Home > Services & Programs > Engineering Computer Services... > ECS VLab Portal 



News

2/24/2009 - VLab Status Added

See the top of this page for an count of how many virtual machines in the VLab are currently used.
9/12/08 New VLab Image

 The Fall 2008 VLab has been deployed

 

How To Connect

 Please try our vastly simplified connection method:

Begin by launching your remote desktop application. Simply connect to the host "vlab.ecs.umass.edu" 

Windows:

XP - Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection

Vista – Start Menu -> Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection

Linux:

(from a command prompt: ) rdesktop vlab.ecs.umass.edu

you may have to install the redesktop application – this varies by distro, for example yum install rdesktop for Fedora

Mac:

a remote desktop client for Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later is available here:

RDC200_ALL.dmg  Download me! Download
Mac RDC Client

Software Inventory

 Please note: PTC Pro Engineer and Ansys have not been installed on the virtual machines as we found both to be unusable due to slow video. We are hoping that an experimental 3d video driver from Vmware will make it into a future release, at which time we will be able to support those applications as well.

Software List


Title Title Title
Adina Automod Altera
Autocad Aspen Autodesk Architectural Desktop
Autodesk Inventor Circuit Maker MathCad
Matlab MS Office MS Visual Studio
Minitab ModelSim Orcad/Pspice

VLab Frequently Asked Questions

 If you encounter problems – we can't help if we don't know! Please email

help@ecs.umass.edu
VLab FAQ
  1. What are my username and password for the VLab?
  2. How do I access my files?
  3. How is Z-drive related to my home directory? To U-drive?
  4. Why isn't Pro-Engineer/[some software I really need!] installed in the VLab?
What are my username and password for the VLab?
Use your ECS username and password to log into the VLab. These are the same username/password you use in the physical computer labs or to access portal. If you have used neither of these, the default password is the letter 'a' (lowercase) plus your student ID number. If that does not work, please try 'a' + your student id, but omit the final digit. If you need your username, it can be found on the board on the wall in Marcus hall near the ECS office or you can email help@ecs.umass.edu and we'll look it up for you. Finally, you can come to Marcus 113 for help, including having you password reset.
How do I access my files?
"Z-drive" should be automatically connected for you just like in the real labs. Click the start menu then click "My Computer". Open Z: (it should show your name) to access your network share.
How is Z-drive related to my home directory? To U-drive?
Z-drive is a subset of your home directory (the directory you see if you log into one the the ECS unix servers, like Barney). The subdirectory "pcfiles" is the one we mount as z-drive. If you need access to files outside the pcfiles directory, you can either move them into pcfiles, or mount your whole home directory on the virtual machine. In Windows Explorer, select the tools menu and choose map a network drive. Connect to \\storage\, if prompted for a username and password, use "ECS\[username]" and your ECS password.
Z-Drive is not the same as U-Drive. It is a similar concept, but completely separate storage and quota.
Why isn't Pro-Engineer/[some software I really need!] installed in the VLab?
See the note above with the software inventory for the reason some specific software packages have not been installed on the VLab. Alternately, your software package may not be on the VLab because it has not been requested be anyone! We do have limited resources disk-space-wise, but will do our best to add your software request to our VLab image. Feel free to email us (help@ecs.umass.edu) or stop by Marcus 113. Do note that our deadline for software installation is the same as in the physical labs.