Check tool for XenDesktop 5.5.
The tool is great if you want to verify that the VDI have access to the GPU, or if you have the right amount of CUDA cores, that the GPU requires to run GPU codec of HDX 3D Pro.
The HDX 3D Pro – Health Check tool validates the hardware, setup and configuration for the HDX 3D Pro feature in XenDesktop 5.5. This tool should be run as an administrator locally on the VDA and also over ICA connection. It does the validation of HDX 3D Pro components and gives the status as pass or fail. If clicked on Pass or Fail status it displays the relevant information in the textbox. For Fail status additional Suggestions button is enabled where the users can find the suggestions to solve the issue. It does the validation of the hardware spec for VDA and client from HDX 3D Pro perspective.
The 3D Pro Health Check Tool is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Citrix makes no commitment to provide support for this tool.
The Citrix Receiver for Linux provides users with access to resources published on XenApp or XenDesktop servers. It combines ease of deployment and use, and offers quick, secure access to applications, content, and virtual desktops. Users can connect to resources published on XenApp servers using either individual ICA connections or, if using Citrix XenApp, predefined ICA connection configurations from servers running the Web Interface. Users can also connect to virtual desktops provided by XenDesktop, enabling them to use those virtual desktops as if they were connecting to a local Windows desktop.
What’s new in Citrix Receiver for Linux 12.0
HDX 3D Pro. HDX 3D Pro provides the following enhancements for users connecting to hosted desktops:
New decoder for HDX 3D Pro Graphics. A new graphics processing unit (GPU) codec for deep compression is included in Receiver to receive 3D professional graphics over low bandwidths. GPU-encoded data can be decoded using either the CPU or a VAAPI-compatible GPU on the user device. For more information, see theXenDesktop documentation.
Multi-monitor support. HDX 3D Pro supports user devices with multiple monitors. Users have the freedom to arrange their monitors in any configuration they choose and can mix monitors with different resolutions and orientations. The number of monitors is limited only by the capabilities of the server’s GPU and the available bandwidth.
Note: HDX 3D Pro is supported only on Linux x86 distributions.
HDX MediaStream Flash Redirection. Enables Adobe Flash content to play locally on user devices, providing users with high definition audio and video playback, without increasing bandwidth requirements.
Note: HDX MediaStream Flash Redirection is supported only on 32-bit Ubuntu and Fedora distributions.
HDX RealTime Webcam Video Compression. HDX RealTime provides a webcam video compression option to improve bandwidth efficiency and latency tolerance during video conferencing.
Changes to USB support installation. USB support is now provided as a separately installable package. Install USB support after installing Receiver, if required.
Support for changing expired passwords. Receiver supports the ability for users to change their expired passwords. Prompts appear for users to enter the required information.
Improved smart card support. Receiver now supports using smart card authentication to log on to Windows 7 hosted desktops.
ALSA sound subsystem support. Receiver now supports the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) subsystem, allowing users to listen to audio from more than a single source when connected to hosted applications or desktops.
Hello everyone I have a great news I’d like to share with you all.
The 1th november 2011, I and ARROW ECS (value added distributor on Citrix) held a huge HDX3D event where speakers from Citrix, HP, Nvidia and Autodesk will come and talk about future VDI
Event – Beyond VDI conference
Private and public companies face the challenge; to virtualizes “Heavy users” who use 3d applications, video conferencing, audio, etc. You will learn about how the latest technology from Citrix, HP, Autodesk and Nvidia can meet this requirements, and how Citrix, HP, Nvidia and Autodesk delivers “the VDI of the future”.
Arrow ECS, together with Citrix, HP, Nvidia and AutoDesk present an exciting seminar with Derek Thorslund responsible for developing the graphical performance of virtualization products at Citrix, Rob Cornell, Senior Alliance Manager, from AutoDesk, Brian Andersen, Business Developer from HP and Walter Mundt-Blum, Vice President of PSG Sales, Nvidia.
We are looking forward to seeing you at this conference, where visions, opportunities and the workplace of the future is a priority.
VDI is no longer “just” VDI.
AGENDA:
Citrix – Derek Thorslund, Director Product Management
Learn how Citrix can deliver a virtualized 3d application/desktop with HDX / HDX 3D Pro technology to end user on LAN/WAN.
