Configuring Labs with Multiple Displays

This article describes the configuration options available when using multiple VM displays. To review the feature's full capabilities, see Supporting Applications that Require Multiple Monitors.

Best Practices for Configuring Multiple Displays

There are two ways to configure multiple monitor support in a Skillable VM lab:

• Configure multiple displays with Enhanced Session Mode (ESM)
• Configure multiple displays with Custom VM Endpoints

Each option has advantages and limitations. The Supporting Applications that Require Multiple Monitors article outlines the pros and cons of both, helping you choose the best setup for your needs. You can also test each approach to see which works best for your environment.

Configure Multiple Displays with Enhanced Session Mode (ESM)

Enhanced Session Mode (ESM) support for multiple displays is available only for Windows VMs running on the Hyper-V virtualization platform in Skillable.

If you need to support Linux or ESX VMs, use the Multiple Displays with Custom VM Endpoints option instead.

To configure multiple displays with ESM:

1. Create or open the lab profile for the lab that requires multiple displays.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines tab and create or open the virtual machine profile.
3. On the Basic Information tab, fill in the virtual machine's basic details (name, screen width, screen height, etc.).
4. Configure ESM:
   1. Toward the bottom of the page, check Use Enhanced Session Mode. Selecting this option opens the corresponding ESM settings.
   2. Check Allow Multiple Displays to enable multiple displays.

5. At the bottom of the page, click Save to apply your multiple display configuration.

Configure Multiple Displays with Custom VM Endpoints

Multiple displays with Custom VM Endpoints provides a more flexible solution. If you are unfamiliar with Custom VM Endpoints, see our Custom VM Endpoints article.

To enable multiple displays for a VM using Custom VM Endpoints:

1. Configure the VM to support RDP Custom VM Endpoints:
   • Linux operating systems typically require xRDP (or a similar package).
   • Windows system must allow Remote Desktop access with the appropriate security settings. The VM Endpoint documentation covers this in detail Configuring the VM to Support an Endpoint
2. Create or open the lab profile for the lab that requires multiple displays.
3. Navigate to the Virtual Machines tab and create or open the virtual machine profile.
4. Locate the VM in the list and, at the bottom of the VM, click +Add Endpoint.
   Skip this step if you're modifying an existing RDP endpoint.
5. In the New Endpoint dialog, fill in the endpoint details:

*Credentials are required because Custom VM Endpoints use automatic RDP login.

5. At the bottom of the page, click Save to apply your multiple display configuration.

Access Multiple Displays from a Lab

When a lab launches with multiple displays enabled, users can open additional display windows by navigating to either the Computer menu or the Resources page and selecting Open Multiple Display Window.

Users can then position the additional browser windows across their physical monitors as needed.

To open multiple displays using the Computer menu:

1. From the lab, select the VM.
2. In the top-left corner, select the computer icon.
3. Select Open Multiple Display Window.

To open multiple displays using the Resources page:

1. From the lab, select the Resources tab.
2. Toward the bottom of the page, select Open Multiple Display Window.

Additional Resources

• Lab Profiles
• Virtual Machine Profiles
• Custom VM Endpoints