VDI and processor offload

[jdj522]

Okay - so I'm stuck on what i thought would be an easy fix.

We use DaaS (horizon) for the bulk of our workloads and have zoom installed locally on laptops/desktops for our people, as well as within the DaaS. Since we recommend everyone uses their DaaS for work, we want them also to use Zoom within the DaaS for meetings. The idea is to have the same user experience while in DaaS as outside, so they're not forced to switch between the two when needing access documents or screenshare for whatever reason.

I've found Zoom docs online which sort of walk through the processes, but they're ridiculously confusing, oftentimes feeling like you're robbing peter to pay paul, yet peter still needs what you're giving paul, so the two are perpetually at odds. 

Am i missing something or is there a simpler way to offload video processing to the local computer when in Daas so people have a better, smoother experience?

[RVanderlippe]

There is a solution that is designed for remote virtual desktops and does exactly what you want; "offload video processing to the local computer". What you need is to install a release of the Zoom Meeting client designed for the virtual desktop instead of the "standard" Zoom Meeting client. To offload the audio and video to the local computer, you also need to install a "VDI Plugin" on the local computer. Both "VDI Zoom Meeting client" and "VDI Plugin" can be downloaded from a page just for the virtual desktop solution. The two components work together to optimize the virtual desktop experience for Zoom meetings. Here is the link to the download page for those special software builds.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360041602711-VDI-downloads-and-backwards-compatibility

There are a number of VDI Plugins available for both different operating systems and platforms. Since you are using Horizon you'd look for a plugin for VMware. 

There is more information about the solution and many articles but, from your question, you may be aware of those and found they went into too much detail. The most important requirement to remember (besides installing the VDI Zoom Meeting client and VDI plugin) is this; the version of the VDI Zoom Meeting client must be equal or greater than the version of the VDI Plugin. The VDI Zoom Meeting client is designed to work with older versions of the VDI Plugin but not the other way around. Just make sure when you download the two software components you are downloading the same release and you will both be ensured they are compatible and also get the latest supported features.

When you have those two "VDI" software components installed and you connect and join a meeting, aside from checking to see if your audio and video experience is better, you can also check the "Statistics" dialog and look for a "VDI" tab. That will confirm the VDI Plugin was found and connected. And that tab also displays more information about how the offloaded audio and video is being handled.

I hope that helps. Even though you may have read some of the articles available, here are some links just in case you missed articles with overviews and introductions or need another starting reference.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360031096531-Getting-started-with-VDI

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360031441671-VDI-client-features-comparison