Switch Applications in Win 10 Guest Using Remote Viewer (SPICE Protocol) on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
In this article, we will discuss how to connect to virtual machines running Windows 10 as a guest operating system using Remote Viewer and the SPICE protocol on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. One of the common issues faced when using a Windows 10 guest operating system is switching applications or windows within the guest OS.
What is Remote Viewer and SPICE Protocol?
Remote Viewer is a graphical application that allows users to connect to virtual machines remotely. The SPICE protocol, on the other hand, is a remote computing protocol that provides high-quality graphics, audio, and input capabilities for virtual machines. SPICE is the default protocol used by QEMU/KVM for remote connections.
Connecting to Virtual Machines using Remote Viewer and SPICE Protocol
To connect to a virtual machine running Windows 10 as a guest operating system, follow these steps:
- Open the Remote Viewer application on your Ubuntu 22.04 LTS system.
- Click on the "New Connection" button, and enter the necessary details such as the name, type, and protocol of the connection.
- Enter the hostname or IP address of the virtual machine you want to connect to and provide your login credentials for the guest operating system.
- Click on the "Connect" button, and you will be connected to the virtual machine running Windows 10 as a guest operating system.
Switching Applications in Win 10 Guest OS using Remote Viewer
Once connected to the virtual machine, you can switch between applications in the guest operating system by using the "Switch Application" button located on the top toolbar of the Remote Viewer application.
The button looks like a window with two arrows on either side. Clicking on this button will bring up a list of open windows or applications running in the guest operating system, and you can select the one you want to switch to. This feature is particularly useful when using a Windows 10 guest operating system, as switching between applications can be done seamlessly without the need for a physical mouse or keyboard.
Configuring SPICE Protocol to Improve Performance
To optimize the performance of the SPICE protocol, you can configure some settings by modifying the virtual machine's XML configuration file.
For example, you can increase the amount of video memory allocated to the virtual machine, enable 3D acceleration, and configure the graphics resolution to match the guest operating system's resolution.
<graphics type="spice">
<image compression="off"/>
<color depth="24"/>
<vncserver listen="0.0.0.0" port="5900"/>
<gl enable="yes"/>
<acceleration>
<mouse emulate3buttons="yes"/>
<mouse acceleration="off"/>
</acceleration>
<redirdev>
<redirdev kind="kbd" id="kbd1"/>
</redirdev>
<redirdev>
<redirdev kind="mouse" id="mouse1"/>
</redirdev>
<spice cursor shape="software"/>
<listen type="address" address="0.0.0.0" port="5900"/>
<gl enable="yes"/>
<streaming>
<bandwidth limit="1048576"/>
</streaming>
</graphics>
In this article, we have discussed how to connect to virtual machines running Windows 10 as a guest operating system using Remote Viewer and SPICE protocol on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. We have also covered the key concept of switching applications within the guest operating system and configuring SPICE protocol settings for improved performance. We hope this article has provided valuable insights into managing virtual machines using Remote Viewer and SPICE protocol.
- SPICE protocol: https://spice-space.org/documentation.html
- QEMU/KVM documentation: https://wiki.qemu.org/Documentation
- Remote Viewer documentation: https://developer.gnome.org/Remote-Viewer/stable/