[Thinlinc-technical] VirtualGL experience?

[Carsten Rose]

Dear Luciano

thanks for your hint with Mate. We're already using Mate since several 
years as our main Desktop (170 sessions running constantly Mate). We 
think it's time to offer a more recent desktop like Gnome 3 or Unity 
even on remote desktops.

We're starting now with a small group of users by using Gnome 3 and 
Unity on one bare metal with 2 GPUs (spreading the sessions over 
mutliple GPUs have to be scripted now).

Thanks

CU
Carsten


On 09/05/2016 10:15 AM, Luciano Sereni wrote:
> Hi
> I did not know VirtualGL
> I don't like Gnome 3 especially by remote desktop.
>
> We are using the Mate desktop with Thinlinc
> https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/MATE
>
> Mate is very fast in remote desktop.
> Regards
>
>
> 2016-09-02 21:55 GMT+02:00 Carsten Rose <carsten.rose at math.uzh.ch>:
>> Dear all
>>
>> does anyone use VirtualGL (http://www.virtualgl.org/) in a productive
>> environment together with Thinlinc?
>>
>> We're wondering which GPU's
>> - are well tested, stable and could be recommended?
>> - deliver a good price/performance ratio?
>>
>> And further:
>> - are there any impacts to take care of?
>> - is anyone using more than 1 GPU per bare metal?
>> - how do you use VirtualGL: local or remote as proxy?
>> - how many sessions do you run per GPU?
>>
>>
>> We did a very short test with a Gnome 3 / Ubuntu 16.04 installation and have
>> been quite impressed by the result.
>>
>> Without VirtualGL:
>>
>> a) A Gnome 3 Desktop was really slow (old SunRay 1 feeling). The gnome-shell
>> process (one per session) takes more than 50% CPU time (of one core) and
>> this constantly.
>>
>> b) A Unity Desktop (which by default comes up with unity-lowgfx in a
>> Thinlinc environment) are much better due to the unity-lowgfx
>> (http://www.whizzy.org/2016/09/unity-7-low-graphics-mode/ - check the
>> video). *But* there is one compiz process per session, which runs constantly
>> between 50 and 100%!
>>
>> With VirtualGL:
>>
>> a) There was *no* difference in the user experience, between a Gnome 3
>> desktop session on a powerful notebook (standard graphic features enabled)
>> and a Gnome 3 Thinlinc session (lot's of graphic features disabled,
>> comparable to Unity-lowgfx). The gnome-shell process raises in the CPU time
>> only (up to 100%), if there are movements on the screen - the CPU drops down
>> in the same moment when the movement stops. We've tested with three Thinlinc
>> session simultaneously.
>>
>> b) Unity Session: not tested now.
>>
>>
>> BTW: Cendio provides some generic installation hints about VirtualGL:
>> https://www.cendio.com/resources/docs/tag/virtualgl.html
>>
>> Thanks a lot and have a nice weekend.
>>
>> CU
>> Carsten
>> --
>> Carsten Rose
>> IT Koordinator / Institut für Mathematik
>>
>> *****
>> Universität Zürich
>> Carsten Rose
>> Institut für Mathematik, Y27-J40
>> Winterthurerstrasse 190
>> CH-8057 Zürich
>>
>> +41 44 635 58 47 Telefon
>> +41 44 635 57 05 Telefax
>>
>> www.math.uzh.ch
>> carsten.rose at math.uzh.ch
>>
>> "There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those
>> that understand binary .. and those that don't"
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>
>
>


-- 
Carsten Rose
IT Koordinator / Institut für Mathematik

*****
Universität Zürich
Carsten Rose
Institut für Mathematik, Y27-J40
Winterthurerstrasse 190
CH-8057 Zürich

+41 44 635 58 47 Telefon
+41 44 635 57 05 Telefax

www.math.uzh.ch
carsten.rose at math.uzh.ch

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