NComputing U170 User Manual

USB Virtual Desktop Kit

(Model U170)

with vSpace

User Manual

ncomputing.com

USB Virtual Desktop (Model U170) User Manual

Important Notices

Please note that reproduction of this user manual in whole or in part, without express written permission
from NComputing, is not permitted.

NComputing reserves the right to make improvements and/or changes to this user manual and to the
products, programs and/or specifications described herein at anytime without notice. Information
contained in this document may have been obtained from internal testing or from a third party.
NComputing shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in
connection with the use of this material. The latest version of this user manual can be downloaded from
the “Documentation” area in the Support section of the NComputing website at:

http://www.ncomputing.com/documentation

Refer to the Limited Hardware Warranty applicable to your region for information on what is and what is
not covered by the warranty, your responsibilities and exclusions and how to obtain service. It is your
responsibility to download a copy of the warranty at the time of purchase to keep for your records. The
warranty can be downloaded from the “Documentation” area in the Support section of the NComputing
website.

Please refer to the End User License Agreement (EULA) and Terms of Use (TOU) that are presented for
your review during the software installation process. The information contained in these documents is
very important. The EULA and TOU constitute agreements between you and NComputing and are
accepted by you by installing and using the product. It is your responsibility to print a copy of the EULA
and TOU directly from the installer in order to keep for your records.

This product gives users shared access to computer resources. It is not a computer, and may not support
all software applications, especially high-resolution graphics applications or 3D games that are designed
to be supported by stand-alone computers. Similarly, it may not support all hardware peripherals that are
designed to be supported by stand-alone computers.

Refer to your computer operating system and application software vendors’ license agreements for

information on using these products with NComputing systems. Additional software licenses may be
required.

Microsoft Windows Licenses. You are licensed by NComputing to use the vSpace software under the
terms of the EULA. You must also acquire the appropriate number of Windows Server licenses and Client
Access Licenses for each device or user accessing Windows Server software. You cannot use the
vSpace software with Windows Client software (i.e., Windows XP, Windows 7) unless a single user and
no other user accesses the same Windows Client software at any one time, or you are authorized to do

so under an applicable license from Microsoft or as expressly set forth in the “Microsoft Windows Server
to Windows XP License Rights” section of the NComputing EULA. In all cases, your rights and obligations

with respect to the use of vSpace software with Windows Server software and Windows Client software
are defined by both the NComputing vSpace software EULA and the applicable Microsoft Software
License Agreement or EULA. For more information on licensing with Microsoft operating systems see:

http://www.ncomputing.com/mslicensing

The NComputing hardware and software products described in this user manual are protected by
numerous granted and pending U.S. and international patents.

© 2003-2011 by NComputing Inc. All rights reserved. NComputing is a registered Trademark of
NComputing Inc. – USA. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Page 2

USB Virtual Desktop (Model U170) User Manual

Contents

IMPORTANT NOTICES ............................................................................................................................................ 2

CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

SAFETY INFORMATION .......................................................................................................................................... 4

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ................................................................................................................................... 5

FCC INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................................................ 5

KCC CERTIFICATION INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................... 5

PRODUCT OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................. 6

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 7

HOST PC ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7

ACCESS DEVICES..................................................................................................................................................... 8

INSTALLING THE HARDWARE ................................................................................................................................. 9

CONNECTING PERIPHERAL DEVICES ................................................................................................................................... 9

CONNECTION OPTIONS ................................................................................................................................................. 10

MOUNTING AND SECURITY ............................................................................................................................................ 11

NCOMPUTING VSPACE SOFTWARE INSTALLATION .............................................................................................. 12

USER SETUP ................................................................................................................................................................ 14

PRODUCT REGISTRATION..................................................................................................................................... 15

ONLINE REGISTRATION ................................................................................................................................................. 15

OFFLINE REGISTRATION ................................................................................................................................................. 16

CHECKING STATION REGISTRATION STATUS ....................................................................................................................... 16

UPGRADING THE VSPACE SOFTWARE ............................................................................................................................... 16

DISPLAYING INFORMATION ABOUT THE VSPACE SOFTWARE ................................................................................................. 17

UPGRADING THE HOST PC OR MIGRATING VSPACE TO A DIFFERENT HOST PC ......................................................................... 17

UNINSTALLING VSPACE ................................................................................................................................................. 18

CLIENT ACCESS LICENSE (CAL) INSTALLATION ...................................................................................................... 18

ADDITIONAL FEATURES ....................................................................................................................................... 18

AUTO-LOGIN .............................................................................................................................................................. 18

SETTING THE DISPLAY RESOLUTION ................................................................................................................................. 19

VIEWING STATION DISPLAY RESOLUTION SETTINGS ............................................................................................................ 19

SENDING MESSAGES..................................................................................................................................................... 20

TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................................................................................................. 21

GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................................ 21

Page 3

USB Virtual Desktop (Model U170) User Manual

Note: Please properly route all cables and power cords to avoid a tripping
occur as a result of tripping over the cable.

