VNC over LAN as a hardcore "docking station" for Netbooks?

[Name User]

Got a netbook.

Got a huge rackmount PC.

Any experiences with controlling something like that, without having an LCD/keyboard/mouse attached to the primary PC?

What is the latency like? Too slow for games but maybe fast enough for some multimedia tasks, triggering video clips for example, processing/recording audio?

For me this scenario would be perfect, a Netbook that functions as a Netbook, but can also control a proper semi-portable workstation.

 

[JustMe21]

Try this
http://www.streammygame.com/smg/index.php

 

[LCTSI]

What OS are you running on each end?

 

[paperwastage]

VNC / RDP / NX session over a home network is fast enough for video and audio

 

[Name User]

What OS are you running on each end?

Win 7 on both ends.

VNC / RDP / NX session over a home network is fast enough for video and audio

Cool, so lets say I'm on site somewhere. I boot up the rackmount PC blindly, and if all goes well it will get to Windows and I'll be able to get remote access, right?

So in theory I just wont have control over the BIOS and that's it?

 

[LCTSI]

Win 7 on both ends.

I'd go RDP then.

 

[imagoon]

For the heck of it I just fired up a 1080p mkv via RDP with audio from a Win7 laptop (that can play MKV fine) and a desktop Q6600 that can transcode it fine for my media devices via gig Ethernet (backed by a Dell Powerconnect 6224 ie no slouch switch)

End result, the MKV played "torn" at about 10-15 frames / sec with audio clicking. Playing the same file locally (over the network as well) played normal. RDP added a ton of overhead and CPU to the mix. If I get around to it I'll try it on one of the RemoteFX servers (3D accelerated cards for RDP to use.)

 

[Name User]

Thanks, that doesn't sound too bad at all, I'll do some tests once I get a laptop.

I don't care if theres some hiccups on the netbook side, that's just for controlling the PC. The actual audio and video will be coming straight from the PC to a loudspeaker system and projector.

So far this makes sense, thanks for all the info.

 

[Zargon]

For the heck of it I just fired up a 1080p mkv via RDP with audio from a Win7 laptop (that can play MKV fine) and a desktop Q6600 that can transcode it fine for my media devices via gig Ethernet (backed by a Dell Powerconnect 6224 ie no slouch switch)

End result, the MKV played "torn" at about 10-15 frames / sec with audio clicking. Playing the same file locally (over the network as well) played normal. RDP added a ton of overhead and CPU to the mix. If I get around to it I'll try it on one of the RemoteFX servers (3D accelerated cards for RDP to use.)

weird.

I have done it on my home network a few times, and the machine I had RDP's to wasnt anything special and no dedicated GPU

 

[imagoon]

weird.

I have done it on my home network a few times, and the machine I had RDP's to wasnt anything special and no dedicated GPU

The Q6600 was pegging a CPU. It is entirely possible I hit a CPU limit of some sort. I know I can decode even with DXVA disabled so maybe capturing the screen buffer was just to much for it. It isn't overclocked at the moment. I also learned that DXVA stops functioning in RDP. So playing something on the machine with the video card would result in around 10% CPU. Stop it and enter RDP and the CPUs start getting hit pretty hard while the videocard tool says the card is idle.

"SD" video plays fine via RDP though.

 

[Zargon]

yeah could be the GPU then. that was a great feature they patched in

 

[heymrdj]

You'll absolutely have to use the GPU if you want to use RemoteFX. If I remember right RemoteFX just runs off the main GPU, so if you have a beefy GPU it could probably support your game over a remote fx session.

 

[imagoon]

You'll absolutely have to use the GPU if you want to use RemoteFX. If I remember right RemoteFX just runs off the main GPU, so if you have a beefy GPU it could probably support your game over a remote fx session.

That's a given, just that most home users don't have a fully licensed 2008r2 server with a 3D card chilling. The Windows 7 tests I did was using the native RDP. No dice at work mostly because I would need to hack the RDP images to much to get MKV stuff loaded in there and I don't want to break a prod server. I would think it would work fine however.