HP – Brian Andersen, Business Development
Learn how HP delivers enterprise hardware to this market, and how you can lower hardware cost together with Nvidia and Citrix
technology.
Autodesk – Rob Cornell, Senior Alliance Manager Learn about Autodesk’s new products, what they can deliver and how AutoDesk products now are certified with Citrix.
Nvidia – Walter Mundt-Blum, Vice President
Learn about Nvidia’s new products, what they can deliver and hear about the relationship with Autodesk, Citrix and HP. Whats does the future bring with Nvidia when virtualization melts together with the CPU/GPU.
Arrow ECS – Thomas Poppelgaard
HDX 3D – how does it all work together. Learn about the solutions and best practise.
Citrix have released XenServer 6.0 to web. I have been waiting long time for this great release from Citrix. I have been using and testing the GPU pass-through technology thats is now supported in XenServer 6.0, i tested the technology with XenServer 5.6.x it was not stable in XenServer 6TP it worked like a charm and now its official supported. XenServer 6.0 raise the bar again within Server Virtualization and improve areas like performance, scalability, cloud ready, XenDesktop enhancements.
Lets dig in.
New Features
XenServer 6.0 includes a number of new features and ongoing improvements, including:
Integrated Site Recovery (Disaster Recovery). Remote data replication between storage arrays with fast recovery and failback capabilities. Integrated
Site Recovery replaces StorageLink Gateway Site Recovery used in previous versions, removes the Windows VM requirement, and works with any iSCSI or
Hardware HBA storage repository.
Integrated StorageLink. Access to use existing storage array-based features such as data replication, de-duplication, snapshot and cloning.
Replaces the StorageLink Gateway technology used in previous editions and removes requirement to run a Windows VM with the StorageLink components.
GPU Pass-Through. Enables a physical GPU to be assigned to a VM providing high-end graphics. Allows applications to leverage GPU instructions in
XenDesktop VDI deployments with HDX 3D Pro.
Virtual Appliance Support (vApp). Ability to create multi-VM and boot sequenced virtual appliances (vApps) that integrate with Integrated Site
Recovery and High Availability. vApps can be easily imported and exported using the Open Virtualization Format (OVF) standard.
Rolling Pool Upgrade Wizard. Simplify upgrades (automated or semi-automated) to XenServer 6.0 with a wizard that performs pre-checks with a
step-by-step process that blocks unsupported upgrades.
Microsoft SCVMM & SCOM Support. Manage XenServer hosts and VMs with System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2012. System Center
Operations Manager (SCOM) 2012 will also be able to manage and monitor XenServer hosts and VMs. System Center integration is available with a special
supplemental pack from Citrix. For more information refer to the Microsoft System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager page.
Distributed Virtual Switch Improvements. New fail safe mode allows Cross-Server Private Networks, ACLs, QoS, RSPAN and NetFlow settings to continue to be applied to a running VM in the event of vSwitch Controller failure.
Increased Performance and Scale. Supported limits have been increased to 1 TB memory for XenServer hosts, and up to16 virtual processors and 128 GB virtual memory for VMs. Improved XenServer Tools with smaller footprint.
Networking Improvements. Open vSwitch is now the default networking stack in XenServer 6.0 and now provides formal support for Active-Backup NIC bonding.
VM Import & Export Improvements. Full support for VM disk and OVF appliance imports directly from XenCenter with the ability to change VM
parameters (virtual processor, virtual memory, virtual interfaces, and target storage repository) with the Import wizard. Full OVF import support for
XenServer, XenConvert and VMware.
SR-IOV Improvements. Improved scalability and certification with the SR-IOV Test Kit. Experimental SR-IOV with XenMotion support with Solarflare
SR-IOV adapters.
Simplified Installer. Host installations only require a single ISO.
Enhanced Guest OS Support. Support for Ubuntu 10.04 (32/64-bit). Updated support for Debian Squeeze 6.0 64-bit, Oracle Enterprise Linux 6.0
(32/64-bit) and SLES 10 SP4 (32/64-bit). Experimental VM templates for CentOS 6.0 (32/64-bit), Ubuntu 10.10 (32/64-bit) and Solaris 10.
Workload Balancing Improvements. New, ready-to-use Linux-based virtual appliance with a smaller footprint replaces the Windows-based virtual appliance and eliminates the Windows licensing dependency.
