Virtual Desktops for Home Use

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ARNiTECT

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Jan 14, 2020
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My question is about which Windows Operating Systems to use for virtual desktops on a esxi home server for family use (gaming & productive): Windows 10 Pro, or Windows Server 2019, or other?

I planned to use Windows 10 Pro, as I have a number of licences. I have not yet activated the Windows 10 Pro licenses as I am unsure if they will work in this scenario. Alternatively, should I use Windows Server 2019 for each of the desktops as this OS seems to allow accessing the VM remotely from a server.

The server: Xeon E-2278G, 128Gb memory, NVMe storage, ESXi 6.7 u3, OmniOS/Napp-it.
3 pass-through GPU's (iGPU UHDP620 / Quadro P620 / Quadro P4000) tested running all 3 concurrently on separate Windows 10 Pro VMs. connecting using Remote Desktop, RealVNC, Moonlight and Parsec.
Server VMs: Windows Server 2019 Standard (1:AD,DNS,DHCP / 2:File server)

Desktop VMs for remote access:
- VM1: iGPU for Emby & Squeezebox - always on
- VM2A: Quadro P4000, primary gaming (Nvidia Shield, laptop etc) or,
- VM2B: Quadro P4000, shared with 2A for productive use (no games)
- VM3A: Quadro P620, secondary gaming (from laptop, FireTV) or,
- VM3B: Quadro P620, shared with 3A for productive use (no games)
- VM4A: no GPU, for BMS (KNX) configuration software - on when required
- VM4B: for testing etc. - on when required

No more than 4 of the above VMs to be powered on at any one time.

If Windows 10 Pro, I have enough licences for each of the above (7); if Windows Server, how many licences would I need? A standard license allows for 2 VM's, with 4 concurrent VMs being used, could I get away with 2 WS licences?:
- WS1A: VM1
- WS1B: VM4A/4B
- WS2A: VM2A/2B
- WS2B: VM3A/3B
or would I need 3:
- WS1A: VM1
- WS1B: VM6
- WS2A: VM2A
- WS2B: VM2B
- WS3A: VM3A
- WS3B: VM3B
 
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kyo77

New Member
Jul 26, 2016
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I probably would just use Windows 10 Pro or an Open Source alternative, where you can just to save on the license cost especially for home use.

On a side note, I would look into Microsoft Action Pack. In the past I've seen individuals sign up as Microsoft Partner just to purchase the Action Pack because it grants you Internal Use license which would be a huge significant savings as long as you're not using the license to host customer applications.
 
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Rand__

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Mar 6, 2014
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Are you sure that Remote Desktop will be ok for gaming? When i looked into that years ago it was not sufficient performance wise [fine for regular desktop work and smaller videos though] (or are Moonlight and Parsec for that? Don't know these)
 
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ARNiTECT

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Jan 14, 2020
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Rand__ said:
Are you sure that Remote Desktop will be ok for gaming? When i looked into that years ago it was not sufficient performance wise [fine for regular desktop work and smaller videos though] (or are Moonlight and Parsec for that? Don't know these)
Click to expand...
I have tried Moonlight and Parsec, but had the most success with Moonlight. I have experienced a bit of packet loss, but suspect it is my network cabling, so I will need to experiment a bit with that. I found that I also needed RealVNC (or similar) during setup, as Remote Desktop prevented moonlight from working.

I have tested Moonlight with a local PC, nvidia Shield, phone over 4G and a friend has tested it over the internet on their mac. I intend to use the GPU's on older laptops for the kids using Sketchup and TwinMotion, which I grabbed when it was free.
 
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Rand__

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Mar 6, 2014
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With your Qaudros you could also run VMWare Horizon (VMUG Advantage License, $170/yr at this time) since you already run ESXi and AD...
I am quite happy with that for gaming (with a P4000 and a P6000)
 
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ARNiTECT

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Jan 14, 2020
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You use Horizon for gaming? I thought I needed a Grid card for that?
I'm waiting for a good deal on the Quadro RTX 4000, as I need single slot width.
 
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Rand__

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Mar 6, 2014
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No, passthrough of a quadro as dedicated card works just fine.
For shared (vgpu irrc) you need grid.

And yes, been eyeing them too, but 700 for only a small increase vs the p4000 was not worth it to me (yes single slot is nice, but not a killer criteria for me).
 
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ARNiTECT

Member
Jan 14, 2020
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Will look into evaluation of Horizon,
I wonder how it compares to Moonlight
perhaps more reliable (I have to reboot host occasionally for some reason)
 
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Rand__

Well-Known Member
Mar 6, 2014
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You can get 90 days Horizon eval at the moment (vs 60days) due to Covid.
For testers direct connection should suffice but i use the connection server too so its simpler to choose different vms
 
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