Skip to main content This browser is no longer supported. Show
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. Net view
In this articleApplies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 Net viewDisplays a list of domains, computers, or resources that are being shared by the specified computer. Used without parameters, net view displays a list of computers in your current domain. Syntax
Parameters
Remarks
ExamplesTo see a list of the resources shared by the \\Production computer, type: net view \\production To see a list of the computers in the sales domain or workgroup, type: net view /domain:sales Additional ReferencesCommand-Line Syntax Key VMware Horizon 7 and later IntroductionEngineers, designers, and scientists have traditionally relied on dedicated graphics workstations to perform the most demanding tasks, such as manipulating 3D models and visually analyzing large data sets. These standalone workstations carry high acquisition and maintenance costs. In addition, in areas such as oil and gas, space exploration, aerospace, engineering, science, and manufacturing, individuals with these advanced requirements must be located in the same physical location as the workstation. This guide describes hardware-accelerated graphics in VMware virtual desktops in VMware Horizon®. It begins with typical use cases and matches these use cases to the three types of graphics acceleration, explaining the differences. Later sections provide installation and configuration instructions, as well as best practices and troubleshooting. Note: This guide describes hardware-accelerated graphics in a VMware Horizon environment that uses a VMware vSphere® infrastructure. Purpose of Hardware-Accelerated GraphicsMoving the graphics acceleration hardware from the workstation to a server is a key architectural innovation. This shift changes the computing metaphor for graphics processing, putting the additional compute, memory, networking, and security advantages of the data center at the disposal of the user, so that complex models and very large data sets can be accessed and manipulated from virtually anywhere. With appropriate network bandwidth and suitable remote client devices, IT can now offer the most advanced users an immersive 3D-graphics experience while freeing them from the limitations of the old computing metaphor:
In addition to handling the most demanding graphical workloads, hardware acceleration can also reduce CPU usage for less demanding basic desktop or published application usage, and for video encoding or decoding, which includes the default Blast Extreme remote display protocol. What Is VMware Horizon?VMware Horizon provides a platform to deliver a virtual desktop solution as well as an enterprise-class application-publishing solution. Horizon features and components, such as the Blast Extreme display protocol, instant-clone provisioning, VMware App Volumes™ application delivery, and VMware Dynamic Environment Manager™, are also integrated into Remote Desktop Services to provide a seamless user experience and an easy-to-manage, scalable solution. Intended AudienceThis guide is for administrators deploying hardware-accelerated graphics in VMware Horizon, or anyone interested in the technology. Types of Graphics AccelerationThere are three types of graphics acceleration for Horizon:
Virtual Shared Graphics AccelerationVirtual shared graphics acceleration (vSGA) allows a GPU to be shared across multiple virtual desktops. It is an attractive solution for users who require the full potential of the GPU’s capability during brief periods. However, vSGA can create bottlenecks, depending on which applications are used, and the resources these applications require from the GPU. vSGA is generally used for knowledge workers and, occasionally, for power users. With vSGA, the physical GPUs in the host are virtualized and shared across multiple virtual machines (VMs). A vendor driver needs to be installed in the hypervisor. Each VM uses a proprietary VMware vSGA 3D driver that communicates with the vendor driver in the VMware vSphere® host. Drawbacks of vSGA are that applications might need to be recertified to be supported, API support is limited, and support is restricted for the various versions of OpenGL and DirectX. Important: Some examples of supported vSGA cards for Horizon 7 and later, and vSphere 7 are NVIDIA Tesla M6/M10/M60/P4/P6/P40 cards. For a full list of compatible vSGA cards, see the VMware Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration Guide. Virtual Shared Pass-Through Graphics AccelerationVirtual shared pass-through graphics acceleration allows a graphical processing unit to be shared with multiple users instead of focused on only one user. The difference from vSGA is that the proprietary VMware 3D driver is not used, and most of the graphics card’s features are supported. You need to install the appropriate vendor driver in the guest operating system of the VM, and all graphics commands are passed directly to the GPU without having to be translated by the hypervisor. On the hypervisor, a vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB) is installed, which aids or performs the scheduling. Depending on the card, up to 24 VMs can share a GPU, and some cards have multiple GPUs. Calculating the exact number of desktops or users per GPU depends on the type of card, application requirements, screen resolution, number of displays, and frame rate, measured in frames per second (FPS). The amount of frame buffer (VRAM) per VM is fixed, and the GPU engines are shared between VMs. AMD has an option to also have a fixed amount of compute, which is called predictable performance. Virtual shared pass-through technology provides better performance than vSGA and higher consolidation ratios than virtual dedicated graphics acceleration (vDGA). It is a good technology to use for low-, mid-, or even advanced-level engineers and designers, as well as