Product Release Notes: NComputing vSpace Software for the U170 version U-6.4.3.

7
Product: NComputing vSpace for U170 desktop virtualization kits Version: U-6.4.3.7 for 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 and single user instances of Windows 7 SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit)*. Note that this release does NOT support any other earlier 64-bit Windows operating systems (e.g. it does NOT support Server 2008 64-bit). This vSpace software can be configured to deliver a Windows 7 end-user experience through vSpace virtual desktops running on Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Multipoint Server 2011, and single-user instances of 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 SP1. (For licensing details, see www.ncomputing.com/WindowsMultiUserLicensing ). These release notes contain important information regarding this vSpace software release for the U170 and should be read in their entirety. Also, please review the U170 User Manual available for download at www.ncomputing.com/documentation

Whats New in this Release:

This vSpace maintenance release adds several new features: Improvements to the U170 registration/activation and power-up license verification processes (with additional fault-tolerance features) including: o Single .EXE installer extracts .MSI: The installer is now a single .EXE file that can install vSpace on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows. When you run the setup.exe file, an appropriate 64-bit or 32-bit setup.msi file is extracted in the same directory. o Registration integrated into Installer: Customer registration data is now entered during the interactive installation process.

Added support for Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 and Service Pack 1 on Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 32/64bit* (single user applications) Various installation, multi-user service, video driver, and NCTray improvements o Resolution changes made in the NCTray will now persist after system reboots (once a manual change to resolution is made, this will take precedence over the default resolution reported by the U170s monitor. o Auto-logon support can now be configured via the NCTray

Installation Notes:
Install vSpace BEFORE connecting any U170 devices to the host PC. This ensures appropriate USB drivers will be available when the U170 gets connected to the system. This software MUST be installed on a clean operating system with SP1 installed, without an earlier version of vSpace installed (such as vSpace U-5.4.2). Please read the User Guide for complete installation procedures; including how to limit interaction with the Found New Hardware Wizard windows. The User Guide also defines supported deployment topology configurations. The U170 only works with USB 2.0 ports. Please configure the host so the USB ports never sleep; the OS cannot recover sessions after USB ports go into sleep mode. Although the U170 can run with 1 GB of host memory, the user experience will be better with 2 GB or more of memory. For 64-bit operating systems at least 4 to 6 GB are recommended for most applications. A U170 with an attached keyboard and mouse uses most of the power available from a single host USB port. Therefore only connect one U170 per host USB port. Also, note that your keyboard should not consume more than 150 mA of power. Use POWERED hubs when daisy chaining U170s or when adding any additional USB devices downstream to a U170. The U170 vSpace software must be registered to allow sessions to operate beyond a one hour time limit. Cable quality is IMPORTANT! Use only high-quality USB 2.0 compliant cables (cables marked only compatible and not marked compliant may be of inferior quality). A minimum wire size of 24 awg (power) and 28 awg (signal) is recommended. Poor cables can cause excessive voltage drops that can cause system instability. In some cases, hot plugging and unplugging of the U170 or its associated hub(s) may cause the OS not to re-enumerate the U170 (i.e., automatically run the Found New Hardware Wizard windows again). If the U170 does not re-enumerate, simply reboot the system and device re-enumeration should take place. In general, it is always a good idea to reboot after hot-plugging U170 device(s). The USB specification limits the number of USB hubs on a single port to a maximum of 5 (these are called hops), see the supported deployment topologies in the User Guide for more information. Hardware acceleration (Display properties Setting Advanced Troubleshoot) should always be turned on for both host graphics and the U170 device(s). This is the default setting for vSpace. Windows 7 sets the default value of station sound as "mute" for a new user; therefore, remember to enable sound for each new user.

Important additional notes on this release:

Registration Required: This vSpace release includes a trial license and must be registered together with the U170 devices using the NComputing Registration Wizard to allow operation beyond 1 hour of session time. Online and Offline registration option: Online registration can be performed if TCP ports 80 or 3630 are open to the internet. You can do offline registration by emailing the offline .txt file created by the registration wizard to: registration@ncomputing.com Do not install on a system previously used as a X-series or L-series host: Do not install this on an OS where vSpace for the X- or L-series (or any vSpace 6 beta version) was previously installed. If your host system currently has vSpace for X- or L-series installed, you will need to start again from a clean OS installation. Do not install in a virtual machine : The U170 is not supported with virtual machines. The operating system and vSpace must be installed directly on the physical hardware. Notebooks are not ideal for use with the U170; since, many have power management schemes that can interfere with proper U170 operation (e.g. USB port power limitation). If using a notebook or laptop as a host, disable the power management features. Licensing server required: Microsoft RDS CALs (for Windows Server 2008 R2) or WMS CALs (for WMS) are required to use the system in a multi-user configuration. For Windows Server 2008 R2, you must implement a Microsoft licensing server to enable virtual desktop connections. For more information on Microsoft license requirements, see www.ncomputing.com/mslicensing and refer to the NComputing Knowledge Base for information on setting up a license server (search on licensing or go to: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/How-to-Configure-a-RemoteDesktopLicensing-Server-for-vSpace-6_281.html). MultiPoint Server 2011 installations: Microsoft has issued Update Rollup 1 for Windows M ultiPoint Server 2011, incorporating a dozen patches. These patches should be applied when using MultiPoint Server 2011 with NComputing systems. In particular, note that new session/device logons will not be reflected in the MultiPoint Manager console

unless you apply the update rollup. You can download it from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2555129

