Remote Student Computing – Windows Virtual Desktop



Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Remote Student Computing – Windows Virtual Desktop PAGEREF _Toc53736452 \h 2What device do I need to access the WVD? PAGEREF _Toc53736453 \h 2Access to the Azure WVD PAGEREF _Toc53736454 \h 2Remote Desktop App (Windows users only) PAGEREF _Toc53736455 \h 3Remote Desktop App Installer Locations for other devices PAGEREF _Toc53736456 \h 9Remote Desktop Web Client PAGEREF _Toc53736457 \h 11Using the Remote Desktop PAGEREF _Toc53736458 \h 14Infrastructure PAGEREF _Toc53736459 \h 14Launching Apps PAGEREF _Toc53736460 \h 14Apps vs Desktop Experience PAGEREF _Toc53736461 \h 14If you have 2 monitors PAGEREF _Toc53736462 \h 15Remote Desktop Support PAGEREF _Toc53736463 \h 17Saving your files PAGEREF _Toc53736464 \h 19Printing PAGEREF _Toc53736465 \h 22Further Information PAGEREF _Toc53736466 \h 22Remote Student Computing – Windows Virtual DesktopWindows Virtual Desktop (WVD) in Azure is an off-campus version of the Common Student Desktop accessible via the on-campus shared PCs in the McClay Library and other shared study spaces.The WVD allows you to access the same set of Applications which you can access on the on-campus PCs. Should you be unable to come on-campus for any reason or be on-campus but unable to find a free shared PC, you will be able to access the same computing facilities via the WVD using your own device.Note you do not need the WVD to access Queen’s Online (QOL), Canvas, Office 365 or Teams.All students are able to access the WVD. The following sections give you guidance on how to access the WVD.What device do I need to access the WVD?The WVD is accessible from most client devices however the user experience is poor on devices which do not have a separate keyboard, for example mobile phones and most iPads. This is because when the keyboard is displayed on the mobile device it largely obscures the virtual desktop. IS recommend you use a PC, laptop or an iPad with a separate keyboard.Your WVD user experience will also be impacted by your broadband speed. You will need between 1.5 - 3 Mbps depending on what you are doing. See?here?for more information.Access to the Azure WVDThere are two options for accessing the WVD:Remote Desktop App (Preferred)Windows, MacOS, Android, iOSRemote Desktop Web ClientFrom any client deviceThe Remote Desktop is accessible from most client devices however the user experience is poor on devices which do not have a separate keyboard, for example mobile phones and most iPads. This is because when the keyboard is displayed on the mobile device it largely obscures the virtual desktop. NOTE There are limited numbers of virtual desktops available to students so, when finished working, please sign out to free up resources for your fellow students. You will be automatically signed out after 30 mins of inactivity.Remote Desktop App (Windows users only)Download and install the Remote Desktop App from down until you reach this section of the Web page and click on the version that matches your version of Windows (usually Windows 64-bit).If you are unsure whether your PC is 32-bit or 64-bit, hit the Windows key and search for “system properties” and look here for system type.If you are still unsure which client to install, start with the 64-bit version. If your device is not 64-bit, the install will fail so then try the 32-bit and then the ARM64.If you cannot install any version, see the Remote Desktop Support section later in this document.Open the installer by clicking on the down arrow beside the download and selecting Open.Or go to your Downloads folder and double click on the installation file from there.Follow the installation file instructions.After clicking ‘Finish’ at the end of the installation (takes about a minute) you will see this screenClick on Subscribe and login to your Microsoft Account. You will see the Remote Desktop:From the Remote Desktop you can find and click on any of the supported App icons to launch the App. You also have the choice of a Desktop Experience (similar to an on-campus SCC shared computer). The Desktop Experience is the last icon on the bottom right of the Remote Desktop. If you prefer a Desktop Experience, click on the Desktop Experience icon. You will be asked to login again. If asked to allow access to local resources such as printer, please allow this.Also highlighted in the picture above, to draw to your attention, are the icons for File Explorer and the browsers Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.When your Remote Desktop loads, if you do not see the Remote Desktop as above, click ‘Refresh’If you still do not see the Remote Desktop as above, stop and restart the Remote Desktop Client.When starting the App normally i.e. not after installing the Client, run the App from your Windows menu. Or consider right clicking the App icon on your Windows menu to “pin” the App to your task bar for convenience.The Remote Desktop App icon looks like thisIf you choose the Desktop Experience, at the end of your session please ‘Sign Out’Remote Desktop App Installer Locations for other devicesPlease use the URLs below and NOT the device App store to ensure that you are downloading the latest version of the App.Remember that the user experience is poor on devices which do not have a separate keyboard, for example mobile phones and most iPads. This is because when the keyboard is displayed on the mobile device it largely obscures the virtual desktop. MacOS iOS 13.0 or later. the above devices, there is an extra step. You will be