for power users with 3D application requirements. One drawback of shared pass-through is that it might require applications to be recertified for support. Important: Some examples of supported shared pass-through cards for Horizon 7 and later, and vSphere 7 are NVIDIA Tesla M6/M10/M60/P4/P6/P40/P100/V100/T4 and RTX6000/8000 cards. For a full list of compatible shared pass-through graphics cards, see the VMware Shared Pass-Through Graphics Guide. Virtual Dedicated Graphics AccelerationvDGA technology provides each user with unrestricted, fully dedicated access to one of the GPUs within the host. Although consolidation and management trade-offs are associated with dedicated access, vDGA offers the highest level of performance for users with the most intensive graphics computing needs. With vDGA, the hypervisor passes one of the GPUs directly to the individual VM. This technology is also known as GPU pass-through. No special drivers are required in the hypervisor. However, to enable graphics acceleration, the appropriate vendor driver needs to be installed in each guest operating system of the VM. The installation procedures are the same as for physical machines. One drawback of vDGA, however, is the lack of vMotion support. Important: Some examples of supported vDGA cards in Horizon 7 and later, and vSphere 7.x and 6.7 Update 3 are:
For a list of partner servers that are compatible with specific vDGA devices, see the VMware Virtual Dedicated Graphics Acceleration (vDGA) Guide. Comparison of the Types of Graphics AccelerationThe following table compares the features of the three types of graphics acceleration. Table 1: Feature Comparison for the Types of Graphics Acceleration
Hardware Requirements for Hardware-Accelerated GraphicsThe hardware requirements for graphics acceleration solutions are listed in Table 2. Table 2: Hardware Requirements for Hardware-Accelerated Graphics
Use Cases for Hardware-Accelerated GraphicsFollowing are the typical use cases for the different types of hardware-accelerated graphics. Knowledge WorkersOffice workers and executives fall into the knowledge-worker category, typically using applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, and other non-specialized end-user applications. Because the graphical load of these users is expected to be low, consolidation becomes important, which is why these types or users are best matched with one of the following types of graphics acceleration:
Power UsersPower users consume more complex visual data, but their requirements for manipulation of large data sets and specialized software are less intense than for designers, or they use only viewers like Autodesk DWG TrueView. Power users are best matched with virtual shared pass-through graphics acceleration (MxGPU or vGPU). DesignersDesigners and advanced engineering and scientific users often create and work with large, complex data sets, and require graphics-intensive applications such as 3D design, molecular modeling, and medical diagnostics software from companies such as Dassault Systèmes, Enovia, Siemens NX, and Autodesk. Designers are best matched with one of the following:
The following diagram summarizes the performance and consolidation profiles of the three types of graphics acceleration. Figure 1: Consolidation and Performance Overview Installation, Configuration, and SetupThis section gives details on how to install and configure the following components for graphics acceleration:
ESXi 6 or 7 HostThe installation and configuration on the ESXi host varies by graphics-acceleration type. Installation and Configuration Recommendations for vSGA or vGPU
Installation and Configuration Recommendations for MxGPU
Installation and Configuration Recommendations for vDGA
Virtual MachineSet up the VM with general settings, as follows, and then further configure according to the type of graphics acceleration you are using. Note: To open the dialog box for changing VM settings, in the vSphere Web Client, right-click the VM in the inventory, and select Edit Settings. General Settings for Virtual MachinesHardware level – The recommended hardware level is the highest that all hosts support, with Version 11 as the minimum. CPU – The amount of CPU required depends on the usage and should be determined by actual workload. As a starting point, you might use these numbers:
Memory – The amount of memory required depends on the usage and should be determined by actual workload. As a starting point, you might use these numbers:
Virtual network adapter – The recommended virtual network adapter is VMXNET3. Virtual storage controller – The recommended virtual disk is LSI Logic SAS, but the highest workloads using local flash-based storage might benefit from using VMware Paravirtual. Other devices – We recommend removing devices that are not used, such as COM/LTP/DVD/Floppy. Now that you have configured the general settings for the VMs, configure the VM for the type of graphics acceleration. Virtual Machine Settings for vSGAConfigure the VM as follows if you are using vSGA.
Virtual Machine Settings for vGPUConfigure the VM as follows if you are using vGPU.
Virtual Machine Settings for MxGPU or vDGAConfigure the VM as follows if you are using MxGPU or vDGA.
Guest Operating SystemFor the guest operating system, perform the following installations and configurations. Installation and Configuration for Windows Guest Operating SystemFor a Windows guest operating system, install and configure as follows.
Installation and Configuration for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System, vGPU and vDGAFor a Red Hat Enterprise Linux guest operating system, install and configure as follows.
Horizon Pool and Farm SettingsDuring the creation of a new server farm in Horizon, configuring a farm for 3D is the same as configuring a normal farm.During the creation of a new desktop pool in Horizon, configure the pool as normal until you reach the Pool Settings section.
