Amazon Rebrands NICE DCV to Amazon DCV with 2024.0 Release

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Amazon Rebrands NICE DCV to Amazon DCV in Its Latest 2024.0 Release

Today marks a significant milestone for AWS users as NICE DCV transitions to a new name—Amazon DCV. With the release of version 2024.0, this high-performance remote display protocol not only gets a new name but also introduces several enhancements and fixes.

The rebranding effort extends beyond just the naming convention. Amazon DCV is now the go-to term for the DCV protocol that powers AWS managed services such as Amazon AppStream 2.0 and Amazon WorkSpaces.

What is Amazon DCV?

Amazon DCV is a sophisticated remote display protocol designed for high performance. It enables secure delivery of remote desktops and application streaming from any cloud or data center to various devices, even under different network conditions. By leveraging Amazon DCV with Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), you can run graphics-intensive applications remotely on EC2 instances and stream the results to less powerful client machines. This eliminates the need for costly dedicated workstations.

Amazon DCV supports both Windows and major Linux operating systems on the server side, offering flexibility to meet diverse organizational needs. On the client side, it supports native DCV clients for Windows, Linux, macOS, and web browsers. Importantly, DCV ensures data security by transferring only encrypted pixels, not actual data, thus preventing any confidential information from being downloaded from the server.

When using Amazon DCV on AWS with EC2 instances, you can scale your remote streaming services globally, taking advantage of the AWS 108 Availability Zones across 33 geographic Regions and 31 local zones.

Broad Spectrum of Use Cases

Since Amazon acquired NICE eight years ago, Amazon DCV has found a foothold in various industries. From general-purpose users visualizing business applications to specialized professionals, its versatility is evident. Here are some notable examples:

• Artists: Digital content creators use DCV to access powerful cloud workstations for rendering tasks.
• Healthcare: Medical imaging professionals rely on DCV for remote visualization and analysis of patient data.
• Geoscience: Geoscientists utilize DCV to analyze reservoir simulation results.
• Manufacturing: Engineers use it to visualize computational fluid dynamics experiments.
• Education and IT Support: Facilitates collaborative sessions where multiple users can share a single desktop.

  Prominent customers include Quantic Dream, an award-winning game development studio, which uses DCV for high-resolution, low-latency streaming services. Tally Solutions employs DCV to securely stream its ERP software to thousands of customers, and Volkswagen provides remote access to computer-aided engineering (CAE) applications for over 1,000 automotive engineers using DCV. Additionally, Amazon Kuiper uses DCV to design complex chips as part of its initiative to bring broadband connectivity to underserved communities.

  Adoption Within AWS
  

  Within AWS, DCV powers several managed services. Amazon AppStream 2.0 uses DCV for secure, reliable, and scalable application streaming. Since 2020, the Amazon WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol (WSP), built on DCV and optimized for high performance, has been available for Amazon WorkSpaces customers. Moving forward, WSP will be phased out and replaced by DCV as the primary protocol choice in Amazon WorkSpaces.

  What’s New in Version 2024.0?
  

  Amazon DCV 2024.0 introduces a range of fixes and enhancements aimed at improving performance, security, and usability. Key updates include:

• Support for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: This brings the latest security updates and extended long-term support, simplifying system maintenance.
• Wayland Support: The DCV client on Ubuntu 24.04 now supports Wayland, offering better graphical rendering efficiency and improved application isolation.
• QUIC UDP Protocol: Enabled by default, this protocol enhances streaming efficiency.
• Screen Blanking: The ability to blank the Linux host screen when a remote user is connected, preventing local access and interaction with the remote session.
  

  Getting Started
  

  Testing Amazon DCV is straightforward. You can spin up a WorkSpaces instance from the WorkSpaces console, selecting a DCV-powered bundle or creating an AppStream session. Here’s a step-by-step guide to installing DCV server on an EC2 instance:

  1. Setup on Windows Server 2022:
     • Download and start the MSI file.
     • Follow the installation steps, and the server will be ready in no time.
  2. Setup on Ubuntu 24.04:
     • First, install the necessary desktop packages and a desktop manager:
       sh<br /> $ sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop<br /> $ sudo apt install gdm3<br /> $ sudo reboot<br />
     • Install the DCV server package:
       sh<br /> $ sudo apt install ./nice-dcv-server_2024.0.17794-1_amd64.ubuntu2404.deb<br /> $ sudo apt install ./nice-xdcv_2024.0.625-1_amd64.ubuntu2404.deb<br /> $ sudo apt install ./nice-dcv-web-viewer_2024.0.17794-1_amd64.ubuntu2404.deb<br />
     • If the server lacks a GPU, follow steps to install the X11 Dummy driver and configure X11:
       sh<br /> $ sudo systemctl enable dcvserver.service<br /> $ sudo systemctl start dcvserver.service<br /> $ sudo systemctl status dcvserver.service<br />
     • Create a user:
       sh<br /> $ sudo dcv list-sessions<br /> $ sudo dcv create-session console --type virtual --owner <username><br /> $ sudo dcv list-sessions<br />
  3. Connecting from a Client:
     • Start the DCV client on your laptop.
     • Enter the server’s IP address and the username and password of the user to initiate a session.
       

       Additional Components
       

       When building your service infrastructure, consider exploring other components of the DCV offering:

• Amazon DCV Session Manager
• Amazon DCV Access Console
• Amazon DCV Connection Gateway
  

  Pricing and Availability
  

  Amazon DCV is free when used on AWS. You only pay for the usage of AWS resources or services like EC2 instances, Amazon Workspace desktops, or Amazon AppStream 2.0. For on-premises use, refer to the list of license resellers on the official website.

  For more details, you can visit the official Amazon DCV webpage.

  Go ahead and build your own servers with Amazon DCV!

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  For further updates and detailed guides, stay tuned to our blog.

For more Information, Refer to this article.