Introduction

CSRW provides CS staff and students with remote access to Linux and Windows desktops, and to their data.

CSRW uses ThinLinc and requires the client installed on your workstation or laptop.  Download and install the client:

Linux RPM client

Linux DEB client

Windows client

macOS client

Start the ThinLinc client and set the Server to csrw2.cs.ucl.ac.uk.  Use your Computer Science Linux credentials to log in.  (Information on departmental credentials.)

Once connected you will be presented with a choice of platforms for your session:

• CentOS 7
• Windows 2008 R2

There are a number of options that can be set in the ThinLinc client to modify its behaviour.  The Options button is available by clicking on the Advanced button on the log in dialogue.

Some options you may wish to configure are:

Screen size - by default the screen size is set to full screen mode.  This can be changed from the Screen tab.

Reconnect Policy - configures how the client handles connections to existing sessions.

You should configure your local devices before starting your session.

Drives (Windows and Linux only)

It is possible to access your client's local drives in your CSRW session.  Select the Local Devices tab and press the Details... button next to the Drives check box.

To add your local drive, click on the Add button and enter the path to the local drive or click on the ... button to browse to the drive.

Printers

You can print to you local client printer from your CSRW session.  Select the Local Devices tab and ensure the Printer check boxed is selected.  The printer will appear as thinlocal in your CSRW session.

On Linux this will print to your default printer.  On Windows and Mac OS X you may select the destination printer.

There are two methods for ending a CSRW session: logout and disconnect.    Logout ends the session on the server and is the recommended method.

Disconnect leaves the session running on the server with the ability to reconnect to it.  Making it possible to, for example, disconnect a session in the department, go home, reconnect to that session and continue to work.  However, using disconnect comes with some considerations.

Each disconnected session retains one of a limited number of licences.  This may prevent other users from connecting.  Please give consideration to this.  Idle sessions will be terminated after 24 hours and unsaved work will be lost.

In the event of a system failure, the session will terminate.  Any unsaved work or running processes will be lost.

Servers are regularly rebooted for maintenance.  This will terminate disconnected sessions.  Unsaved work or running processes will be lost.

In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to shutdown servers without notice.  This will terminate disconnected sessions and unsaved work or running processes will be lost.

Logout

To end a CSRW session, follow the normal logout procedure of your chosen platform and this will end the CSRW session too.

Disconnect

To disconnect a session, use the pop up session menu (by pressing the F8 key) and clicking on Disconnect session.

You can specify how to reconnect to your disconnected session via the Reconnect policy on the Options tab of your ThinLinc client.