UltraVNC Performance vs. Other Remote Technologies

[andrewk8]

Been testing UltraVNC to run CAD / CAE software remotely (1.5Mb/384kb broadband). The lack of ability to "mirror" hardware-accelerated windows (OpenGL) is a serious hinderance. The only way I can get UltraVNC to work is to disable Windows hardware graphics acceleration. Ultra VNC is functional, but performance is less than ideal. (I am using the UltraVNC mirror driver.)

I've taken a poll in my CAD software forum and found other users using:

• GoToMyPC (https://www.gotomypc.com)
  HP Remote Graphics Software (http://h20331.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/cache/2 ... 5-121.html)

I have no personal experience with either products, but the users' feedback on both of these products is very good / excellent. My company uses GoToMeetings (sibling of GoToMyPC), which I have used to support off-site CAD users on the corporate WAN and it is so responsive, it feels just like I was sitting at the other person's PC, even though it is 2500 miles away. The WAN is a fractional T3, but I've not checked the actual bandwidth being used during a GoToMeetings session. I'd expect some performance degredation across a home broadband connection, but the software doesn't have any issues with hardware-accelerated windows.

I've tried the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection and it is more responsive than UltraVNC for non-OpenGL uses. It can, at least, display hardware-accelerated windows, but it is unusable (saturated network bandwidth on LAN with unacceptable performance; totally unusable over a home broadband connection).

Also, I've played with a screen-capture-to-avi tool called HyperCam (http://www.hyperionics.com/) and have no issues recording hardware-accelerated CAD sessions to a movie.

I don't work out of the office frequently, so commercial software doesn't produce the return-on-investment to justify the cost.

I realize the original VNC product wasn't designed with this heavy-duty use in mind, but there seems to be a lot of ongoing development with the product (RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC, etc.). Technology is currently available to both capture and "mirror" hardware-accelerated, windowed graphics, in real time, with excellent performance.

I'm not a programmer, so I have no idea the difficulty of implementing this kind of performance, but it's on my wish list for UltraVNC V2. Sorry if this isn't the right forum.

Windows XP Pro
UltraVNC 1.0.2

[mod=494,1155348178]moved from General help to Feature request[/mod]

[MrChris]

Have you checked into Symantec pcAnywhere v12?

[redge]

upcoming new SC (alternativ VNC) should able allow directX hardware acceleration at 1 september 2006 if there unplanned.
and maybe allow hardware OpenGL as well ?

[SpiderX]

pcaw is slow as heck... try www.logmein.com - the basic 'remote control' is free, and it works better than gotomypc.com

[purple_tentacle]

The recent days, I tested some products to connect Windows XP 32-Bit and Windows XP x64. Network environment is LAN and Wireless LAN, and our application is using OpenGL aswell.

Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Connection
+ Integrated in Windows
+ Easy to set up
+ Full screen mode available
+ Logon does not require interaction on the Host PC
+ Dektop resolution automatically adjusted

- Desktop can not be shared, i.e. requires Logon to switch between users

Microsoft Windows Remote Assistance
+ Integrated in Windows
+ PCs share the same desktop and can be used at the same time

- More difficult to set up
- Logon requires interaction on the Host PC
- No full screen mode
- Graphic card acceleration needs to be decreased on the Host PC

Hewlett-Packard Remote Graphics Software
+ PCs share the same desktop and can be used at the same time
+ Fast
+ OpenGL graphics acceleration
+ Full screen mode available
+ Low network bandwidth usage
+ Low CPU usage
+ Quite easy to set up

- Very expensive
- Graphic card acceleration needs to be decreased on x64 PC because screens are not always updated correctly

Currently I can not use/recommend these, because they have no x64 support:
- Netop Remote Control
- Radmin
- RealVNC
- TightVNC

UltraVNC works, but too slow, also with beta video hook driver.

So many products doing the same, and there are many more out there...

Personal suggestion: I would use the Microsoft Windows Remote Assistance if you are in a LAN.