Virtual Desktop FAQ

Each time you log in, a new virtual computer is built for you. Save files to your network storage or a USB drive (Windows only) to keep them for next time. It is important to note that anything you save to the virtual desktop itself will not be preserved.

Virtual desktop locations that will NOT be saved include;
* Desktop
* Documents
* C: Drive
* Bookmarks

Places that are safe to save to:
* Network Storage (J: drive or S: drive workgroups)
* USB drives or personal cloud storage

The best practice is to redirect user data to networked based file storage. A key benefit to virtual desktop is the ability to update the base image easily and allow the system to distribute those changes to an entirely new desktop. Therefore, if you separate the desktop from the data, you can update the desktop more easily.

You can use an SFTP client to connect to the network storage to retrieve or upload user data.

The virtual desktop system allows end users to print via a "pass through" to printers that are installed on the host system.  It is also possible to add printers to the virtual desktop as you would a standard desktop and not conflict with the virtual printing system.  With virtual printing, after a printer is added on a local Windows computer, View adds that printer to the list of available printers on the View desktop. No further configuration is required. For each printer available through this feature, you can set preferences for data compression, print quality, double-sided printing, color, and so on.

USB drives can be connected on Windows VMware View Client:

Plug in the USB drive to your real computer. Click the Connect USB Device button at the top of the Virtual Desktop. Select the drive you want to connect and it will be available on the virtual desktop.

Any changes you make are not saved so each time you log in, a new virtual computer is built for you.

When you log off of a virtual desktop it is not saved. Essentially the desktop is deleted and each time you log in, a new virtual computer is built for you.

The following ports need to be open for connection to the UW-Platteville VMWare View servers:
UDP and TCP port 4172, as well as port 80 and 443 for http and https
IP Ranges: 137.104.133.0/24 and 137.104.140.0/22

Absolutely! The iOS version is available in the App Store and a number of Android clients can be found on the VMware website.

https://www.vmware.com/support/viewclients/doc/viewclients_pubs.html

A high-speed connection (DSL or Cable Modem) is suggested. Tasks requiring no video, no 3D graphics, and the default Windows and Horizon 7 settings, connection of 100-150 Kbps is required. Applications using 3D graphics, multiple monitors, video playback, etc will require connection speeds of 1-2 Mbps. If you choose to mount USB drives to the remote machine or use advanced features, plan on higher bandwidth requirements.  You can test the speed of your internet connection by running this speed test (http://www.speedtest.net/)

Desktop access is granted based on class lists.  Classes which require specific software will have access to the desktops which have the software installed.  If you are in a course which needs specific access to an application and it is not currently available, please work with your instructor to request the access.  In some cases, software is not compatible with the virtual desktop environment and needs to be accessed using alternate methods.