Applications
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Remote Access to LabConnect using Vmware Horizons
Introduction This article outlines the VMware Horizon client options to access the LabConnect (labconnect.ualberta.ca) remote access service. It will provide client installation, configuration, and login instructions, as well as international access, best practices and troubleshooting information. Applicability This document is for students and instructors who require remote access to specialized lab software on the LabConnect environment. Students must be registered in a participating course by the instructor to be approved for remote access. Instructors must request and be approved for remote access for their course by IST. Once approved, the instructor must provide a class list containing the CCIDs of students/TAs/instruction that require remote access. Procedure There are two methods to connect to the LabConnect environment. Vmware Horizons Client (Desktop Version) The Horizons desktop client is the preferred option for accessing LabConnect from Windows and Apple computers. The desktop client offers a robust experience and tends to be more responsive. Users with older computers and operating systems may not be able to install the desktop client. Users who have Windows 7 and OSX 10.12 and lower should use the Vmware Horizons HTML Access client option below. Vmware Horizon HTML Access The Vmware Horizon HTML Access client is a universal client that will work in any compliant web browser. Students should use the HTML Access client when they are unable to install the desktop client to their personal devices. For more information on system requirements, please refer to the VMware Horizon HTML Access User Guide Please be aware that the performance of the Horizon HTML access client is noticeably sluggish, in comparison to the Horizons desktop client. Selecting a Vmware Horizon Client Option Use a web browser and connect to https://labconnect.ualberta.ca. You will be presented with the following screen where you can decide to install the Vmware Horizon client or enter through Vmware Horizon HTML Access. If you select the Install VMware Horizons Client Option, please continue to the Installing the Vmware Horizon Client Software (Desktop Client) section. If you select Vmware Horizon HTML Access option, please jump to the Logging into a LabConnect session section. Installing the Vmware Horizon Client Software (Desktop Client) Before you begin... 1. Please ensure that you are installing the software using administrator rights on your computer. User accounts or non-administrator accounts may not install or run the client correctly. 2. After installation, please make sure you have permitted the Horizon client to allow access through any firewall, VPN, or other security software that is installed on your computer. Access to the Lab Connect service may not operate if they are blocked by security software 3. International students may experience difficulties (slow performance, cannot maintain a connection) when accessing the Lab Connect service due to slow network connections or firewalls from their country of origin. Installation Instructions (Desktop Client) Go to https://labconnect.ualberta.ca Download and install the Horizon client for your computer. You will be directed to the correct client installer automatically. Run the Horizons client installer for your operating system, Windows or Mac. You will be required to reboot your PC for the installation to complete. Once your computer has restarted, run the VMware Horizons client and configure a New Server pointing to the labconnect.ualberta.ca connection server. Double click on the new labconnect.ualberta.ca icon and you will be presented with the login dialog box. Logging into a LabConnect session Once you have successfully logged into the LabConnect client, you will be presented with either login dialog box. Vmware Horizons Client for Windows Vmware Horizon HTML Access Log in with your ualberta CCID and password If needed, make sure you are connecting to the AD domain. Do not log into the ualberta.ca or UADLS domains, if presented. When you login successfully, one of two things can happen: You will be automatically logged into a remote session You will be asked to select an environment to log into, if you have access to more than one. Double click the desired pool to launch a session. Once LabConnect starts loading your session, the system is spinning up a session for your use in the same way when you are starting up a PC. It may take several seconds to get past the Please Wait message and for the desktop to appear Once you are logged in, you should have full access to all the software. When you are done, sign out by double-clicking the Signout icon on the desktop and close your Horizon client. See the Best Practices section for more information on correct sign out procedures. If you want to access the environment again, just run the Horizons client. Connecting from International Locations Students who are located outside of Canada have direct access to labconnect.ualberta.ca. In the event that you are unable to directly connect or experience a slow or unstable connection, you may wish to try connecting to the University VPN Service to see if your experience/performance improves. IMPORTANT: Due to the complex nature of connecting to