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Our project Apollo technology for remoting Vista Aero and any multimedia application that can run on Vista just keeps getting better. This video gives you a sneak peek at the latest version of Apollo, demonstrated by Juan Rivera (Citrix Development Manager) in the Tech Lab at Citrix Summit 2008 in Orlando.
I can't comment on General Availability dates until they have been publicly announced, but I can tell you that the next big milestone for project Apollo is a Tech Preview release and our target for that is Q2.
I understand Apollo as demonstrated here is connecting to a server with a dedicated GPU? Is that correct?
Are there any performance improvements with Apollo when connecting to a CPS or XenDesktop over ICA without a dedicated server GPU?
Why didn't Citrix buy Calista? Do you think that when Microsoft Embed Calista into the OS of Vista and Terminal Services Apollo will no longer be required?
Without being specific at this point, I can assure you that some of the technologies being developed under project Apollo are definitely intended to further enhance ICA performance even without server-side graphics processing hardware.
We at Citrix are very pleased that Microsoft has acquired Calista Technologies. This acquisition has the potential to strengthen the Windows platform on which we innovate and add value. For example, Calista has done considerable research in the area of GPU virtualization. A stronger platform will ultimately result in improved scalability and performance when delivering multimedia applications and desktops.
I think Citrix tried to buy Calista. If you read the Calista CEO's blog he mentions that they entertained multiple offers, I think Citrix was one such offer. (Just speculation)
The GPU was stated to be a $300 GPU in the video. What power does this GPU consume?
Is this applicable beyond a WS chassis? Quadro GPU's are very pricey.
Also, what requirements are placed on the TC, what level of GPU is required there?
Finally, what dedicated bandwidth is required to support a singe user for the NYC 3D demo?
The Apollo Vista Aero Remoting technology doesn't require a particular GPU card or IGP, so our vision is that customers will be able to spend whatever they choose to get the level of performance they want for the applications they need to run. To run Vista Aero, Microsoft recommends using a graphics processor with a Windows Experience Index of 3.0 or better. We used an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 card (approximate cost US$300) and got a score of around 5. The performance was very responsive for the types of apps we were running (WPF, Flash, Silverlight, OpenGL).
You'll find a variety of blade workstations on the market that have more than enough GPU horsepower to run Vista Aero.
There was nothing special about the thin client that we used for the demo. The Apollo Vista Aero Remoting technology doesn't require a 3D-capable GPU on the client. And we've been able to demonstrate Apollo using non-Windows clients. For the demo, we used currently available ICA client software, which is supported on a wide variety of platforms.
The bandwidth requirements for Apollo keep dropping as we continue our development. By leveraging various ICA optimizations, Apollo will be able to support not only LAN environments but also remote access scenarios. But it is too early to share technical specs.
Posted by Anonymous
at 
Hi, i've seen it live (thanks btw) and it was really unbelievable! Can't wait for future products