Microsoft Remote Desktop Client: Comparison of IGEL OS with Other Vendors
Rolling Release Info: OS 11.08.330
The information provided here is valid with IGEL OS 11.08.330 and higher.
The information provided here reflects the state on May 13, 2022.
The information was mostly obtained from the following sources:
Microsoft:
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/teams-features-by-platform-debe7ff4-7db4-4138-b7d0-fcc276f392d3
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/remote-desktop-features
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/remote-desktop-app-compare
Citrix:
- https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops/multimedia/opt-ms-teams.html
- https://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/documents/data-sheet/citrix-workspace-app-feature-matrix.pdf
VMware:
The following table shows the features currently available in Microsoft Remote Desktop Client, including IGEL OS which is built with the Microsoft RD Core for Linux.
Feature | Windows 10 | Microsoft Store Client | Android | iOS | macOS | Web | IGEL OS | Comments | ||||||||||||||
| RDP | AVD / W365 | Native | Native | AVD / W365 | Citrix | VMware | ||||||||||||||||
| Common | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remote Desktop sessions | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | The desktop of a remote computer is presented in a full-screen or windowed mode | |||||||||||
| Integrated RemoteApp sessions | yes | yes | no | no | no | yes | no | no | yes | no | Individual remote apps are integrated into the local desktop as if they are running locally | |||||||||||
| Immersive RemoteApp sessions | no | no | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes (no taskbar) | no | yes | Individual remote apps are presented in a window or maximized to a full screen | |||||||||||
| Multiple monitors | 16 monitor limit | 16 monitor limit | no | no | no | 16 monitor limit | no | 16 monitor limit | 8 monitor limit | 8 monitor limit | Allows the user to run a remote desktop or remote apps on all local monitors | |||||||||||
| Dynamic resolution | yes | yes | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | The resolution and orientation of local monitors are dynamically reflected in the remote session. If the client is running in windowed mode, the remote desktop is resized dynamically to the size of the client window. | |||||||||||
| Smart sizing | yes | yes | yes | no | no | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | The remote desktop in windowed mode is dynamically scaled to the window's size | |||||||||||
| Localization | no | yes | yes | English only | yes | yes | yes | English only | yes | no | The client user interface is available in multiple languages | |||||||||||
| Multi-factor authentication | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes* | yes | Supports multi-factor authentication for remote connections | |||||||||||
| Prioritized datastreams | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | Admins can configure the priority for certain data streams | |||||||||||
| * Targeting Citrix Storefront directly, smartcards and federated authentication (SAML/AzureAD) are supported. Using Citrix ADC, multiple MFA-Providers and methods are supported. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Input Redirection | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Keyboard | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Mouse | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes* | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Touchscreen | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes (except IE) | no | yes | no | ||||||||||||
| Pen | yes | yes | no | yes (as touch) | yes (as touch) | no | no | no | yes** | no | ||||||||||||
| * View the list of supported input devices for the Remote Desktop iOS client: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/remote-desktop-ios#supported-input-devices ** Depending on the pen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Port Redirection | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| COM Port | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| USB | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | no | yes* | yes | yes | *Fabulatech USB Redirection | |||||||||||
| Other Redirections (devices, etc.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cameras | yes | yes | no | no | yes | yes | no | yes* | yes | yes | *Fabulatech Webcam Redirection | |||||||||||
| Enhanced Camera Redirection | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | Allows configuration of camera parameters to be used within the remote session | |||||||||||
| Clipboard | yes | yes | yes | Text | Text, images | yes | Text | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Local drive/storage | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Location | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | ||||||||||||
| Microphones | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Multi-audio | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | Allows the redirection of multiple local audio devices into VDI | |||||||||||
| Printers | yes | yes | no | no | no | yes (CUPS) | PDF Print | yes (CUPS only) | yes (CUPS) | yes | ||||||||||||
| Scanners | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | no | yes* | yes* | yes | *Fabulatech Scanner Optimization | |||||||||||
| Smartcards | yes | yes | no | no | no | yes (Windows logon not supported) | no | no | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Speakers | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes (except IE) | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Browser Content | no | yes* | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | Allows execution of e.g. browser-based multimedia content on the client device to reduce load and traffic within the datacenter *Multimedia redirection for AVD (preview) | |||||||||||
| GPU acceleration | no | yes 2 | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes 1 | yes | Allows running graphics-heavy applications running in virtualized environments utilizing the server's GPU and lossless compression for e.g. CAD applications 1 Citrix HDX 3D Pro requires Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Platinum License | |||||||||||
| Additional Features (UI / UX / Security) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screen pinning | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | Save complete display layout on Storefront servers (also supports Geo load balancing) | |||||||||||
| Keyboard layout synchronization | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | yes | The keyboard layout within the VDI is set according to the client's keyboard | |||||||||||
| Keylogging protection | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | A keylogger on the client only sees encrypted keystrokes | |||||||||||
| Screenshot prevention | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | Screenshots created on the endpoint will only show blank content when capturing a VDI screen. | |||||||||||
| UC Optimization | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feature | Windows 10 | Windows 10 | Microsoft Store Client | Android | iOS | macOS | IGEL OS | Comments | ||||||||||||||
| RDP | AVD / W365 | Native | Native | Web client | Native | AVD / W365 | Citrix | VMware | ||||||||||||||
| MS Teams | no | yes | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | yes | Media optimizations for Microsoft Teams to provide high-quality calls and screen-sharing. Learn more at Use Microsoft Teams on Azure Virtual Desktop. | |||||||||||
| Cisco Jabber | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | Optimization enables the physical client to directly communicate and offload webcam and audio from the server to the client completely transparent to the user | |||||||||||
| Cisco Webex Meetings / Teams | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | The Cisco Webex media engine redirects audio and video streams so that they are exchanged directly, without going through the hosted virtual desktop in the datacenter | |||||||||||
| Skype for Business | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | Signaling information is sent via a virtual channel to the client's RealTime media engine. That allows RealTime media to be executed directly on the user's device. | |||||||||||
| Zoom | no | yes | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | yes | The Zoom plugin on the client will offload video encoding and decoding and communication directly to the Zoom cloud | |||||||||||
| Avaya IX Workplace | no | yes 1 | no | no | no | no | no | yes 1 2 | yes 1 | yes 1 | VDI optimization for customers using Avaya UC Client within their environment. Control information gets exchanged via the remote desktop protocol (ICA or Blast). Calls take place via SIP directly, surpassing the VDI. 1 Avaya IX Workplace for IGEL OS is not generally available because of the Avaya distribution policy/license agreement. The customer needs to get in contact with Avaya support to receive custom partition files and support | |||||||||||
| Estos ProCall | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes 1 2 | no | 1 Audio datastream (UDP Opus or G.711a) between the ProCall Client (WebRTC Stack) and the UC Media Server is routed through the Citrix Server(s) and transferred via Citrix HDX-Audio to the endpoint. 2 Not officially tested/verified by IGEL | |||||||||||
| WebRTC (in general) | no | yes 2 | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes 1 | yes 2 | Optimize WebRTC to offload webcam and audio to the client 1 Using Citrix BCR feature | |||||||||||