What Is VMware Blast Extreme?
Blast Extreme is remote display technology in Horizon 7 and it was developed by VMware for VDI. It supports H.264-capable client devices and deals with graphics-intensive virtual workloads. Blast Extreme uses NVIDIA GRID virtualized GPUs to boost bandwidth, latency and frames per second (FPS). At the same time, it decreases CPU consumption. Combined with NVIDIA GRID, Blast Extreme lowers CPU usage by offloading encoding to the GPU. In this way, you can free up resources and take the strain off networking systems. This facilitates a large number of remote users and helps companies make the best of their IT systems with Blast Extreme.
Let’s further examine the role of Blast Extreme in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure VDI.
Graphically Intensive Workload Solution
Today, there is an ever-rising need for great visual performance, videos and graphics-intensive solutions. This comes as no surprise as these are key drivers of great UX. Keeping this in view, we all look forward to clear and crisp experiences when managing graphics workloads in VDI. The question: why is this important?
Most IT processes can spike bandwidth and latency when users run graphics-intensive tasks over remote networks. If we keep this in view, we will know exactly why the NVIDIA GRID GPU solution makes sense. At its core, NVIDIA GRID GPU optimizes Blast Extreme performance in graphical workloads. So, combining NVIDIA GRID with VMware Horizon 7 allows users to boost bandwidth, latency and FPS. Moreover, NVIDIA Blast Extreme Acceleration keeps CPU usage in check and supports a greater number of users per host.
How does the whole thing work? Not surprisingly, even the most mainstream applications call for graphics acceleration today. So, it is no wonder that IT must facilitate top quality visuals and videos on-demand at any cost. Taking this into account, pairing Horizon 7 with Blast Extreme Acceleration drives better performance for users in virtual use cases. What you get is an increase in the number of graphical workloads for each server. At the same time, you can deliver great UX even to the most remote networks. So, improvements in latency and decreased bandwidth needs boost network tolerance for graphics workloads.
As a whole, the Blast Extreme protocol delivers consistent UX for corporate graphics workloads in LAN or WAN. Even better, using NVIDIA solutions with Blast Extreme takes graphics to the next level in LAN and WAN settings. This helps deliver an engaging user experience and fulfill ever-increasing graphics processing needs in VDI.
Leverages H.264 Encode Efficiencies
VMware having developed Blast Extreme in collaboration with NVIDIA has led to a major IT benefit. NVIDIA GRID vGPU can run H.264-based protocols to offload encoding and decoding from the CPU to H.264 systems on NVIDIA GPUs. Such graphics rendering is useful for dealing with heavy graphical workloads. Also, you can repurpose it for tasks like:
. Overseeing geographic information systems (GIS).
. Constructing maps and visualizing external world 2D and 3D scenarios.
Other notable features include:
. Reduced latency.
. Distribution of 4k resolution displays for workspaces.
. Improved flexibility and scalability. This is where multiple desktops share the NVIDIA GRID GPU solution in Blast Extreme use cases.
Accelerates the Overall VDI Experience
We now know that Blast Extreme serves as a remote display protocol for connecting to virtual desktops. Keeping this in view, a multi-layer approach to IT is needed in every desktop virtualization setting. This is because users nowadays often access remote desktops and applications from any site and platforms of their choice. Examples include mobile networks, remote branch offices over cloud or WAN and public Wi-Fi. They can also do so from the same place where the LAN hosts IT systems.
Next, users often access remote desktops and applications to manage interactive, multimedia and large-scale data transfer workloads. In any situation, companies can expect varying network conditions. They may also come across substandard network resources that do not have the capacity to optimize high volume workload performance. So, VMware created Blast Extreme Adaptive Transport (BEAT) for two major reasons. Firstly, to accommodate such use cases and secondly, to improve overall WAN connections from external networks. This solves common issues that involve users having to deal with higher latency and non-ideal quality WAN connections.
Another challenge which users often come across in VDI is the need to divide time remotely and on the network. This makes it difficult to streamline protocols to accommodate both circumstances at the same time. The reason is their networking conditions and overall demands greatly differ. However, you can use the latest Horizon endpoint clients to configure Blast Extreme on the basis of network quality. Users can then test the configuration parameters to assess which setting best harmonizes with their unique IT setups.
Putting It All Together
Let’s sum up everything we have learnt so far. The Blast Extreme protocol is a suitable option for VDI setups where servers use GPUs with H.264 encode ability. How does this system help companies? To start with, it allows them to consistently improve workspace server scalability. As discussed, this is done by offloading H.264 encoding workloads from the CPU. Blast Extreme also offers good functionality when used with NVIDIA GRID Tesla GPU cards. This combination facilitates a large number of mobile users and supports maximum VDI performance in every possible situation.
The Blast Extreme protocol is available for Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android users deploying the latest Horizon View clients. Its ability to support 70+ Thin Clients and foster a proactive VDI setup makes this protocol worth investing in. Feel free to avail a Free Demo unit on our Thin Client solutions that include VMware Blast Extreme for VDI connectivity.