remote systems across the globe, IST is unable to guarantee the stability, performance, or usability of the LabConnect service. International students may experience slow network connections or firewall restrictions from their country of origin. Technical challenges of this nature may be outside of IST’s ability to resolve. Best Practices Maximize your client or web browser window (or run it in a very large window if you have a large LCD screen) when you are using LabConnect. Some software does not work well in smaller windows within the Horizons clients. Once you have been granted access to LabConnect, log into the system to validate access as early as possible in order to reduce technical issues at project/assignment deadlines. Connect to LabConnect for synchronous course instruction only during your scheduled class date/time. LabConnect is available outside of business hours (8am to 5pm Mountain Time, Monday-Friday) and on weekends for homework and projects. Sessions are limited to 4 hours. You will receive a 10-minute warning before your session is shut down. You may log back in immediately to obtain a new session, if available. Sessions are set to automatically sign out after 2 hours of idle inactivity. Signing out of your virtual session (IMPORTANT) Do NOT close your sessions by closing the window or the web browser. Save your work frequently to Google Drive/Google File Stream or removable media. Data files left on the desktop will NOT be saved when you sign out Exit all software applications before signing out Use the yellow Sign Out icon on the desktop. This will help your session to close successfully. Having Trouble? Difficulties with installing the VMware Horizons Client software Please see this YouTube video that walks through the installations of the Windows Vmware Horizons client installation and login process. This process can be easily adapted for Mac OSX users. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoIordrgdOs&t= Not authorized to use the system? This is a standard error message that indicated that you were not granted access to LabConnect. Please verify with your instructor that your ccid has been included in their class list. The View agent reports that this desktop is currently logging off a previous session. Please try again later. This means that the last time you logged into LabConnect, your session failed to shut down correctly and still remains active. In most cases, the session should reset itself within 4 hours. In the event that the session does not clear within 24 hours, please contact ist@ualberta.ca to manually reset the session. Your connection to labconnect.ualberta.ca times out or the host does not respond This is also a very common error. Most likely, you are located outside of Canada and you do not have direct access to labconnect.ualberta.ca. Please see the Connecting from International Locations section above. Keywords: VDI Vmware Horizons remote access LabConnect labconnect.ualberta.ca
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Faculty of Nursing Citrix Guide
Introduction This document will go over how to use the Citrix environment (including HRDR) in the Faculty of Nursing. Applicability This article is primarily geared towards people who use the Faculty of Nursing Citrix environment. However, support staff may also benefit from this as well. Details Accessing the system Installing Citrix Workspace App HRDR environment Regular environment Troubleshooting & FAQ Accessing the system Remote Connections Ensure you have a Campus Computing ID (CCID) and a Nursing account from your supervisor first First connect to the Campus VPN using the yourccid@nurs vpn context as shown below: More details about getting the Campus VPN client can be found at: VPN Overview & FAQ VPN installation KB After successfully connecting to the VPN, from a web browser, navigate to https://agateway.nurs.ualberta.ca Citrix web portal, and sign in with your Nursing account. Local Connections from campus From a web browser, navigate directly to https://agateway.nurs.ualberta.ca Citrix web portal without the need for using VPN. Only your Nursing account is required to sign in. Installing Citrix Workspace App Citrix Workspace App is required to be installed on any computer accessing the Citrix desktops or apps. Sessions can be opened within a web browser if Citrix Workspace App is not installed, however some session features may be unavailable. The Web portal will do a check to see if you already have Citrix Workspace installed or not, and will prompt you to install it if it doesn't detect it. Find the installer in your Downloads folder. Once the screen that shows Workspace App has been installed successful, click on Finish (Do not click on Add Account, as this feature is not used) After Workspace App has finished installing, click on Continue on the Web portal to move on to the desktop selection screen. You will be presented the home screen of the web portal, with two tabs at the top for Apps and Desktops. Depending on what access you have been provided, you may not see all of the available apps/desktops. Optionally, you may want to add shortcuts to your favorite apps/desktops to your HOME screen in the web portal for quicker access. This is done by clicking the star in the top left corner of the icon. Click on the app/desktop you wish to launch, and it should start. HRDR environment To start with HRDR, you'll want to launch the Windows 10 - HRDR desktop from the Citrix Workspace App / Agateway web portal. Applications are not available unless you first launch the desktop first. After you have connected to the HRDR desktop, you have a few options for accessing applications. 