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Old 11-10-2012, 12:34 AM   #1
MacBookMax
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 5
Default Found workaround for using a DisplayLink DL-3xxx adapter on a Mac

Hey everyone,

While we are all waiting for a DL-3xxx driver for OS X, I am pleased to report, that I have found a workaround for connecting a Displaylink DL-3xxx adapter (Lindy USB 3.0 DisplayPort Adapter) and a 30" monitor (Dell U3011) to a MacBook Pro (17", 2010, quad i5, 8 GB RAM, Mountain Lion) in addition to another display (27" Dell) connected "natively".

Overall, it is a combination of running XP in VMware Fusion, Screenrecycler on the Mac and setting up a VNC connection between the Mac and the Virtual Machine.
I am trying to optimize performance though. Currently, performance is probably like VNC over a basic broadband connection (i.e. 6000 MBit down / 1000 MBit up).

1. Set up a virtual machine with Windows XP (I used SP 2) in VMware Fusion (used the current trial version); install the VMware tools (default).

I wanted to make sure, that the VNC connection is not directed over any network cable and, furthermore, I feel better when an out of the box XP installation is not connected to the internet. Therefore, I have chosen "private" (NAT) in the VMware virtual machine network settings.

For your interest, I can confirm that the DisplayLink driver will only work in a virtual machine when using VMware Fusion and Windows XP. When plugging in the DisplayLink adapter, VMware Fusion and Windows 8 and Parallels and XP or Windows 8 will either tell you, that your hardware is not compatible with DisplayLink (VMware), or simply just crash (Parallels).

2. Install the DisplayLink driver as well as the "Actual Multiple Monitors" software. (Reboot?)
Connect the DisplayLink adapter and tell VMware to always connect this USB device to the virtual machine. The external monitor should be recognized.

Keep in mind that you can always disconnect the mouse from your virtual machine by pressing CTRL + COMMAND.

Mouse navigation was a bit tricky and I found it best to set up the monitor as the primary and only display in "Multiple Monitors". This way, the VMware window will be black and the external display will be the only monitor.

3. Install and run Screenrecycler on your Mac. Connect to the Screenrecycler VNC server with any VNC client. For Windows, TightVNC seems to be one of the best options.
Set up the VNC client to use raw encoding in order to minimize CPU usage for the virtual machine!

As soon as there is a VNC connection, Screenrecycler will simulate a real monitor. On your Mac, you should adjust the screen resolution to the resolution supported by the monitor you have connected. Open System Preferences -> Monitor (under Mountain Lion choose "scaled"). "Arrange" the monitors if necessary in System Preferences.

4. The Screenrecycler VNC server does not support any authentication (password) and seems to be pretty slow in combination with Windows VNC clients.
You'll have to make one connection to the Screenrecycler VNC server (when you have configured a private network in VMware, the corresponding IP should be listed in the Screenrecycler window below your real IP.)

Afterwards, you can click "stop" in the Screenrecycler window, launch a different VNC server and connect to that one. Screenrecycler uses port 6900, other VNC servers normally use port 5900.
I have chosen RealVNC, because it supports multiple monitors and allows me to define, which monitor is transmitted over VNC. (Options, Expert, Monitor: 0 for all, 1 for primary monitor, 2 for secondary…).
Turn of auto-disconnect when idle (Options, Expert, IdleTimeout 0).

For what its worth, I have found that the VNC server built into OS X provides much better performance (System Preferences, Sharing, Screen Sharing, Options, Allow VNC users to connect with password).

However, OS X will not display the mouse pointer of the currently logged in user when you start a VNC session (any idea?). This makes it totally useless for my case. I would appreciate any suggestions for optimizing performance and reducing CPU load for the VNC client running in the virtual machines.

Try out yourself.
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