Re[6]: Is there a virtual video driver out there?

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Friday, April 21, 2000, at 12:39:31 PM, you wrote:
>> I'm pretty sure that the virtualized framebuffer inside the server is
>> complete... but I'm also pretty sure that the Windows server won't run
>> if windows won't, and Windows requires a video card.  As I say, I've
>> gotten consufed; what's the actual topic here again?
>> 
>    The topic would be whether it is possible to run Windows without
> an actual video card, accessing it purely via VNC.  I would assert
> that Windows doesn't actually require a video card as much as a video
> driver that reports the presence of a video card and accepts requests
> for it, whether this is one or not.

Correct.

>    Thus, the potential solution being a driver which just accepts the
> requests and throws them away.  This, of course, is based on the
> virtualized framebuffer maintaining a consistent snapshot of the
> screen image.  Better, I think, would be a driver that would notify
> WinVNC of updates as it receives the requests (replacing, or possibly
> complementing, VNCHooks), then passes them along to a real video
> driver.  The complement to this, then, would be a "real" video driver
> that just maintains a framebuffer in regular system memory, rather
> than driving a card.  Again, whether this would be needed would depend
> on what the virtualized framebuffer does.

Also correct; and this is roughly what VMware does, as I understand
it.  They have a 'performance update package' you can install that
includes a virtualized video driver.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra "at" baylink.com
Member of the Technical Staff     
The Suncoast Freenet
Tampa Bay, Florida     http://baylink.pitas.com                +1 888 806 1654
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