Microsoft has introduced a new MMC snap-in tool called Remote Desktop Connection Manager in Windows Server 2008 R2 for managing the in-box VDI solution from Microsoft. In this blog, I will explain how you can specify various RDP settings for the virtual desktops published using this tool.
You can specify a different set of RDP settings for each type of virtual desktops (Personal and Pooled) published by this tool.
To modify RDP settings for “Personal Virtual Desktops,” expand the “RD Virtualization Host Servers” node, select “Personal Virtual desktops” and then select “Properties” from actions.
To modify the RDP settings for pooled virtual desktops, select the pool node under “RD Virtualization Host Servers” node and then select “Properties” from actions. This allows you to change the RDP property for the pool that you have selected. If you have more than one pool of virtual desktops, you will have to change RDP settings for each pool by going to their respective nodes.
For most common RDP settings there is a “Common RDP Settings” property tab with dedicated UI controls for each of the setting. The “Custom RDP Settings” tab allows you to specify advanced RDP settings which are not modified very frequently. Given below is an example of how Custom RDP Settings can be used to enable optimal audio/visual experience for virtual desktop users.
Enabling optimal user experience
By default, the virtual desktops published through this tool are tuned for performance. For example, with default RDP settings, users will not be able to see the wallpaper on their virtual desktop. To enable the optimal audio/visual user experience, you can add following RDP settings under the “Custom RDP settings” tab:
| RDP Property | Description |
| audiocapturemode:i:1 | Enables Audio recording redirection |
| connection type:i:2 | Sets connection type to LAN |
| disable wallpaper:i:0 | Allows wallpaper |
| allow desktop composition:i:1 | Enables Aero Glass |
| disable themes:i:0 | Enables themes |
| audiomode:i:0 | Sets audio playback mode to “Play on this computer” |
With the above settings, RDP connections to virtual machines require higher network bandwidth compared to default settings. Therefore the admin should enable these settings taking into account the available network bandwidth and the desired user experience.
For a complete list of RDP settings for Remote Desktop Services, see the Remote Desktop Services Technical Reference (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=139899).
