How can I tell which cloud experience I'm using: RDP Published Apps (a.k.a. VEC) or VRL?

Post date: Jun 19, 2020 3:20:15 AM

One of the most important pieces of information with which to be familiar is whether you are connecting to your Vista experience in our cloud using our RDP Published applications connection method, or via Vista Remote Link (VRL). With the RDP method, also known as Viewpoint Enterprise Cloud (VEC) to many, the Vista client resides in Viewpoint's data center on a terminal server. Conversely, with VRL, the Vista client runs on your local workstations directly. This leads to a number of differences with how Vista is experienced between the two methods. See here for more details on this.

Given this, it is apparent why knowing your deployment method is so critical.

The following are the methods by which you can tell the Vista deployment method you are using.

Taskbar Icon

You can see which one you are using by looking at the Vista icon in the Windows Taskbar. If the icon shows a small white circle with two green arrows within it, you are using an RDP published app. If there is no circle with green arrows visible, then (if you are live in our cloud), you are using VRL. See graphics below:

Figure 1: Login screens showing RDP VEC on left, and VRL on right.

Server Address

In the server name field of the Vista login window, there is a difference as well. RDP connections use server names that do NOT have https:// at the front (they are not URLs), whereas VRL connections are actual web HTTP URLs using the format of “https://” followed by the server name.

See above screenshot for this example.

Start Menu Icon

The actual Vista rich client, used for VRL, is usually found in the Windows Start Menu. Look under Viewpoint Construction Software, and for Vista by Viewpoint within that folder. If instead you use the icons in a folder called "Workspaces (RADC)", you will likely be connecting via VEC RDP.

Figure 2: Vista VRL in Start Menu

Vista Main Menu

One of the most obvious methods to determine which cloud deployment mechanism you are using is by looking at the text and icon shown in the bottom right hand corner of the Vista main menu. If you are using VRL, it will say, "VRL Cloud" and show a globe icon. If you are instead using RDP, it will show "VEC" and an icon of a LAN network, which looks like an upside down tree.

Figure 3: VEC RDP showing in lower right hand corner of Vista Main Menu

Figure 4: VRL Connection - Vista Main Menu with VRL and Globe