1) Some applications are available right within the desktop itself. Usually any app that is free to use/open source, or that the university has a site license for will be found right in the start menu. (Some examples include: Microsoft Office, Python, Adobe Reader, Google Chrome) 2) Any software that requires a license, will be accessed from the Citrix Workspace App (found in the Start menu). Alternatively, you can also open the Web Portal to access the Citrix applications, and the link can be found on your HRDR desktop. Some users may have access to a dedicated license of certain software. As shown in the screenshot above, there are two presentations of SAS. One is a dedicated license, and the other is a shared license available to any HRDR user. Accessing your files in HRDR: There will be a shortcut(s) on the desktop called 'HRDR' or some other name, which then points to a network path. This same shortcut can be found within an application launched from the Citrix Workspace App by clicking on the Desktop link under Quick Access. Then double click on HRDR folder as shown below. Regular environment The regular Citrix environment is a slightly different than HRDR, in that applications can be launched individually without first logging into a desktop OS. This provides a little bit of flexibility if you just need quick access to a specific app. Do keep in mind that some applications are only available from the Windows 10 Desktop such as Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office, and web browsers. Launch an application directly from the Citrix Website: Launch an application from within the Windows 10 desktop via Citrix Workspace App: Accessing your files There will be a shortcut(s) on the desktop named after the PI you work with or some other identifier, which then points to a network path. This same shortcut can be found within an application launched from the Citrix Workspace App by clicking on the Desktop link under Quick Access. FAQ and Troubleshooting Q. I'm having troubles signing into the VPN and/or Citrix web portal. A. While there can be a number of reasons why this is happening, the most common is that the VPN and Citrix logins are two separate accounts. They will generally have the same username though, so it can get confusing. CCID account = used for VPN Nurse account = Citrix web portal Q. My session gets disconnected if I haven't used it for a while. A. There are session limits for most software. This is usually centered around letting other people use shared licenses, but also helps keep the system running smoothly by freeing up resources for other people to use. Q. What are the system specifications available to the Citrix servers? A. HRDR Desktop Server 12 CPU Cores 64 GB RAM HRDR App Server 16 CPU Cores 96 GB RAM Regular Desktop Server 12 CPU Cores 64 GB RAM Regular App Server 16 CPU Cores 64 GB RAM Q. Why am I logged off the desktop and application servers each Sunday morning at 2:00am? A. The Desktop and Applicaiton servers are restarted as planned scheduled maintenance to clear out unused sessions, free up memory, and allow updates to run. Q. I was recently granted access to a specific piece of software, but I don't see it within the Citrix Workspace App. A. Within the Citrix Workspace App, try clicking on the cog wheel in the top right corner, then selecting Refresh Apps. Q. The application I was using through Citrix Workspace App is stuck or frozen. A. You can go into the Citrix Connection Center to terminate or log off from the application server Start by opening the Citrix connection Center, by right clicking on the Citrix Workspace App icon in the system tray Then you can either log off from the server, or terminate the app. Q. How do I change my Nursing password? A. After you've connected to a Citrix application or desktop, you should see a black menu bar at the top of the screen. (May look slightly different on Macs) Click the menu to expand it, and then click on Ctrl+Alt+Del Click on Change a password From here, provide the original password. Then enter your new password, and then confirm the new password. Then click on the arrow to submit the change. Keywords: Nursing,Citrix,hrdr,guide,manual,
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VCS Plugins & Downloads
