Optimising PCoIP Display & Imaging

I commonly receive questions about PCoIP tunning over the LAN & WAN. At Sydney vForum2010 this was the theme of multiple questions during the big VMware View Q&A session.

There is a great document from Teradici downloadable from their website that explain in much more detail what can be done for PCoIP optimisation, but there are few things I would like to share as it may help you instantly if you already have properly architected your network and desktop image.

It is also important to keep close eyes on others components that will directly affect PCoIP performance:

There settings (PCoIP Optimisation) allow you to optimise your PCoIP display experience. These settings are optionally enabled or set via Group Policies (CPO), or they are hidden in the registry.

PColPMaxLinkRate GPO
Set to the desired maximum PCoIP session bandwidth in kilobits per second (e.g. 1000 = 1000Kbps = 1Mbps).
Default is 1Gbps, 0 = no bandwidth constraints.

PColPlmagingMinimumlmageQuality GPO
Set to a value between 30-100 (default is 50). In a limited bandwidth scenario this setting allows configuring the preference between:

• A higher frame rate (lower value) for smooth motion, with lower image quality.
• A higher image quality (higher value) for crisp imaging, with less smooth image motion.

PColPlmagingMaximumlnitiallmageQualitv GPO
Set to a value between 30-100 (default is 90). In a limited bandwidth scenario, this setting allows configuring the preference between:

• A higher initial image quality, with larger peaks in bandwidth during large screen changes.
• A lower initial image quality, with smaller peaks in bandwidth during large screen changes.

Note: if used, consider adjusting the maximum imaging quality before applying a bandwidth limit or adjusting the minimum image quality.

PCoIP.maximum_frame_rate
Default is 30 frames per second (fps). In a limited bandwidth scenario, this setting allows configuring the preference between:

• A higher frame rate for smooth display imaging motion, with possible increased average network bandwidth.
• A lower frame rate for a lower average network bandwidth, with less smooth image motion.

If used, create a registry key: HKEYLOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Teradici\PC0IP\pcoip_admin\pcoip.maximum_frame_rate Setting in Hz (e.g. 8, 12 or 15 fps). Must be entered as a REG_DWORD.

Update(16/12/2010): This is how your desktop registry entries should look like.