XenDesktop Enhancements.HDX enhancements for optimized user experience with virtual desktops, GPU Pass-Through, and increased VM and XenServer host limits.
VM Protection & Recovery. Now available for Advanced, Enterprise and Platinum Edition customers.
NFS Support for High Availability. HA Heartbeat disk can now reside on a NFS storage repository.
XenCenter Improvements. XenCenter operations now run in parallel, and XenCenter will be available in Japanese and Simplified Chinese (ETA Q4
2011).
Host Architectural Improvements. XenServer 6.0 now runs on the Xen 4.1 hypervisor, provides GPT support and a smaller, more scalable Dom0.
XenServer Virtual Appliances
The following XenServer virtual appliances are available for download from the Citrix XenServer 6.0 Download page:
Demo Linux Virtual Appliance
Workload Balancing Virtual Appliance
Citrix License Server Virtual Appliance
vSwitch Controller Virtual Appliance
Installation and Upgrades
Upgrade to XenServer 6.0 is possible from any version of XenServer 5.6 including 5.6 (base), 5.6 Feature Pack 1, and 5.6 Service Pack 2.
Upgrading XenServer
Customers upgrading from XenServer 5.6 and later should follow the instructions below. These instructions apply to customers using the XenCenter
Rolling Pool Upgrade wizard to upgrade XenServer hosts or pools. For details on upgrading XenServer using the xe CLI, please refer to the XenServer 6.0
Installation Guide.
Note: For information on upgrading the vSwitch Controller Virtual Appliance, see the XenServer 6.0 vSwitch Controller User Guide.
Before You Upgrade
Download the 6.0 version of XenCenter.
Citrix strongly recommends that you take a backup of the state of your existing pool using the pool-dumpdatabase xe CLI command (see the XenServer 6.0 Administrator’s Guide).
Consider suspending any non-critical VMs to ensure that hosts have sufficient memory to carry out the upgrade.
To Upgrade XenServer Using the XenCenter Rolling Pool Upgrade Wizard:
Open the Rolling Pool Upgrade wizard: on the Tools menu, select Rolling Pool Upgrade.
Read the Before You Start information, and then click Next to continue.
Select the pool(s) and/or individual hosts that you wish to upgrade, and then click Next.
Choose Automatic Mode or Manual Mode, depending on whether you are planning an automated upgrade from network installation files located on an HTTP, NFS or FTP server, or a manual upgrade from either a CD/DVD or via PXE boot (using already existing infrastructure).Note: If you choose Manual Mode, you must run the XenServer installer on each XenServer host in turn and follow the on-screen instructions
on the serial console of the host. Once the upgrade begins, XenCenter prompts you to insert the XenServer installation media or to specify a PXE boot server for each host that you upgrade.
Once you have selected your Upgrade Mode, click Run Prechecks.
Follow the recommendations to resolve any upgrade prechecks that have failed. If you would like XenCenter to attempt to automatically resolve all failed prechecks, click Resolve All.Once all prechecks have been resolved, click Next to continue.
Prepare the XenServer installation media.
If you chose Automatic Mode, enter the installation media details. Choose HTTP, NFS or FTP and then specify the path, username
and password, as appropriate.Note: Enter the username and password associated with your HTTP, NFS
or FTP server, if you have configured security credentials for this server. Do
not enter the username and password associated with your XenServer pool.
If you chose Manual Mode, note the upgrade plan and instructions.
Click Start Upgrade.
Once the upgrade begins, the Rolling Pool Upgrade wizard guides you through any actions you need to take to upgrade each host. Follow the instructions until you have upgraded all hosts in the pool(s).Once the upgrade completes, the wizard prints a summary. Click Finish to close the wizard.
Fresh Installation of XenServer 6.0
To perform a fresh installation of XenServer 6.0, please refer to the instructions in the XenServer 6.0 Installation Guide.
Download XenServer 6 on www.citrix.com (require myCitrixID)
Process Explorerhas always been one of the best PC monitoring and troubleshooting tools around. In build v15.x is now possible to track graphics processor (GPU) usage on Windows 7 or later.
You won’t see this by default when the program first launches, but that’s easy to fix. Click View > Select Columns > GPU and check the boxes next to whatever you’d like to watch: GPU Usage, GPU Private Data, GPU Committed Bytes, or GPU Shared Bytes.
