Remote Access for the NCSU Virtual Computing Lab
Robert E. Young
The Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) allows students and faculty to work remotely on a computer located at NCSU. This is done via a high-speed Internet connection. A DSL line, a cable modem, or a fixed
network connection is used to connect to the VCL machine through the Remote Desktop Connection client available in Windows Vista and XP or downloadable in Windows 2000, and the Remote Desktop Connection client for Mac OS X. The Remote Desktop Connection client appears on your PC as a complete image of what would appear on a monitor connected to the machine at NCSU that you are running remotely. In this way, you have your own machine at the university exactly as if you were sitting in an Eos laboratory logged onto an Eos machine. All your afs directories and files are available as well as all the directories and files on your own PC. In addition, the software available on Eos is installed on the VCL remote computer. This extends the Eos moniker of “Where ever you go, there you are” to off-campus. In addition, it extends it to anywhere in the U.S. or world where you have access to an Internet connection. The VCL is accessed through the Virtual Computing Lab website. Go to
http://vcl.ncsu.edu
and choose the Make a VCL Reservation link. This will take you to a logon page. You must logon to the website in order to gain access to the VCL site needed to use the system. When you have logged on you will be at the VCL home page. The link for the VCL home page is
http://vcl.ncsu.edu/scheduling/index.php
1.0 CONFIGURING THE REMOTE DESKTOP CONNECTION CLIENT
To use the VCL you must first configure the Remote Desktop Connection client. Section 1.1 in this document describes how to set up the Remote Desktop Connection client for a MSWindows-based PC. For other operating systems you need to go to the VCL home page and select “Help”. For a Windows machine select “Windows help” and for a MacIntosh machine select “Macintosh help”. Each has step-by-step instructions explaining how to set-up your computer so you can access and use the VCL machines.
Start the Remote Desktop Connection software and once the Remote Desktop Connection client
window appears, open the Options (To access the options tabs click the Options button before
clicking the Connect button) and you will see the following window.
Options window – “General” tab screen
Options window – “Display” tab screen
Leave the “General “ tab screen blank.
Only exception is when you are having password problems as described in Section 2.2, Password Issues
Screen Resolution Select a screen resolution less than or equal to the resolution of your computer screen. We recommend something less so you can see your own screen as well as the remote screen. This gives you easier access to your own computer screen.
Colors
Options window – “Local Resources” tab screen
Options window – “Programs” tab screen
Select “Disk drives” and “Printers” so you can access your own files and can print on your own printer or any printer connected to your own PC.
1.1.1 NETWORK Connection Speed
Options window – “Experience” tab screen
These settings will be saved so you don’t have to do it again unless something changes.
1.2 SETTING UP THE VCLUSER PREFERENCES
Once the Remote Connection Desktop client is completed go back to the VCL website homepage
and select “User Preferences” to get the User Prefernces webpage.
User Preferences Webpage
You are now ready to work on a VCL computer remotely. Section 2 describes how to request a VCL computer and how to connect to it.
Set this up to match what you specified for the Remote Desktop Connection client. This
2 Using the VCL Remote Computer
The VCL is accessed by going to the VCL website and selecting Make a VCL Reservation. This takes you to a logon window where you use your UNITY logonID and password to gain access to the
reservation window. When in this window select the “New Reservation” button to get to the reservation webpage.
New Reservation Webpage
Next, move to the reservation time portion of the webpage as shown below.
Reservation time portion
Select “Now” for immediate use or “Later” to schedule a time for yourself in the future.
Select the duration of time you want to reserve up to a maximum of 4 hours.
When the application software set, the reservation time and the duration have been selected you mouseclick “Submit” and see the following webpage.
Select the “Current Reservation” button to open the screen shown below. Current Reservations Webpage – Remote Computer being prepared
Current Reservations Webpage – Remote Computer Available for Use
This screen shows that a computer is being prepared for your use and displays the estimated time it will take to complete the preparation.
2.1 LOGGING ONTO THE REMOTE COMPUTER
The “Connect!” button will take you to the Connect! webpage. This displays the information you need to log onto the remote computer.
Connect! Webpage – Remote Computer Identification Number (IP Address)
The information you need to log onto the remote computer
Connect! Webpage – Remote Computer Logon Password
Put the password of the Remote Computer in the “Password:” box of the Remote Desktop Connection Log On window.
Password is “case
2.2 PASSWORD ISSUES
Often you will have difficulty with the password and may see the password error message as shown below. This is usually the result of the password being case sensitive and difficulty distinguishing between certain characters. In this example the password appears to be “F4cKld6i”. When you type this password you will get the following error message.
SOLUTION POSSIBILITY 1
Here the password is actually “F4cKId6i” (note it is “KI” and not “Kl”). Unfortunately, in the font selected for the website the characters 1, l, I (one, “l” as in level, and capital i ) are indistinguishable from one another. If you receive the logon error then press the “Ctrl” key and the “+“ key simultaneously several times to enlarge the text on the webpage. This should allow you to determine what characters comprise the password so you can correctly enter it.
SOLUTION POSSIBILITY 2
Close down the Remote Desktop Connection window and restart the Remote Desktop Connection. When the Remote Desktop window appears then select “Options” exactly as you did in Section 1.1. Open the “General” tab and you will see a window similar to that shown below. Copy the password from the webpage and past it into the “Password” box on the “General” tab window. Close the “Options” window and initiate a connection to the remote computer. The password will appear correctly in the remote connection window.
Copy and paste the password from the VCL Connect!
When you successfully use the correct password you will see the following on your computer. Remote Desktop Window
3 USING THE REMOTE COMPUTER
3.1 PRINTING
To print something you do so as you would print something on your PC. The print job will go to whatever printer is the default printer on your PC. The printers available in the example are shown below.
3.2 ACCESSING YOUR FILES
If you open the VCLA1-4 icon on the remote desktop screen you will see the directories on the remote desktop and the directories on your computer. Logging onto Wolfcall will load your afs drives also. Below is an example showing the remote computer’s C and D drives, the A through R drives on my notebook computer, and the K and J drives of my afs files space. You move files between your PC, afs space and the remote computer exactly the same as on any PC.
By bringing up the “Printers and Faxes” window from the start menu you can see what printers are available. In this example, I have an HP Laser Jet 5
4 DISCONNECTING FROM THE REMOTE DESKTOP COMPUTER
To disconnect open the start menu within the Remote Desktop window and select the “Disconnect” button next to the “Log Off” button and your session with the remote computer will be terminated. Be sure you have saved your work on either your PC or in your afs space. Anything left on the remote computer’s C or D drive will be lost when your session is ended.
Current Reservations Webpage – Ending a Remote Computer Session
Release Reservation Webpage – Remote Computer Session Termination
4.1RECOVERY FROM A DISCONNECT
If you disconnect and forget to move files from the remote computer’s C or D drive to your own PC or afs space then you can re-connect to the remote computer by logging back onto it immediately using the same IP address and logon password. You have approximately a 15 minute grace period. After that the remote computer’s disk drives are wiped clean and your files are lost forever. However, once you have gone to the Release Reservation Webpage and terminated your remote computer’s session, the remote computer’s disk drives are immediately wiped clean and your files are gone forever. So be careful!
If you finish a lot earlier than the total time of your reservation then please go back to your Current Reservations, click the End button beside the current reservation.
