L-Series LAN Provisioning Best Practices for Local Area Network Deployment. Introduction. L-Series Network Provisioning

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1 L-Series LAN Provisioning Best Practices for Local Area Network Deployment Introduction Scope NComputing s L-series access devices connect to a host computer through an Ethernet interface and IP protocol. The L-series device relies on a robust network infrastructure, with minimal latencies for correct operation and a satisfactory user experience. This document explains the minimum network requirements and best practices for a large deployment (20 seats) of L-Series devices at a single site. Audience The target audience for this document includes IT Personnel (ultimately those individuals in charge of implementing NComputing technology), Technical Salespeople, and Resellers. In-depth understanding of IP networking and network configurations is assumed. L-Series Network Provisioning NComputing utilizes User extension Protocol (UXP), a very efficient, proprietary terminal services protocol that runs on top of the TCP/UDP/IP protocol. To ensure optimal performance and a good user experience over UXP, please refer to the following network requirements. Network Ports The following ports are used for communication between the host PC and L-series access devices. To ensure functionality, make sure communication across the network is allowed for each. Session Data (Input/Output and USB Communication) o TCP: 27605, 27615, 3581, 3597, 3645, and 3646 Management (Firmware Update, Server Identification, and Remote Configuration) o UDP: 1027, 1283, 3581 Bandwidth Usage L-series access devices typically operate at low (<1 Mbps) bandwidth levels. However, if USB data transfer or multimedia streaming are taking place, the device s network bandwidth usage will rise to reflect the increased load. The following table shows typical bandwidth usage under basic usage, while streaming multimedia, and while performing a USB data transfer.

2 Typical Bandwidth Use (in Mbps) L130 L230 L300 Basic Office Apps Multimedia* to 10 USB Transfers Recommended Provisioning** to 10 *If video codecs have not been configured on the host, network utilization may spike significantly. The Multimedia section in the L300 User Guide has more information on this topic. **Recommended Provisioning is based on typical peak usage, and does not account for specialized scenarios such as simultaneous Multimedia and USB Transfers. Under typical load, L300 devices can connect to a vspace host over a single, dedicated 100 Mbps network path. If more devices are connected or if the network path is shared with other kinds of traffic, it must support gigabit traffic to avoid bottlenecking and packet loss. IP Addresses & Routing L-series access devices can utilize either statically-set or dynamically-obtained (DHCP) network IP addresses. Due to the use of UDP broadcast and unicast traffic, it is recommended that the access devices be kept on the same subnet (or VLAN) as the corresponding host PC. This will help ensure that the devices network discovery and management features are fully functioning. Note: For most network scenarios, a standard X.X network addressing scheme is recommended As the L-series access devices are latency-sensitive, it is recommended that they be connected to a host PC within the same LAN. Connecting via internet (or WAN) can be done with proper port forwarding (see Network Ports, above), but may result in significant performance degradation. Best Practices When subnets are used, make sure all access devices and their corresponding hosts are set to the same VLAN or subnet. This will help to ensure that all UDP-based product features can function normally. Use at least one network card with gigabit capabilities on the Host computer, as well as gigabit network switches and routers, to connect to the L-series devices. This will help prevent bottlenecking and data loss, and improve connection stability. Note: L-series access devices are equipped with a 100-megabit port and cannot utilize gigabit network speeds. However, the path to the host should still be gigabit-capable to prevent bottlenecking and subsequent data loss. Using managed switches or auto-detect 10/100/1000 ports can help ensure that the devices are not flooded with gigabit traffic, while the host is still served full gigabit. Make sure that Jumbo Frames are disabled on your network, as this feature can often lead to stability problems for L-series client sessions. To improve network performance, use a separate NIC card and/or network path to send and receive NComputing connection data. This will prevent collision and bottlenecking with other types of network traffic, such as internet communication or network file transfers. If multiple host PCs are being regularly accessed by each L-series device, make sure that each host can communicate with NComputing s registration server. This communication takes place over TCP port 3630, and the server is hosted at register.ncomputing.com. Note: If Background Activation is enabled, this process will be performed silently, with no user input required. See the L-series User Guide for information on enabling this feature. 2

3 Network Layout Examples NComputing is very versatile when it comes to deployment options. The L-series devices work well in highly-centralized network environments, as well as in more distributed configurations. Please see the diagrams below for some sample deployment layouts. These deployments assume a connection ratio of 20 access devices per host PC. The host PC in each diagram can represent a physical computer or a virtual machine. Centralized Deployment Distributed/Branching Deployment 3

4 Troubleshooting Network Issues A number of issues may develop if proper network provisioning is not done. If you are encountering any issues, please browse through this list of L-series errors and symptoms for the items that closest match your situation. If a solution is not immediately available, or the issue persists, please contact NComputing technical support at The Host PC is not visible to the L-series device This issue could be caused by several things. First, perform a ping test from the host PC to the L- series device. If the ping test fails, make sure that all network cabling is connected, and that IP addresses are being assigned correctly. If the ping test is successful, next confirm that the host and access device are on the same subnet, and then try disabling any firewall or antivirus software running on the host PC. Windows Firewall, in particular, has been known to block the host discovery request sent by L-series devices. The L-series device begins to connect, but quickly resets to the Server Selection screen If the L-series device is able to see the server, but its connection is being rejected without an error message, there may be a problem with the device passing Windows Logon data while activating. To correct this issue, remove any user credentials or automatic logon configuration data from the access device (see the L-series User Guide for this procedure), and re-attempt the connection. The L-series device freezes at the Connecting Server screen The L-series devices perform firmware activation anytime they connect to a new host PC. This process requires authentication by NComputing s registration server, and may encounter a problem if the registration server is unreachable. This can be corrected by manually running the registration process while the connecting device is frozen, or by ensuring that Port 3630 is open to the NComputing server at register.ncomputing.com. Note: If an L-series device regularly connects to two or more different hosts, this activation will occur each time the device switches hosts. Device Error The session was closed but your data is not lost This error indicates that an active L-series device connection was interrupted after being established. This error typically occurs due to severe packet loss or network latency, though in some cases it has been tied to improper IP addressing or overzealous anti-virus software. Ensure that the host PC and network path are capable of supporting L-series connections (gigabit NICs and switches are preferred) and, if issues persist, try disabling any antivirus or firewall software running on the host. Device Error Server yet not ready This error has been largely eliminated in newer versions of L-series vspace software. Please obtain the latest version of vspace software from and uninstall/reinstall with that version. Device Error Cannot connect to server This error indicates that the L-series device did not receive a response from the designated host PC. Perform a ping test to ensure that the host PC can successfully communicate with the L-series device. If a ping test is successful, make sure that the L-series device has correct Connection Profile settings (see the L-series User Guide) and, if the issue persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling the vspace software to the latest version. 4

5 Device Error IP Conflict Detected This error indicates that the L-series device has been assigned an IP address that is already in use on the network. If the device is using dynamic addressing, this indicates that the DHCP server has leased an address that is already in use, or that there are multiple DHCP servers present on the network. If the device is using a static IP address, consider assigning a different address, and ensure that it is outside of all dynamic IP ranges. Device Error This client firmware is unsupported This error indicates that the L-series device is using an outdated firmware build, and will need to upgrade before connecting to the host PC. See the L-series User Guide for instructions regarding the firmware update process NComputing Inc. All rights reserved. NComputing, vspace, and Numo are registered trademarks of NComputing Inc. USA. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Firewall are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 5