Introduction This document is a master list of any required software or plugins for use with Virtual Computer Services (VCS). If you require assistance please contact the Staff & Student Service Centre at 780-492-8000. Applicability This article is for anyone using or supporting VCS, and requires any supporting plugins. Details Citrix Workspace App (Recommended Versions) Required for accessing VCS. Workspace App for Windows - version 2402 Cumulative Update 1 Hotfix 3 Workspace App for Mac - version 2409 works with (Monterey (12), Ventura (13), Sonoma (14.6.1), Sequoia (15)) Workspace App for Linux - version 2209 for Ubuntu based distros. Please see the archive below for other installers. Citrix Workspace Cleanup Utility If Citrix Workspace App is failing to uninstall, install or upgrade properly, try running the Cleanup Utility first. WorkspaceApp Cleanup Utility Zoom Media Plugin If you are using Zoom for video conferencing within VCS, you may want to optionally install the Zoom Media Plugin on your physical device to improve performance of your webcam and microphone. Be sure you do not have an open connection to VCS when this is installed. Zoom Citrix HDX Media Plugin for Windows Zoom Citrix HDX Media Plugin for Mac Zoom Citrix HDX Media Plugin for Ubuntu x64 Archive Primarily for use on older devices or operating systems. Windows Citrix Workspace App Long Term Service Releases (recommended) Workspace App 2203 CU3 (Long Term Service Release) (released May 2023) Workspace App 2203 CU4 (Long Term Service Release) (released July 2023) Workspace App 2203 CU5 (Long Term Service Release) (released Nov 2023) Workspace App 2203 CU6 (Long Term Service Release) (released Mar 2024) Workspace App 2402 CU1 (Long Term Service Release) (released Aug 2024) Workspace App 2402 CU1 Hotfix 3 (Long Term Service Release) (released Nov 2024) Mac Citrix Workspace App Workspace App 2306 (released June 2023) works with OSX 10.15, 11, 12 -> 12.6, 13.4 - Universal Architecture for use on Apple Silicon & Intel CPUs Workspace App 2309 (released Sept 2023) works with OSX 11, 12 -> 12.6, 13.5.2, 14 - Universal Architecture for use on Apple Silicon & Intel CPUs Workspace App 2311 (released Dec 2023) works with OSX 11, 12, 13, 14.2.1 - Universal Architecture for use on Apple Silicon & Intel CPUs Workspace App 2402 (released Apr 2024) works with OSX 11, 12, 13, 14.4.1 - Universal Architecture for use on Apple Silicon & Intel CPUs Workspace App 2409 (released Sept 2024) works with OSX 12, 13, 14.6.1, 15 Linux Ubuntu based: Workspace App 2202 Debian Package (released Feb 2022) for Debian based distributions such as Debian & Ubuntu Workspace App 2205 Debian Package (released May 2022) for Debian based distributions such as Debian & Ubuntu Workspace App 2209 Debian Package (released Sept 2022) for Debian based distributions such as Debian & Ubuntu Red Hat based: Workspace App 2202 RPM Package (released Feb 2022) for Red Hat based distributions such as Red Hat & Fedora Workspace App 2205 RPM Package (released May 2022) for Red Hat based distributions such as Red Hat & Fedora Workspace App 2209 RPM Package (released Sept 2022) for Red Hat based distributions such as Red Hat & Fedora Keywords: VCS,downloads,plugins,zoom, workspace app, citrix,Virtual Computer Services
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Change working directory for Jupyter Notebook
Introduction This article explains how to change the working directory in Jupyter Notebook in Virtual Computer Services (VCS). Applicability This article is intended for anyone using Jupyter Notebook. Procedure Change the working directory for Jupyter Notebook in VCS Click Start>Anaconda3 (64-bit)>Anaconda Promote (Anaconda3). In the command line enter jupyter notebook --generate-config and press Enter. A new configuration file (jupyter_notebook_config.py) will be created in C:\users\\.jupyter. Close the command prompt. Open File Explorer and browse to C:\users\\.jupyter. Right click jupyter_Notebook_config.py and select edit with Notepad++. Search the file for #c.NotebookApp.notebook_dir = ' '. Delete the # at the start of the statement and between the single quotes enter the path you would like to start in. NOTE: if your path includes a backslash you will need to add a second backslash to each due to the files syntax. Click File>Save when complete. Close NotePad++. Launch Jupyter Notebook and it will now start in your desired path. Note: You must launch Jupyter from the Anaconda Navigator or Anaconda Command prompt and type jupyter notebook Log out of your VCS session to save the changes to your profile. Keywords: Jupyter Notebook, Anaconda, VCS, Virtual Computer Services
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Use the Forgot my Password option for Office 365
Introduction Users at the University with Office 365 accounts may forget their login passwords and need to be able to reset them themselves. This guide will provide the steps on using the Microsoft Self Service Password Reset tool for Office 365. Applicability This article was written for all faculty, staff, and students with Office 365 accounts at the University of Alberta. Microsoft Sign in page 1. Go to https://login.microsoftonline.com/ to start the sign-in process. Enter your ccid@ualberta.ca address and click Next to continue. Alternatively, you can go to https://www.office.com/ and select Sign in to continue to the same section. 2. Select the Work or School account option to proceed. Note: upon logging in, depending on what you have done, you might be prompted with two options. A) Work or school account. B) Personal account. Even if both accounts are attached to a ualberta.ca email address, they are seen by Microsoft as being completely different, and IST can only help with "Work or school accounts". 3. Enter your password and click Sign in to continue. Note: There is a Self-Serve Password Reset option is available for clients by using the Forgot my password link. Please see all the details in the additional comments section below. 