OpenGL Applications

You can run ​OpenGL applications in an xpra session in a number of ways:

• by running the xpra session directly on a "real" X11 server using an accelerated display driver - this is hard to setup and undocumented: you need to use the xvfb switch to start an accelerated X11 server
• by shadowing an existing accelerated X11 server (sub-optimal)
• by using ​VirtualGL

This is not related at all to the OpenGL client rendering: you can connect with any client you want, accelerated or not.

VirtualGL setup

Usually, you can just vglrun your application and things will "just work". That is the case for simple application like glxgears / glxspheres.

Other applications may require more complicated workarounds, see the extensive ​VirtualGL documentation for details, in particular ​12: Using VirtualGL with setuid/setgid Executables.

Caveat: for some unknown reason, you may need to use /etc/ld.so.preload instead of LD_PRELOAD to make some suid applications work through xpra. (#898) Temporary solution:

$ mv /etc/ld.so.preload /etc/ld.so.preload.saved >& null
$ echo "/usr/lib64/VirtualGL/libdlfaker.so /usr/lib64/VirtualGL/libgefaker.so /usr/lib64/VirtualGL/librrfaker.so" > /etc/ld.so.preload
$ vglrun yourapp
$ rm /etc/ld.so.preload
$ mv /etc/ld.so.preload.saved /etc/ld.so.preload >& null

If you application is suid, you may also need to chmod it.

OpenGL Performance

Some rough figures and compatibility tests.

Running ​GpuTest 0.7.0, on a Fedora 22 system with a GeForce GTX 760/PCIe/SSE2, kernel 4.0.5, nvidia driver 346.59 at 1024x720 resolution:

Platform	Test
	FurMark?		TessMark? X8		PixMark? JuliaFP32		PixMark? Volplosion
	Points	FPS	Points	FPS	Points	FPS	Points	FPS
Bare Metal	4283	71	87143	1453	29994	498	2969	49
vglrun	3769	62	8842	147	10621	177	2696	44
​vmplayer Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit	1736	28	failed		3459	57	failed

Note: ​VirtualBox 4.3.x failed to launch any of the tests and is not included here.