A click or two later and you’ll be better able to spot any resource hogs that might be slowing your system down. This seems to work very well: we ran a few graphics benchmarks, and Process Explorer gave us a detailed view of what they were doing. But if you prefer a graph, rather than the raw data, just double-click a process, click the new GPU Graph tab, then watch to see how your app’s GPU usage varies over time.
Other improvements in this build include the ability to restart a service. Double-click a svchost.exe instance, click the Service tab, choose a misbehaving service and click Restart, and Process Explorer will stop and start it for you. (Be careful, of course. Restarting the Spooler service, for instance, may fix some printing problems, but choosing something more critical may lock or crash your PC.)
And elsewhere, the performance graphs have been revamped to have a cleaner look, while a range of optimisations mean the program now has a smaller memory footprint. Not that Process Explorer was ever exactly a resource hog, but this version is now more efficient than ever, requiring little more than 14MB (private working set) to monitor all the usual process properties on our test PC, and the new GPU details as well.
Process Explorer v15.x combined with XenDesktop HDX3D Pro Graphics
One of the big challenge in designing a XenDesktop HDX3D environment is how to understand, how much capacity of GPU do your users require for theirs 3D Apps and which GPU should you buy. With Microsoft Process Explorer v15.0 is easier to get an understanding how much GPU is being used with each 3D application.
Example – identifying GPU with XenDesktop with Process Explorer v15.0
In this example you have a Xendesktop machine that have a Nvidia Quadro 2000 graphic card that have 192 CUDA cores, you are using a heavy 3D app that requires lots of CUDA cores you then install the Process Explorer v15.0 from Microsoft and quick you can identify that the 3D app requires x CUDA cores, if the 3D app is using maximum CUDA cores what you can see via the Process Explorer v15.0 then you should consider buying a larger Nvidia Quadro card example (4000,5000) or Tesla.
Howto automate the identifying of the GPU
Use Citrix Edgesight Loadtester+VSI script+Microsoft Process Explorer v15.0 and you should have a pretty good idea how much GPU your user is requiring.
Process Explorer v15.0 combined with XenApp (v.5 or v.6) HDX3D Pro Graphics
HDX 3D allows graphics-heavy applications running on XenApp on a physical server to render on the server’s graphics processing unit (GPU). By moving DirectX, Direct3D and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) rendering to the server’s GPU, the server’s central processing unit (CPU) is not slowed by graphics rendering. Additionally, the server is able to process more graphics because the workload is split between the CPU and GPU. This feature is only available on servers with a GPU that supports a display driver interface (DDI) version of 9ex, 10, or 11. DirectX and Direct3D require no special settings.
The challenge is its very hard to get an overview of how much GPU you require when you design a server with the amount of 3D applications. If you want 10,20,50 users, how many users can the GPU handle before it run into the limit, with Microsoft Process Explorer v15.0 its now possible of getting this identified.
Example – identifying GPU with XenApp
You have 1 physical server 4 CPU 6 cores each and 1 Nvidia Quadro 2000 graphic card.
The OS is Windows Server 2008R2 and Citrix XenApp6 is installed. GPU passthrough have to be enabled, look here for how to configure this. AutoDesk AutoCAD 2011 (verified to run on XenApp 6) and Microsoft Process Explorer v15.x is installed
With this solution you have lots of CPU and a maximum of 192 CUDA cores. You can now tell your amount of users to connect to the server and do load testing. A simpler task to achieve load testing i would recommend using Citrix Edgesight for Load Testing combined with Login VSI and Process Explorer v15.0 then you should get a quick overview on how much load your GPU can handle and how big a GPU you require or if multiple GPU’s.
XenServer 6.x makes it possible of passthrough of multiple GPU’s.
HP blade workstation WS460C is an enterprise solution for this area that fits perfect with Citrix XenServer 6.x multiple GPU passthrough. You can attach an Graphic Expansion to the WS460C so its possible to integrate two graphic cards like (Nvidia FX3800, FX4800, FX5800 or the new fermi cards 4000, 5000, 6000)
The target here is to support high-end 3D professional graphics applications with multiple GPU passthrough. Applications like Autodesk/Dassualt Systems and many more CAD/CAM systems are often using OpenGL and or Direct-X and Citrix provides the full user experience with HDX3D to deliver this everywhere. HDX3D is available both for XenDesktop 4/5.x> and XenApp 5/6.