asked to add a Workspace. When prompted for a Workspace, enter your @qub.ac.uk email address and the Workspace URL () will be auto populated.The following screenshots are for a MAC device, but Android and iOS are very similar.Remote Desktop Web ClientBrowse to . Consider bookmarking this page.Sign into your Microsoft Account using your student number and normal password.After a few seconds, you should see your virtual desktop.From the Remote Desktop you can find and click on any of the supported App icons to launch the App. You also have the choice of a Desktop Experience (similar to an on-campus SCC shared computer). The Desktop Experience is the last icon on the bottom right of the Remote Desktop. If you prefer a Desktop Experience, click on the Desktop Experience icon. You will be asked to login again. If asked to allow access to local resources such as printer, please allow this.Also highlighted in the picture above, to draw to your attention, are the icons for File Explorer and the browsers Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.If you choose the Desktop Experience, at the end of your session please ‘Sign Out’At the end of your Remote Desktop browser session please ‘Sign Out’Using the Remote DesktopInfrastructureThe infrastructure on which WVDs are provided consists of multiple Virtual Machines (VMs). Each VM can support multiple Desktops. The number of VMs available at any time is scalable. So as demand increases, additional VMs are automatically added to the infrastructure; as demand decreases, VMs are shut down to save cost.If monitoring detects that more VMs are running than are needed, one or more VMs will be identified for shutdown. You will see a warning message advising you that the server on which your Desktop is running is shutting down and asking you to save files and close down Applications. The message will also advise that you should restart a Desktop after about 5 minutes at which time you will be provided with a Desktop on an alternate VM which has spare capacity.Launching AppsPlease note than the initial launch of an App may take a few minutes so if accessing an App for a lecture or virtual lab please do so 5-10 minutes in advance of the start time.Some Apps are licensed and exclusive to a particular School. If an App does not launch for you, or gives an error message, please check with your School if this App should be available to you. If the App should be available to you then see the next section ‘Remote Desktop Support’.Apps vs Desktop ExperienceIf you have an App launched, you will not be able to use the Desktop Experience in parallel. If you try to launch the Desktop Experience you will get the following error message:If you close the App you have launched and try to launch the Desktop Experience you will still get this error message. You can either wait for 5-10 mins for the App session to automatically disconnect or you can find the Remote Desktop icon in your system icons tray, right click on the Remote Desktop icon and select ‘Disconnect all sessions’. You can then launch the Desktop Experience.If you have 2 monitorsIf you are using 2 monitors, when you launch the Desktop Experience, the WVD will grab both monitors.If you would like to restrict the WVD to using one monitor so you can use your other monitor for other activities, then you need to configure the Settings.Right click on the Desktop Experience icon and click on Settings:Set Use default settings to ‘Off’:Change ‘Display settings’ to ‘Single display’:Remote Desktop SupportIf you have any issues with the Remote Desktop, contact your local School Computer Officer @ your School does not have a dedicated Computer Officer, Request IT Support via the Queen’s Online homepage.When raising your IT Support ticket, chooseCall Type = ServicesCategory = Windows Virtual Desktop - WVDSaving your filesWhen working in a WVD, you will have a number of options for saving files:OneDriveQ:The C: drive on your local PCThe Documents folder in the WVDOn the Remote Desktop, use the File Explorer App icon to access your storage options.In the Desktop Experience, OneDrive and Q: are accessible from the home screen or clicking on ‘Documents’ from your ‘Start’ menu will give you access to all your storage options as above:To save files in the WVD and have them accessible from both the WVD and your local device, save the files to OneDrive or the C: drive on your local PC. This is the recommended approach.The WVD enforces ‘Files On Demand’ for your OneDrive. This means that when you access your OneDrive, the shortcuts (blue cloud ion) for your files and folders are synced so the whole structure of your OneDrive is shown. When you click on one of these shortcuts, the file will download for you as a temporary local copy to work on. When you finish, your work will be saved back to your OneDrive and the local copy removed leaving only the shortcut again.?You?can also save files to your Q: drive from the WVD but your Q: drive isn’t accessible from your local device.?The Documents folder in the WVD should only be used for temporary storage while on a WVD session. You cannot guarantee that if you save files in the Documents folder that they will still be available in a subsequent WVD sessionPrintingCurrently you have the option to print to a local printer so, for example, your printer at home.You will soon also have the option to print to the Queen’s provided printing facilities in all student computing areas if you are using the WVD on campus. Information ................
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