Safety Information

Refer to the following information to prevent any physical injury or loss of assets caused by
damage to the product.

A user must read this user manual carefully before use and properly follow the instructions.

 Make sure that the place of installation is not too hot (above 35˚C), too cold (below 0˚C)

or too wet (above 85% relative humidity).

 Avoid any severe impacts to the product.
 Make sure that the product is not exposed to direct sunlight or any hot machinery.
 Keep the product away from any items that have strong magnetic properties.
 Do not disassemble, repair or rebuild the product.

hazard. An electric shock, fire, damage to the product or physical injury may

Page 4

USB Virtual Desktop (Model U170) User Manual

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that

Regulatory Compliance

FCC Information

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.

These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy,
and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try and correct the interference by one or the following measures:

 Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
 Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
 Connect the equipment to a power outlet on a circuit different from which the receiver is

connected.

 Consult your dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
may cause undesired operation.

KCC Certification Information

NComputing U170

1.기기의명칭(모델명): USB-based Expansion kit (U170)

2.인증받은 자의 상호: 엔컴퓨팅 주식회사

3.제조자/제조국가: Magic Control Technology Corporation/대만

4.제조년월: 제품 참조

Page 5

USB Virtual Desktop (Model U170) User Manual

Product Overview

The NComputing U170 kit enables users to dramatically cut computing costs by sharing the
untapped power of existing computers. The U170 access device and NComputing vSpace
software work together to efficiently harness excess computing capacity and enable multiple
users to share a single computer. Each user gets the full performance and capability of a PC,
including multimedia and video. Best of all, IT staff and end users do not need special training
because the solution is easy to setup and is compatible with standard PC software.

Connect one user per kit or a total of 10 users per host PC

With the NComputing U170, each user has a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers (sold
separately), just like in a conventional computing environment. However, instead of connecting
directly to the PC, these peripherals connect to the U170 access device. These very small,
solid-state devices connect with USB cables and optional USB 2.0 hubs to the shared PC (host
PC). The distance between the access device and the shared computer can be a maximum of
20 meters (66 feet) in compliance with standard USB 2.0 specifications on cables and hubs.
The U170 can also be easily attached and secured to the back of a monitor using the built-in
VESA mounting points.

The NComputing vSpace desktop virtualization software (included) divides the PC’s resources

into independent virtual workspaces that give each user their own full PC experience. vSpace
simplifies configuration by automatically assigning the keyboard, mouse, audio and any USB
devices attached to each workstation. In addition, you can take advantage of the auto-login
feature to automatically log in a user, thereby making the U170 a great product for kiosks,
schools, kids and digital-signage applications.

Page 6

USB Virtual Desktop (Model U170) User Manual

Users

CPU

Memory

1-3

Any dual-core

2 GB

4-72

Dual- or quad-core3

3 GB

8-10

Dual- or quad-core3

4+ GB4

1
2

3
4

Note: The U170 requires USB 2.0 controller(s) for operation. In addition, some
older PCs may have difficulty booting with U170 devices (or other high-speed

Minimum System Requirements

Host PC

Refer to the “vSpace Operating System Support Matrix” in the NComputing Knowledge Base for the
latest information on supported operating system versions (note that unless specifically listed in
the OS support matrix document, a new OS service pack may not be supported by then-current
vSpace software). For more information regarding Microsoft licensing, please see the Important
Notices section at the beginning of this document.

Almost any modern PC can be used to host NComputing vSpace software. The guidelines
below are a good rule of thumb for determining how many users you can provision on a host PC
and expect to have a native experience running general productivity software applications.

U-Series Minimum Recommended Hardware1

USB audio devices) attached. In these cases, you may need to boot the host
PC first, and then attach the USB cable. This problem can sometimes be

The table below describes the maximum bandwidth of the USB bus for modern PC
motherboards. Some PCs may contain multiple Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI)
controllers that can double or triple the available bandwidth. These systems will have better
video performance when running more than four U170 devices on a host PC. To take
advantage of multiple controllers, connect any downstream hubs back to the host PC directly
rather than connecting all U170s downstream of one USB connection. Installing an additional
USB controller card in the host PC is also an option for large deployments.

These are general guidelines. Always test your applications first before deploying.
When installed on Windows XP, only five U170 devices can be supported. See

www.ncomputing.com/mslicensing for specific use cases.

Deployments with more than four users require dual Enhanced USB controllers.
For 64-bit operating systems, 6+ GB of memory recommended.

Page 7