4. Select the "No" or "Yes" option to proceed past this section. The Don't show this again checkbox is optional. You will then be taken to the Office 365 Dashboard. Self Service Password Reset Users have to option of resetting their Office 365 password themselves by using the Forgot my password weblink on the Sign in page. 1. Go to https://login.microsoftonline.com/ to start the sign-in process. Enter your ccid@ualberta.ca address and click Next to continue. Alternatively, you can go to https://www.office.com/ and select Sign in to continue to the same section. 2. If Microsoft doesn't recognize that your email address belongs to an organization, select the Sign-in options button. Choose the Sign in to an organization option. 3. In the "Domain Name" field enter ualberta.ca and select Next to continue. This will bring you back to the sign-in page. 4. Select the Forgot my password hyperlink to continue to the next section. 5. Enter the characters from the image provided for the human verification question and click Next. 6. Choose the Email my alternate email and click the Email button to continue. Note: the verification code will be sent to your ccid@ualberta.ca account. 7. The verification code will be sent to your ualberta inbox, in an email titled ualberta.ca account email verification code and sent from msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline.com. 8. Enter the verification code provided in the email into the field below and click Next. Note: If you receive this Invalid Security Code error you will need to go back to step 6. 9. Enter a new password into both fields below and select Finish. 10. Your password has been reset. Note: clicking on the link below will take you back to the main Sign in page. 11. Enter your password and click Sign in to continue. 12. Select the "No" or "Yes" option to proceed past this section. The Don't show this again checkbox is optional. You will then be taken to the Office 365 Dashboard. Additional Information Users are encouraged to contact the Information Services & Technology (IST) Service Desk at (780) 492-9400 if they're unable to reset their Office 365 passwords themselves. Related Articles Office 365 Frequently Asked Questions Keywords: office 365, microsoft office password reset
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Configuring R/R Studio in Virtual Computer Services (VCS)
Introduction This article discusses configuring R/R Studio library for package installation on Virtual Computer Services (VCS). Applicability This article applies to R/R Studio on a standard VCS desktop, as well as a Data Analytics Research Core (DARC) VCS desktop. Details There are two methods for configuring R/R Studio libraries on VCS. 1) Use the built-in package library with close to 300 most popular packages pre-downloaded and installed on the image. *Recommended method* 2) Create the custom package library specific to the user. Any package to be used will need to be downloaded and installed. Method #1 **As of November 19, 2023, Method #1 has changed, and is now simpler to use R packages. They are now built into R Studio, so there is no need to setup an environment variable pointing to C:\RStudio_Packages. If you've set this up in the past, this environment variable R_Libs_User will need to be deleted instead of creating it. ** Open Control Panel-> User Accounts -> Change my Environment Variables Create a user environment variable called R_LIBS_USER with a value of C:\RStudio_Packages Click Ok to save the changes. The packages will be available within R Studio for use. Method #2: The default workspace location for R and RStudio is the user’s My Documents (i.e. c:\users\%username%\Documents\R) . On the virtual desktop this is a redirected folder (\\MED-VCS-USRDATA\xendesktop\%username%\documents) and R/RStudio does not work with a UNC path. This prevents the user from installing library packages. In order to work around this issue, we must change where the default workspace points to and change to a mapped drive. If the user still wants to store the library in their Documents folder, a mapped drive will need to be created and point to that location. Typically the drive letter of R: has been used in the past. So mapping the drive letter R: to \\MED-VCS-USRDATA\xendesktop\%username%\documents will provide them with a drive letter to use with their environment variable. Open Control Panel-> User Accounts -> Change my Environment Variables Create a user environment variable called R_LIBS_USER with a value of R:\ Click Ok to save the changes. The packages will be available within R Studio for use. Keywords: VCS,Virtual Computer Services,R,R Studio,packages,library
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Getting a VMware subscription at the University of Alberta
Introduction This article will explain how to get a VMware subscription at the University of Alberta. Applicability The target audience is anyone at the University of Alberta wanting information about VMware subscription. Procedure Q: How to get a VMware subscription at the University of Alberta? A: To order a VMware subscription. Simply visit OnTheHub. For Students For Faculty/Staff Home Use University Computers For assistance with software purchased, please submit an IT General Inquiry ticket via the U of A Service Portal. If your issue is urgent, you can call Staff Service Centre for IT Support at 780-492-8000, Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM MST. Closed on statutory holidays.
