RemoteFX Features for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

RemoteFX Features for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012:
Hi, I’m Shanmugam Kulandaivel, a senior program manager on the Remote Desktop Virtualization team. As most of you know, both the Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 operating systems are available in multiple editions.  I’d like to use this blog post to provide details on the features of Microsoft RemoteFX® that are supported in each edition of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
Before I provide the details, I’d like to start with a summary:

• Client computers (the endpoint PC that you are accessing the remote computer from) running any edition of Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 support all RemoteFX features, including the ability to connect to RemoteApp, redirect USB devices by using  RemoteFX USB Redirection, and support WAN networks.

• Remote computers (the virtual machine or desktop you are accessing) running Windows 8 Enterprise provide the best user experience and support all management features. Therefore, Windows 8 Enterprise is the only supported edition for use with Windows Server 2012 virtual desktop collections (VDI).

With that summary in mind, let’s first look at the features that Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 editions support when running on client computers, and then we’ll look at the features that Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 support when running on remote  computers.

RemoteFX features on client computers

Client computer refers to the computer that the user is physically logged on to. Users use Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) on the client computer to connect to remote computers. The following table lists the features that are supported on client computers running any one of the different editions of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.


* Requires that the remote computer be configured with RemoteFX vGPU.
** RDP8.0 Update Detail
The key takeaway is that users can use any edition of Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 on their client computers and experience all the new features of RemoteFX.

RemoteFX features on remote computers

Remote computers are the computers that users connect to. Remote computers can be a physical computer, a Remote Desktop Session Host server, or a virtual machine. The following table lists the features that are supported on remote computers running any one of the different editions of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.


** RDP8.0 Update Detail
While this might seem like lot of specifics to remember, in reality, the feature differentiation is very simple. You just need to remember the following summary when deciding which edition to use for your virtual machine-based desktop deployment:

• Client computers running any edition of Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 support all RemoteFX features, including the ability to connect to RemoteApp, redirect USB devices by using RemoteFX USB Redirection, and support WAN networks.

• Remote computers running Windows 8 Enterprise provide the best user experience and support all management features. Therefore, Windows 8 Enterprise is the only supported edition for use with Windows Server 2012 virtual desktop collections (VDI).

I hope this information is useful and answers the questions that you have on this topic. If you have more questions, please feel free to post a new thread in the RDS & TS forum.

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