Instructor

Instructor

Titus Klinge
Assistant Professor
Drake University

Accessing the CS Desktop VDI

2 minute read

There are two ways to access the CS Desktop environment:

  1. Installing a dedicated desktop application to your personal computer.
  2. Installing a Google Chrome extension and accessing it through your a browser tab.

Installing the dedicated application is the preferred method because it handles keyboard input slightly better than the browser extension. However, the desktop app only works for Windows and MacOS.

Installing the Desktop App

  1. If you have a Windows or MacOS computer, start by installing Citrix Workspace on your computer.
    1. Windows users should use this executable to install the application.
    2. MacOS users should use this executable to install the application.
  2. Once the application is installed, you will be asked to Add Account and provide a server address. Use vdi.drake.edu as the server address and continue.

  3. Next you will be prompted to type in your username and password. Use your Drake email address as your username and your normal Drake password.

    Warning! If you’ve already signed into Citrix Workspace using your 9-digit ID, you will need to sign out and sign back in using your email address before continuing.

  4. You should now see a window with several tabs such as “Desktops” and “Apps”. If so, you’ve successfully set up Citrix Workspace!
  5. Skip down to the Logging into the CS Desktop instructions for how to boot up the CS Desktop.

Installing the Google Chrome Extension

  1. You should start by installing the Citrix Workspace chrome extension.
  2. When you open the Citrix Workspace chrome app for the first time, it will prompt you for an “Account URL.” Type https://vdi.drake.edu into the box and click “Connect.”
  3. Next you will be prompted to type in your username and password. User your Drake email address as your username and your normal Drake password.
  4. You should now see a window with several tabs such as “Desktops” and “Apps”. If so, you’ve successfully set up the chrome extension!
  5. Skip down to the Logging into the CS Desktop instructions for how to boot up the CS Desktop.

Logging into the CS Desktop

Accessing the CS Desktop is different depending on whether you are on-campus or off-campus.

  • On-Campus: If you are accessing the VDI from on-campus, click the “Desktops” tab and then open the CS Desktop.

  • Off-Campus: If you are accessing the VDI from off-campus, click the “Apps” tab and then open the CS Desktop Off-Campus app. The app will ask you to re-enter your username and password. Again, it is important that you use your Drake email address as your username.

Once you open the CS Desktop, you should see an Ubuntu linux desktop environment. You’re all set!

Setting Up Visual Studio Code

Once you are logged into the CS Desktop, you should open Visual Studio Code and install the C/C++ extension from the marketplace. You can install the extension by navigating to the Extensions tab on the left-hand-side of the Visual Studio Code window.

I strongly recommend you create a folder somewhere on the CS Desktop to store all of your CS 130 files. For example, you could create the folder cs130 in your Documents folder.

Once you have a folder created, you can “open” the folder in Visual Studio Code by navigating to File -> Open Folder and navigating to it. This is especially convenient for seeing all of your CS 130 files on the left-hand-side of the editor.