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Using Zoom within VCS
Introduction The article explains how to use Zoom within Virtual Computer Systems (VCS). Applicability Anyone using or supporting VCS and wanting to use Zoom. Details In a lot of cases, using Zoom within VCS is not required to show contents of your VCS session with other people in the meeting since you can share whatever screen VCS is open on. So using Zoom on the physical device generally works just fine, even when sharing contents of your VCS session. If joining a meeting, you may need to copy the link from your calendar or email within VCS, and paste the link into a browser window on the physical endpoint, as simply clicking on the Zoom link in VCS would attempt to open Zoom within VCS directly. If using Zoom within VCS is preferred, then follow the instructions in the next section to download and install the plugin. Procedure Zoom requires a VDI plugin be installed on the physical endpoint device, which will then leverage the webcam on the endpoint computer instead of running it on the Virtual Desktop. Performance is pretty much identical to using it on a physical device. You must be disconnected or logged out of the VCS session before installation of the plugin. Once the plugin is installed, no further configuration needs to be done, and you can open Zoom on VCS and connect to meetings. Installing the plugin for managed devices on campus Installing the plugin for non-managed or personal devices Troubleshooting Installing the plugin for managed devices on campus: 1) Click on Start, type in Software Center, and launch it. 2) Click on Citrix Zoom HDX plugin 3) Click Install. Installing the plugin for Non-managed or personal devices: For any non-managed devices, you'll need to download the Citrix HDX plugin for Zoom installer, and manually install it. Get the plugin: Zoom Media Plugin for Windows Zoom Media Plugin for Mac Zoom Media Plugin for Ubuntu Once you have the installation file, run it. And click Next to begin. Click Next to accept the installation path. Click Next to begin the installation. The installation should finish after a few seconds. Click Close Troubleshooting To verify if the plugin is working or not, you have two options. 1) Make sure you are logged into Zoom on VCS. Then from the physical device, show the hidden icons in the system tray in the bottom right corner of the screen, and find the Zoom HDX Citrix plugin icon, left click on it to open. Look to see if it shows that Zoom is connected. 2) From within Zoom on VCS, open the cog wheel in the top right corner. Click on the Statistics Tab. Then click on VDI. The section in the red box will show you if it is connected or not. Connected means that it is working. However if it is not working, then you'll generally see an error message here with a brief explanation of why. The two most common reasons of why it isn't working. There is no Zoom Citrix HDX plugin installed or detected on the physical computer The plugin version could be quite old. As Zoom is updated on the VCS by IST regularly, the plugin must also be updated. There is generally some level of backwards compatibility with older versions, but if the plugin version gets too far out of date, it may fail to work. Updating the client from one of the locations mentioned above will usually solve the issue. Receive the message "Your app version needs to be 5.15.10 (VDI Plugin) or higher to sign in" when connecting to your Zoom meeting inside of VCS means the plugin installed on your local machine (NOT VCS) is out of date and needs to be updated. Keywords: VCS, Virtual Computer Services, Zoom
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Installing or Upgrading Citrix Workspace App
Introduction This document will explain how to install the Citrix WorkspaceApp application. Applicability For anyone installing the Citrix Workspace App. Details In order to connect to a Citrix session (VCS), the Citrix Workspace App client needs to be installed on your system. Like most software this client software gets updated over time, and if not kept up to date, may fail to connect to Citrix sessions as VCS system upgrades are done. Due to the vast amount of different configurations and system types out there, there are a number of different scenarios for getting Workspace App working properly if it no longer works. This client software is installed on whatever physical device you use to connect to VCS. Windows: Windows has two versions of Workspace App available (1) Long Term Service Release (LTSR) and (2) Current Release. IST always recommends using a LTSR version of Workspace App, as they are generally more stable. IST always provides LTSR versions. Mac: Mac has only one stream, so as long as the operating system is kept current, then it is recommended to keep Workspace App up to date with the latest version. Here are the common ways of installing Citrix Workspace App: Pre-installed (Automated install) - Any machine deployed by IST comes with Citrix Workspace App pre-installed by default. Updates are automatically applied by IST as long as the device is reachable by management tools, and the machine is in a healthy state/powered on, etc MECM Software Center (Partial Automated install) - This method is for machines on campus and that were originally deployed by IST. An application called Software Center is available in the Start Menu, and the latest version of Citrix Workspace App is available to install or upgrade (if previous version exists) From the VCS Web Portal (Manual Install) - When you visit the VCS Web Portal (https://vcs.med.ualberta.ca) and sign in. Your browser will run a check on your system to see if Citrix Workspace App is already installed. If not, it will download the installer, which can be installed manually. From the VCS Downloads & Plugins Knowledge Base Article (Manual