1

Scenario:

High spec pc running CAD software.
User mainly on the road/WFH, VPN and RDP’s to the CAD machine.
Can’t install CAD software on laptop as laptop not efficient enough to run high-density drawings.

User reports RDP session laggy and difficult to amend drawings.

Observations:

  • VPN and RDP isn’t the best option as tunnel traffic encrypted and so is RDP session which will inevitably affect performance.

  • User must run CAD software remotely

  • User must have access to CAD software

  • Upgrading laptop isn’t an option

  • Internet speed is not the issue

Can anyone suggest some ideas or solutions to this problem please?
Thanks in advance
IDAK

15 Spice ups
2

Bro…may I know your IT proficiency ?? Not a punt as coz CAD can be a very demanding task to extreme demanding task that may need high-end hardware and resource hungry applications.

Also I have no idea who runs CAD software like AutoCAD via RDP as I would think you need PCoIP with specific GPU controls. Then depending on the project size, working off 1Gbps LAN is not advisable less to say over VPN etc if you have like 500MB to 10 GB files to work on ?

3

No experience myself but have a look at HP ZCentral

4

As a CAD user who WFH, I feel the pain. The only things that help are:

  • a fast, stable internet connection for both the local and remote unit. I upgraded my remote PC wifi adaptor for $17. It made a big difference for me. But an upgrade from 802.11ac to 802.11ax at home is something non-gamers don’t typically think of;
  • a fast VPN. Not all are good. Split tunneling will sap speed almost as bad as MS/Autodesk telemetrics over VPN. Wireguard based VPN has so far been the fastest. But because Wireguard is still a small project, it isn’t always stable enough for reliance. I use OpenVPN Connect;
  • make sure the remote PC has enough available resources. Not just good CPU (remote GPU isn’t really a factor over VPN) and RAMM. A fast SDD/NMVe storage device with 15%+ empty space matters. I just updated my crammed 128Gb (1.67Gb free) SSD to 500Gb, and now there is room for processing IO;
  • balanced monitor resolution. I have one 30" 4k monitor which looks beautiful. But I need to keep it at 1920x1080, because the responsiveness drops accordingly even for just mouse movement. If they need more screen real estate, let them buy a larger HD monitor and set the scaling accordingly.
  • You can manage available display resources in the RDP client settings. But, I’m good with default settings while using all monitors.

Employee monitoring software on the workstation PC makes obvious delays when it kicks on, due to CPU and network resource requirements. This will always be noticeable to the user.

5

citrix xenapp/xendesktop can be tuned for reasonable CAd graphics performance. But if you are rotating 3D models etc and expect it to render instantly - this won’t work remote.

2D, 3D line drawngs, revit all work reasonably on citrix, even RDP at a push - make sure you have the additional ports open and use remote-fx etc.

6

I find it is less than the kit and more about the connection between endpoints. We spent a couple of years on crappy latency Comcast and when we switched to dedicated fiber, all those issues vaporized the next day. Totally night and day. Latency and packet loss can be a real problem.

5 Spice ups
7

Does the user connect to the home network with a wire? (Not WiFi) I’ve found this made a huge difference in my remote effectiveness (not using CAD, though).

8

The only solution is to buy a $5000 laptop. Or spend $500,000 on a VDI solution.

9

My firm had similar issues. CAD workers (mostly Autodesk Civil 3D) that WFH or in our satellite offices consistently reporting heavy latency when loading drawing files, saving drawing, etc. Our file servers are in our corporate HQ and the satellite offices and WFH draftsmen are relatively new things. The satellite offices are connected via site to site VPN tunnels.

What we have done is setup host machines in the HQ which are on the same subnet as the file server. We are using Parsec as the remote connection platform. This has drastically improved the CAD workflows for users who were working remotely from the file server. Also we were spending around $4000 for the CAD laptops (latest i7, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 3070 or equivalent). I can get a host machine with the same specs as the CAD laptops for around $2000 and a client laptop (i5, 8GB RAM) for around $750. We’re saving $1000+ per workstation and giving the user a better workflow experience. Win/Win!