Tips and Performance Recommendations:

USB Bus loading: When using 4 or 5 or more U170 devices on a host, it is best to split them over two USB buses. Some mid-range and better host PC motherboards have TWO builtin internal USB 2.0 buses. Alternatively, you can add an additional USB 2.0 bus by inserting a PCI or PCI Express USB 2.0 card into an open slot on the PC motherboard. USB 2.0 buses are identified in the Windows device manager listed as Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller. If two of these enhanced controllers appear, there are two USB 2.0 buses. U170DIAG Utility: For analysis of your host system, you may request the use of the U170DIAG tool from NComputing Technical Support. 16-bit Color: If needed, video performance can be improved by switching to 16-bit mode. Please see Configuring a U170 Multi User Environment for more performance tips. Search our Knowledge Base at: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/ Memory Requirements: 64-bit operating systems in general require double the memory of Server 2003; therefore, if you are upgrading an existing vSpace 4 or vSpace 5 host to a 64-bit operating system, please make sure the host has both 64-bit processor support and sufficient memory to accommodate the new operating system and vSpace. See the user manual for specific memory recommendations. Add Users to Remote Desktop Users Group: The supported Microsoft operating systems require User Group assignments; so administrators need to adjust user account settings to add them into the "Remote Desktop Users" group(s). OS Settings: The operating system Power Options setting should be configured to High Performance (under Control Panel > Hardware > Power options). Microsofts default power setting gives a false impression that vSpace CPU utilization is much higher than on previous 32-bit operating systems. Windows 7 Desktop Theme: If you install the Windows Server 2008 R2 Desktop Experience feature, start the Themes system service and set it to autostart, then each

individual can personalize their virtual desktop to use a Windows 7- themed interface. However, remote sessions do not support the Aero window transparency feature for overlapping windows Windows 7* Installation: You must have administrative rights to install onto Windows 7*. However, unlike in Server 2008 R2, the actual Administrator account is not enabled by default in Windows 7. So, even though you may be logged-in as a Windows 7 user thats a member of the Administrators group, you still wont have sufficient administrative rights to install vSpace 6, and the MSI installer will generate an error message saying: You need administrative rights to install this software. Installation Failed. You need to launch the Administrativ e Command Prompt by going to All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt and then right-click and select Run as administrator. Once the Administrative Command Prompt console pops up, launch the installer using the following command: > msiexec /i install-filename.msi SP1 update process: When updating from SP0 to SP1, the best approach is to uninstall vSpace, then apply SP1 and then run the vSpace installer. If vSpace was in place during the SP1 install, re-run the vSpace installer and select the Repair option. . Best performing virtual desktop experience option: please apply the recommendations contained in: Windows Tuning Guide for vSpace 6 (http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/Windows-Tuning-Guide-forvSpace-6_297.html). Browsers: Google Chrome has been found to use less system resources than Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer (IE) and is recommended for virtual desktop environments using many browser instances. Administrators may wish to configure the OS to replace IE as the default browser application for internet access. However, if you do choose to use Internet Explorer for browsing: o In IE6, IE7, and IE8, turn ON Internet Explorers option to "Force offscreen compositing even under Terminal Services". This setting will prevent the screen flickering that can occur with some web applications when using Internet Explorer in a vSpace virtual desktop. Microsoft removed that option from Internet Explorer 9, so for IE9, enable the Use software rendering instead of GPU

rendering option as described in Microsoft KB 2528233 located at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2528233 o The IE Enhanced Security feature can slow down internet traffic and prevent the browser from working efficiently which may degrade the performance of videos played through the browser. We recommend either uninstalling the feature or using a different web browser.

Refer to User Manual for Details: For more information please see the U170 Users Guide on our website.

Known errata:
Full screen flash video windows (i.e., YouTube videos) are not currently supported. Launching a flash video in full screen mode will result in the video freezing while the sound continues to play. To exit full screen mode, simply press Esc and view the flash video at a smaller size. Only for initial set up, playing sound may require a 2nd reboot before the driver enumerates properly to enable sound to play. Vertical lines on the screen. If you view vertical lines on the screen with poor display quality, remove power from the U170 device by unplugging the USB cable for about a minute, and then plug the U170 back in. QuickTime video performance on a U170 will not match that of the host. The Running Program (or kiosk mode) is currently not enabled.

*Windows Server and appropriate client access licenses are required for multiuser environments using NComputing products. Client operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 are appropriate for single user applications such as 1:1 VDI, display systems and remote access. Additional information on licensing is available at www.ncomputing.com/mslicensing including frequently asked questions.

Contacting Technical Support and Additional Resources

Visit NComputings Knowledge Base at http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/ for more information. To request Technical Support, please visit the NComputing Support page at http://www.ncomputing.com For general information about NComputing please visit us at http://www.ncomputing.com

Disclaimer
Information contained in this document may have been obtained from internal testing or from a third party. This information is for informational purposes only. Information may be changed or updated without notice. NComputing reserves the right to make improvements and/or changes in the products, programs and/or specifications described herein anytime without notice. All NComputing software is subject to NComputing intellectual property rights and may be used only in conjunction with Genuine NComputing hardware and in accordance to the NComputing End User Licensing agreement and Terms of Use.

www.ncomputing.com
Copyright 2003-2011 NComputing, Inc. All rights reserved. NComputing is the property of NComputing. Other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Performance may vary, depending on the configuration of the shared computer. U-6.4.3.7 Release Notes October 5, 2011