Install) - A KB article with all current recommended versions of Workspace App are available at: https://universityofalberta.freshservice.com/support/solutions/articles/19000109323 which can then be manually installed. Additionally, some older versions are available to download for older Operating Systems. Direct from Citrix's website (Manual Install) - While generally recommended as the last option due to many different versions available to choose from. If necessary you can get it direct from the vendor at: https://www.citrix.com/downloads/workspace-app/ Contents Installing/Upgrading from MECM Software Center Opening and running Software Center Installing/Upgrading from the VCS Web portal Downloading the Workspace App from the VCS web portal Upgrading an existing installation of Workspace App from the VCS web portal Manual Install Instructions Installing Workspace App on Windows Installing Workspace App on Mac Checking the version of an existing Workspace App installation For Windows 10 For Windows 11 Back up/Fallback Options Workspace App for HTML5 Troubleshooting System Requirements Advanced installation commands & methods Troubleshooting Installing/Upgrading from MECM Software Center 1. If this is a managed computer provided by IST, and the device is on campus, then you should be able to use Software Center to install or upgrade Citrix Workspace App. 2. As shown, you can find the latest recommended version of Workspace App, and the Citrix Cleanup utility if necessary. 3. By clicking on Install, it will detect if any existing versions are already installed, and upgrade them, otherwise will perform a brand new install. Downloading Citrix Workspace App from the VCS web portal Browse to the VCS website https://vcs.med.ualberta.ca and authenticate with your username and password for VCS. Click the Detect Receiver to have the VCS website check if Citrix Workspace App is installed (Tip: WorkspaceApp used to be called Citrix Receiver). Check the box to agree with the Citrix License Agreement, then click Download. (if you know that Workspace App is already installed, you can click below on Already installed The WorkSpace App installer will download, in the case of using Google Chrome, it will show up in the downloads bar at the bottom. Other browsers may vary. Upgrade an existing installation from the VCS web portal If an upgrade is availalble from the website, you may be presented with the following screen when you sign into VCS. The website will state that it found an upgrade, click on the check box for I agree with the Citrix license agreement. Then click Download. The Citrix Workspace App will download through the typical download mechanism your chosen browser uses. In this case, Google Chrome is used, and shows on the download bar. At this point do not click Continue yet. Start the installation of the new version of Workspace App as you would if you were installing for the first time. You can find specific instructions in section 1 of this document. Once the installation is completed. You may then click on the blue continue button on the VCS website to take you to the vitual desktop selection screen. Windows Installation Run the Citrix WorkspaceApp installer. Click Start to begin. Accept the EULA, and click Next. Do not click any option, except Microsoft Teams VDI Plugin if you plan to use Teams within VCS. Teams is not widely used across the University, so it may generally is not required. However installing it if you are unsure doesn't hurt either. Click Install to begin. The installer begins to install. Once completed, you should see the following screen. This is where Citrix Workspace App can be closed. Entering a Store RUL or email address is not used. You may be prompted to reboot your computer after installation, it is generally recommended to do so. You may see a prompt asking permission for the VCS website to open the Citrix Workspace App, click the checkmark to not prompt again, and click Open Citrix Workspace Launcher You’ll be directed to the desktop selection screen, where you may choose a virtual desktop to launch. Most users will only see one or two desktops to launch. macOS Installation Run the Citrix WorkspaceApp installer, CitrixWorkspaceApp.dmg, from your Downloads folder. Click Install Citrix Workspace to begin. At the screen shown below click Allow. Click Continue. Click Continue. Click Agree to accept the license agreement. Click Install. Enter the password you use to sign into your Mac. Citrix Workspace will install. Leave Add Account unchecked and click Continue. When the install is complete click Close. Click Move to Trash. Checking the version of an existing Workspace App installation Option 1: 1. Right click on the Start menu of your physical desktop. Then choose Installed apps. This might also say Apps & Features. 2. Scroll to find Citrix Workspace App, you may need to click on it to expand and show the version (applies to Windows 10). On Windows 11, it shows without having to expand the item. Option 2: Click on the carat icon in the system tray, and find the Citrix Workspace App icon. Right click on it, and select Advanced Preferences The version will be shown at the bottom Workspace App for HTML5 If installing Citrix Workspace App is not an option, or if installing Workspace App is failing. Then an back up/fallback method for access a virtual desktop in VCS is by using HTML5 within a web browser. While this option is available, it is still recommended to use a locally installed Citrix Workspace App client for best performance, peripheral support, and integration with other services. Tip: HTML5 Citrix Workspace App should be avoided if you use VCS to access Connect Care as certain features may not work within Connect Care. 1. After logging into VCS, and when the Workspace App detection screen shows up, you should see the option to "Use light version". 