License ServerFor vGPU with GRID 2.0, you must install a license server. See the GRID Virtual GPU User Guide included with your NVIDIA driver download. Resource MonitoringFollowing are some useful tools to monitor resources when employing graphics acceleration. gpuvmTo better manage the GPU resources available on an ESXi host, examine the current GPU resource
allocation. The ESXi command-line query utility
nvidia-smiTo get a summary of the vGPUs currently running on each physical GPU in the system, run
To monitor vGPU engine usage across multiple vGPUs, run
For each vGPU, the usage statistics in the following table are reported once every second. Table 3: Example of Usage Statistics for vGPUs
TroubleshootingTry these troubleshooting techniques to address general problems or a specific symptom. General Troubleshooting for Graphics AccelerationIf an issue arises with vSGA, vGPU, or vDGA, or if Xorg fails to start, try one or more of the following solutions, in any order. Verify That the GPU Driver LoadsTo verify that the GPU VIB is installed, run one of the following commands:
If the VIB is installed correctly, the output resembles the following example:
To verify that the GPU driver loads, run the following command:
If the driver loads correctly, the output resembles the following example:
If the GPU driver does not load, check the
Search for Verify That Display Devices Are Present in the HostTo make sure that the graphics adapter is installed correctly, run the following command on the ESXi host:
The output should resemble the following example, even if some of the particulars differ:
Check the PCI Bus Slot OrderIf you installed a second, lower-end GPU in the server, it is possible that the order of the cards in the PCIe slots will choose the higher-end card for the ESXi console session. If this occurs, swap the two GPUs between PCIe slots, or change the primary GPU settings in the server BIOS. Check Xorg LogsIf the correct devices were present when you tried the previous troubleshooting methods, view the
Troubleshooting Specific Issues in Graphics AccelerationThis section describes specific issues that could arise in graphics acceleration deployments, and presents probable solutions. Problem:
Solution: Check If you get a vSphere error about
Note: The number in quotes, in this example, Problem: Only able to use one display in Windows 10 with vGPU Solution: Use a profile that supports more than one virtual display head and has at least 1 GB of frame buffer. To reduce the possibility of memory exhaustion, vGPU profiles with 512 MB or less of frame buffer support only one virtual display head on a Windows 10 guest OS. Problem: Unable to use NVENC with
vGPU Solution: If you require NVENC to be enabled, use a profile that has at least 1 GB of frame buffer. Using the frame buffer for the NVIDIA hardware-based H.264 / HEVC video encoder (NVENC) might cause memory exhaustion with vGPU profiles that have 512 MB or less of frame buffer. To reduce the possibility of memory exhaustion, NVENC is turned off on profiles that have 512 MB or less of frame buffer. Problem: Unable to load vGPU driver in guest operating system. Depending on the versions of drivers in use, the vSphere VM’s log file reports one of the following errors:
Solution: Install the latest NVIDIA vGPU release drivers that match the installed VIB on ESXi in the VM. Problem: Tesla-based virtual GPU fails to start. Solution: Ensure that error-correcting code (ECC) is turned off on all GPUs. Tesla GPUs support ECC, but NVIDIA GRID vGPU does not support ECC memory. If ECC memory is enabled, the NVIDIA GRID vGPU fails to start. The following error is logged in the vSphere VM’s log file:
Problem: Single vGPU benchmark scores are lower than pass-through GPU. Solution: Turn off the frame rate limiter (FRL) by adding the configuration parameter A vGPU incorporates a performance-balancing feature known as frame rate limiter, which is enabled on all vGPUs. The FRL is used to ensure balanced performance across multiple vGPUs that reside on the same physical GPU. The FRL setting is designed to give a good interactive remote graphics experience but might reduce scores in benchmarks that depend on measuring frame-rendering rates, as compared to the same benchmarks running on a pass-through GPU. Problem: VMs configured with large memory fail to initialize vGPU when booted. When starting multiple VMs configured with large amounts of RAM (typically more than 32 GB per VM), a VM might fail to initialize vGPU. The NVIDIA GRID GPU is present in Windows Device Manager but displays a warning sign, and the following device status:
The VMware vSphere VM’s log file contains these error messages:
Solution: Add the configuration parameter A vGPU reserves a portion of the VM’s frame buffer for use in GPU mapping of VM system memory. The default reservation is sufficient to support only up to 32 GB of system memory. Summary and Additional ResourcesVMware Horizon offers three technologies for hardware-accelerated graphics, each with its own advantages.
With the information in this guide, you can install, configure, and manage your 3D workloads for Horizon 7 and later on vSphere 6.x or 7.x. Additional ResourcesSetting Up Graphics for Linux Desktops in Setting Up Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops Configuring 3D Rendering for Desktops in Setting Up Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops This guide was written by Hilko Lantinga, a Staff Architect in End-User-Computing Technical Marketing, VMware, with a focus on 3D, Horizon Windows desktops, and RDSH, Linux, and applications. Previously, he was a senior consultant in VMware Professional Services, leading large-scale EUC deployments in EMEA. Hilko has 20 years of experience in end-user computing. To comment on this paper, contact VMware End-User-Computing Technical Marketing at . Log in to enable this section. Filter TagsHorizon Horizon Horizon Apps Document Deployment Considerations Operational Tutorial Advanced Deploy App & Access Management Windows Delivery |