This article descripes HowTo enable MultiGPU with HP blade workstation WS460C with HP Graphic Expansion blade and Citrix XenServer 6.x
Bios Settings for ws460cG6 with Graphics Expansion Blade
Option “HP Graphics Expander x16” Help (F1 pressed) associated to this option
“When enabled will allow x16 PCIe connection on HP Graphics Expander slot 1. Slot 2 will NOT be functional”
HowTo enable MultiGPU in HP WS460c with Graphic Expansion blade
Choose this BIOS setting for “HP Graphics Expander x16” for enabling both graphic cards. When the BIOS setting is disabled the Citrix XenServer 6.x is able to see both Graphic cards and you can then passthrough the GPU’s to the Virtual machines.
HP Graphics Expander x16: DISABLED
HP Graphics Expander slot 1 : x8
HP Graphics Expander slot 2 : x8
Enabling “VT for direct I/O” in the BIOS
HowTo identify the Multiple GPU’s in Citrix XenServer 6.x
Note XenServer 6.x XenCenter Console only shows 1 GPU if you have multiple GPU’s *this is default design belowed explains why:
If you have multiple GPUs in different PCI slots then Xenserver forms the groups of identical GPUs. For example if you have 2 – Quadro 4000 GPUs then there will be one Quadro 4000 GPU group identified by Xenserver.
Now when you try to assign the GPU to a VM from Xencenter it shows the GPU group and not the individual GPU. In your case one GPU group has 2 – Quadro 4000 cards, so you can assign this GPU group to 2 VMs wherein each GPU is attached to an individual VM
If you want to identify that XenServer 6.x is showing multiple GPU’s access local command shell
Execute #lspci to view multiple GPU’s
In belowed picture you can see i have identified 2 GPU’s with the command #lspci
This years Citrix Synergy 2011 in San Francisco have been awesome, so many things to see and so many great people have attended.
Most of the Technical Preview that have been mentioned on the Citrix Synergy is now available for download
Access to tomorrow’s Citrix technologies today, including previews announced during Synergy keynote. See for yourself how Citrix plans to take your virtual computing experience further than ever before from enhanced video, audio and graphics for virtual desktops to new features that help deploy and manage virtual environments.
HDFaces adds high definition video conferencing to GoToMeeting’s web and audio conferencing solution to provide a telepresence-like experience for everyone.
Extends the Citrix lead in desktop virtualization user experience with stunning video performance, superior audio quality and enhancements for graphics support and web content, even on low bandwidth connections.
Puts the focus on user experience with features that increase user productivity and provide enhancements for graphics support and web content, even on low bandwidth connections.
Incorporates features that enhance production deployment readiness, provide increased scalability, introduce broader device support and simplify the user experience.
Provides a single client for delivery of XenApp and XenDesktop enabled desktops, Windows, Web and SaaS applications with audio and video improvements and simplified single sign-on. It supersedes the Online Plug-in for all applications.
Puts specific focus on innovations that extend the efficiency, agility and manageability of virtual environments. Will also add new capabilities in networking, self service and optimizations for XenDesktop and Cloud infrastructures
So i would say yes there is support from Citrix now, i still have people telling me that if you turn on “Interrupt safe mode” then the issue is still there and vSphere 5 doesn’t work with Citrix Provisioning Server 6
Did Citrix actually make a statement that this is supported now? Send me a DM on Twitter @youngtech if you don’t mind. I’m very curious if Citrix is now supporting PVS w/vSphere 5.
Thomas Poppelgaard
| #
Hi Youngtech
Citrix have created this knowledge article http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX131993
So i would say yes there is support from Citrix now, i still have people telling me that if you turn on “Interrupt safe mode” then the issue is still there and vSphere 5 doesn’t work with Citrix Provisioning Server 6
Dane Young
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Thomas,
Did Citrix actually make a statement that this is supported now? Send me a DM on Twitter @youngtech if you don’t mind. I’m very curious if Citrix is now supporting PVS w/vSphere 5.
Thanks!
–youngtech
Thomas Poppelgaard
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fixed =O) thanx for seeing the typo.
Ro
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Sorry, not to nag, but it’s called Apple iOS, or just iOS. Not Mac iOS. OS X is often called Mac OS X.
Thanks for a great blog. It’s a great resource to keep up with the virtualization world.
Thomas Poppelgaard
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Thanx Aaron