USB Device Redirection

Enables users to access USB devices connected to a Sun Ray Client from their Windows sessions, provided that the appropriate device drivers are installed on the Windows server.

Video Acceleration

The Windows connector provides features to increase the performance for video streams and Adobe Flash content, including rapidly-changing screen content in some scenarios. The support provided is dependent on the Windows OS.

Audio Support

Users can play sound files on their Sun Ray Clients (audio out) with audio applications located on the Windows system. Recording from the Sun Ray Client to the Windows system (audio in) is also supported.

Clipboard

The Windows connector enables cut-and-paste text functionality between Windows applications and applications running on the Sun Ray Client, whether Linux or Solaris versions. Copying and pasting is enabled for all supported languages, including double-byte languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. The Windows connector does not support copying and pasting functionality for Rich Text Format.

The following behaviors, although similar, are caused by limitations in different applications:

Compression

The Windows connector uses RDP bulk compression to compress data between the Sun Ray server, which runs the Windows connector, and the Windows system.

Network Security

The Windows connector uses RSA Security's RC4 cipher, which encrypts data of varying size with a 56-bit or a 128-bit key, to secure all data being transferred to and from the Windows system. Alternatively, using TLS/SSL or CredSSP through the enhanced network security option, all traffic is encrypted as per protocol specifications and system configuration.

Local Drive Mapping

File systems from removable media devices, such as flash drives, can be connected to the Sun Ray server USB ports and mapped to the Windows environment, where they appear as locally mounted drives. Any file can be mounted and mapped from the Sun Ray environment to the Windows environment. In most cases, USB redirection should be used instead.

Printing

From a Windows session, a user can print from a Windows application using any of the following configurations: a network printer or a locally attached printer on the Windows system, a network printer or a locally-attached printer on the Sun Ray server, or a local printer attached to the Sun Ray Client.

Serial Port Mapping

Users can access the serial devices connected to a Sun Ray Client from their Windows sessions. Serial devices can be connected either directly to the serial ports on a Sun Ray Client or by means of a serial adapter.

Session Directory

The Windows connector supports server session reconnection based on load balancing information and Session Directory, a database that keeps track of which users are running which sessions on which Windows System. Session Directory functionality enables Windows connector users to reconnect automatically to the right Windows session. Terminal services session load balancing is handled transparently by the Windows Terminal Server.

Smart Cards

The Windows connector uses the PC/SC framework to enable applications on the Windows system to access smart cards inserted in the Sun Ray Client. Typically, this feature is used to provide two-factor authentication with digital certificates or to permit the use of electronic signatures or other information stored on a smart card.