2. Select the virtual desktop you would normally connect to 3. The virtual desktop is now running inside a web browser tab. The Citrix toolbar is still available, but looks slightly different. 4. Full screen and multi monitor support are available if desired. Troubleshooting As of Oct 2, 2024, the system requirements for Citrix Workspace App are: If your system does not meet the minimum system requirements, older versions of Workspace App are available from the VCS Downloads & Plugins KB, which lists the compatible versions. .NET Framework 4.8 and the x86 version of .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0.6 or later is required for Workspace App. These components are installed alongside Workspace app if they are not present on the system. However if they are not present on the system, then Workspace App needs to be installed with administrator privileges Optional Command Line parameters This will configure WorkspaceApp to only check for updates for the LTSR stream after installation. CitrixWorkspaceApp.exe /AutoUpdateStream=LTSR This will tell WorkspaceApp to do a cleanup of the configuration & personalization files, and install 100% clean. citrixworkspaceapp.exe /forceinstall Administrator vs non-administrator installs Non-administrator – If a non-administrator installs Workspace App , then each non-administrator that logs in to the same workstation will have to reinstall Workspace App. Non-administrator installations are installed to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Citrix\ICA Client for each user. Please note that if .NET Framework 4.8 and .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0.6 are not installed already, then non-administrator installation of Workspace App will fail. Please see System Requirements above for more detail. Administrator – If CitrixWorkspaceApp.exe is installed using an administrator account. then the Workspace App only needs to be installed once. Administrator installations are installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client. Administrator installations of Workspace app 1912 and newer can be manually upgraded by non-administrators by clicking Check for Updates. Older versions cannot be upgraded by non-administrators. Conflicts – If an administrator install of Workspace App is performed on a machine that has existing non-administrator installs of Workspace App, then the two installations will conflict. The best option is to uninstall the non-admin Workspace App before installing admin Workspace App. Otherwise, the user’s profile probably has to be reset before Workspace App is functional again. Manual Workspace App cleanup Once in a while, attempts to uninstall and reinstall Workspace App may fail or hang. Or in some cases, the user just cannot connect to a virtual machine. You may want to consider clearing out any user data for Workspace App from the user's profile. Usually deleting any folder that says Citrix, ICAClient, Citrix Receiver, etc will do the trick. Below is some of the known folder/file locations on various platforms, but there may be some other folders involved that may change over time. Windows: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Citrix %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\ICAClient Mac: /users/%username%/library/Application Support/ Linux: /.ICAClient Additional Workspace App Support Citrix Product Documentation Should additional support be required, please contact the Staff and Student Support Centre @ 780-492-8000 or open a ticket at https://universityofalberta.freshservice.com/support/home Keywords: VCS, Virtual Computer Services, Workspace, Citrix
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Use Cyberduck Secure FTP Client
Introduction Cyberduck can be used to upload and download files to and from Andrew File System (AFS) disk storage space. It can also be used for Linux/Unix systems to upload and download files. Cyberduck supports the Secure File Transfer Protocol (sFTP). This article provides a description of how to use Cyberduck. Applicability Cyberduck may be used by all users with a valid and active Campus Computing ID (CCID). It is especially useful for users who cannot map AFS file storage as a network or share drive. Procedure Table of Contents Installation Windows Mac Setup Installation: Download the Cyberduck installer from https://cyberduck.io/download/ [Note: make sure to choose your operating system, Mac OS or Windows] Windows: 1. Windows should download the installer called Cyberduck-Installer-7.3.1.32784.exe or similar 2. Double-click to run the installer, and follow the installation steps 3. Cyberduck will appear in your Start Programs menu Mac: 1. Mac OS should download an archive file Cyberduck-7.3.1.32784.zip or similar 2. Double-click on the archive to copy Cyberduck into Finder > Downloads 3. Drag the Cyberduck icon into Finder > Applications from Downloads: Setup: 1. Click on the Cyberduck icon to start Cyberduck 2. When the application opens, click on the Open Connection button in the top left corner of the application: 3. Enter the information below: Set the protocol to SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) Host: gpu.srv.ualberta.ca [Note: Host will add sftp:// automatically] Port: 22 Username: [Note: your own CCID] Password: your own CCID password Click on Connect to log in 4. If you get a security key warning, select the option to always allow 5. Cyberduck will open to the root folder of your account 6. Double-click any folder to open it 7. Click on the action button to move files into or out of AFS from your local computer 6. Click Upload to open Windows Explorer or Mac Finder to choose files to upload to AFS 7. Make sure your highlight is inside the folder you wish to upload to, for example: 8. Downloaded files will go to the default Downloads folder on your local computer