Microsoft Rejigs Virtualisation Partnership With Citrix Systems

In an attempt to increase its influence in the desktop virtualisation domain, Microsoft Corp has implemented protocol acceleration of its signature remote desktop protocol, dubbed RDP, along with extending its collaboration with Citrix Systems.

The software giant gained the desktop acceleration technology from the acquisition of Calista back in 2008, and the technology is now referred to as RemoteFX and is built into Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

The company’s Remote Desktop Services incorporate the RDP protocol, which routes desktop display to either a terminal, or a virtualised desktop, like a notebook or a thin client.

However RemoteFX will serve as an accelerator for RDP, but it will only function in this manner for the server clients running the new Windows 7 Service Pack 1 server which has not yet been announced.

The speed of RDP would presumably serve as one of the deciding factors that go in influencing organisations’ strategies in choosing to implement desktop virtualisation.

In few cases, the protocol is required to be capable of figuring out the functionalities of the end user device, as well as transfer video, or other such high bandwidth traffic at a satisfactory rate.

In addition, Microsoft and Citrix Systems have revisited their agreements to extend the former’s RemoteFX with Citrix HDX. The companies have further decided to offer free licenses to the vendors who trade in their VMware licenses.