Connecting to remote Windows servers#

We have access to three sets of remote desktop Windows servers:

  • Cloud CCSS (beta)

  • CCSS-RS (classic)

  • RedCloud (summer only)

This can be confusing!

Pay attention to the precise access instructions, as they may be substantially different for each server.

Connecting to different remote computers#

Important

Please be sure to do this:

  • use the L drive for all “Workspace” folders (i.e., the clone of the Bitbucket repository)

  • use the D drive for those that are large and need fast storage (but be aware that D drive is also wiped)

  • ALWAYS git commit and git push all changes before you logout, every time you log out.

Warning

Please note that anything saved in the C drive (Documents, Desktop, or Download folders) and D drive may be deleted at any time (reboot/security update), and there is no way to recover the deleted files.

Please be sure to follow all instructions, in particular the ones about mapping network drives.

You can connect to CCSS Cloud Computing via a web browser or via the a Remote Desktop (RDP) client. Note that for some strange reason, Windows users need to use a DIFFERENT RDP client than the one that comes with their system (and used for CCSS classic). See the instructions provided by CCSS and these older instructions, as well as this link at Microsoft for the right client for your laptop’s OS. Web browser instructions are below, for convenience.

If those fail…

use the https://client.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient/ (V1) client or the newer one https://client.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient/v2/index.html (V2)

  • Sign into Microsoft with your regular Cornell University email and password.

    • Cornell email address. Ex: jrg363@cornell.edu

    • Cornell email password. Ex: Cornell password

  • Click on “Research Servers”, and on the pop-up, click on Allow to proceed.

  • Sign in (again) with your regular Cornell University email and password.

    • Username: Cornell email address. Ex: jrg363@cornell.edu

    • Password: Cornell email password. Ex: Cornell password

Mapping Network Drives

  • You should map the following network drive, following the instructions linked above (see the document “3. Cloud Storage”)

    • \\ccssilr.file.core.windows.net\lv39 to drive letter L: (you can call it “LDILab Drive”)

    • We will be using that drive letter often (including to replace the S: drive from the CCSS classic nodes).

  • When instructed, you may also need to map the old S-drive:

    • \\rschfs2x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\share\LDIlab

    • Select “Connect using different credentials”

      • CISER username: ciserrsch\[netID]_RS (where [netid] is replaced by… your NetID!)

      • Check the box “Reconnect at login”

Signing out or disconnecting

  • If you have set a replication package’s code to run, do not sign out/ log off - disconnect.

  • If you are done for a few days, and have nothing running, then sign out.

Disconnecting

Close the browser tab, or close the application by the usual methods. This will leave your code running!

Warning

CCSS has removed their login instructions at this time!

Disconnecting

  • If you have set a replication package’s code to run, do not sign out/ log off - disconnect.

  • If you are done for a few days, and have nothing running, then sign out.

Please be sure to do this:

  • use the L drive for all “Workspace” folders (i.e., the clone of the Bitbucket repository)

Warning

Please note that anything saved in the C drive (Documents, Desktop, or Download folders) may be deleted at any time (reboot/security update), and there is no way to recover the deleted files.

  1. Install and Connect to CU VPN (see instructions).

  2. Once you have the VPN installed, enter cuvpn.cuvpn.cornell.edu

Log in image

  • Username is Cornell netid with ‘@cornell.edu’ extension

  • Password is normal Cornell account password

  • ‘Duo’ or ‘second password’:

    • Type ‘push’ – Sends DUO push to phone

    • Type ‘sms’ – Sends message to Cornell email inbox

    • Type ‘phone’ – Receive a phone call.

Further log in

  1. Set RedCloud account password using https://passwordreset.computing.socialsciences.cornell.edu/ (this is only needed once!)

  • Enter username as netid_RS when setting password. Ex: jrg363_RS

  1. Install the ‘Remote Desktop’ client:

  • Windows users should use the built-in “Remote Desktop Client”, not the client used for CCSS Cloud.

  • Mac users can use the same Microsoft Remote Desktop client (Download Remote Desktop)

  1. Make the connection to the RedCloud server:

  • Open up the Remote Desktop client

  • Add or Edit a new connection

  • Change “Computer” (Windows client) or “PC Name” (macOS) text box to IP address below (depending on Mac or Windows). Enter username as ciserrsch\netid_RS when signing in. ex: ciserrsch\jrg363_RS

IP Address

128.84.8.93

RedCloud RedCloud2

Continue log in using the password you created in step 3.

Mapping Network Drives

Network drives are already mapped in RedCloud. To access the shared “L-Drive”, follow these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer

  2. Click ‘This PC’

  3. Underneath ‘Devices and Drives’ you will see the L: drive titled ‘lv39’

RedCloudL

Signing out#

It is important to sign out when you do NOT have jobs running. When you no longer have a job running, it saves everybody resoures. Your data will still be accessible when you sign back on.

Manually Signing out#

  • Open Start Menu

  • Click on the Profile icon of your name on the left.

  • Click on the three dots at the top right of the popup menu

  • Select ‘Sign out’

Signout

Old method

  • Open Start Menu

  • Click on the Profile icon of your name on the left.

  • Select ‘Sign out’

Signout

Automatically Signing out#

To configure your job to sign out automatically at the end, these are the instructions provided by CCSS:

/* Use the code below at the bottom of the Stata 
   "main" or "master" script to automatically sign out */

shell shutdown -l 

# Add to end of main or last script.
system("shutdown  -l")

%Use code below at end of MATLAB main script, 
%or last script, to automatically sign out

system("shutdown -l")

#Use code below at bottom of Python/Anaconda script 
#to automatically sign out

import os

os.system("shutdown -l")