IT Services Thin Client User Guide for Students

							IT Services Thin Client User Guide for Students
Introduction
This document is designed to convey to the user the process that is required to access Coventry University’s Student Thin Client solution. The Student Thin Client service has been created to promote the use of Location Independent Working and to enable the use of thin client technology. Members of the university can access services / applications that are normally only allowed to run internally to the university from any where in the world via an internet enabled client. This document outlines the services that are available via the Student Thin Client service and how to access them.

Topics
Client System Requirements Hardware Client Software Client Connecting to the Thin Client Service The Thin Client Desktop Accessing Applications Opening and Saving Files Exiting from the service Disconnected sessions Reconnecting to the service Remote Desktop Connection Advanced Features Display Local Resources Local Devices and Resources Programs Experience Advanced Advanced Settings Checking the Remote Desktop Client version Printing Troubleshooting

Client System Requirements
There are a number of different ways to connect to the STUdent Terminal Service (STUTS). You can use the dedicated Thin Client hardware devices that are available on campus or a software based client.

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 1 of 15

31/10/2007

Hardware Client
Coventry University is deploying a number of devices around campus based on devices from a company called Chip PC. These devices when powered on are automatically discovered by the management software and the appropriate software is automatically downloaded to the client. The devices themselves are environmentally friendly in terms of power consumption. They typically use no more then 5 watts when in use and 0.1 watts when in standby mode. The devices also have a typical MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of approx 10 years due to the use of cold technology.

Chip PC - Extreme PC – Thin Client

Chip PC – Jack PC – Thin Client

When the client is initialised the device boots up and talks to the management software for any updates to its software or configuration before presenting the initial logon screen.

Chip PC – Thin Client – logon Screen. By pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete the domain authentication screen is displayed which prompts the user to enter his / her username and password.

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 2 of 15

31/10/2007

Unlike the software client the user does NOT need to include the name of the domain as this is pre entered for all users. Upon successful authentication the user is then automatically connected to the STUdent Terminal Service (stuts.coventry.ac.uk) using pass through authentication at which point the service desktop appears. See The Thin Client Desktop

Software Client
The Student Terminal Service is currently supported on all Microsoft platforms that are able to run the latest Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) software (v 5.2 or greater). This document will detail how to use the service using v6.0 of the RDC Client. The RDC Client v6.0 is available from Microsoft at the following location; http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925876 To determine which version of the Remote Desktop Client is installed, please see the section “Checking the Remote Desktop Client version”. RDC Clients for UNIX, Macintosh, DOS and Windows CE / Pocket PC are also available but are not covered in this document.

Using Microsoft “Remote Desktop Connection”
The Microsoft “Remote Desktop Connection” client is accessed in the following manner; Start – Programs – Accessories – Communications – “Remote Desktop Connection” In some cases after the RDC client has been upgraded via the Microsoft Update service the location changes to: Start – Programs – Accessories – “Remote Desktop Connection” To start the client, double click on the icon. Helpful hint: If you are planning to use the service frequently you can right click with the mouse on the icon, select “Send To” and then select – “Desktop (Create Shortcut)”. This will place a shortcut on to you desktop. You can then drag the icon to your quick start menu if you so desire.
Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 3 of 15

31/10/2007

Connecting to the Thin Client Service
After you double click the RDC icon to start the client you will be presented with the following screen;

Initially the “Computer” field will be blank. In this case it is shown with the service name pre-entered. The service that you will be connecting to is stuts.coventry.ac.uk. This stands for “STUdent Terminal Services” If you do not configure any option you will then be prompted for a username and password. The user name must be in one of the following forms; <username>@Coventry <username>@Coventry.ac.uk Coventry\<username> Where <username> is your login name as assigned from IT Services and Coventry is the Microsoft Active Directory domain name for Coventry University. For example abc123@coventry is the same as abc123@coventry.ac.uk or Coventry\abc123

The Authentication window Warning: IT Services DO NOT recommend that you click the “Remember my password” tick box as a good practice security measure.

After clicking on OK you will be presented with the following screen;

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 4 of 15

31/10/2007

This screen lets you to decide if you want to present one or more of your client local drives (C: or D: etc) to the remote terminal server. This has the advantage or allowing you to drag and drop files between the local client and the mapped drives (H: and W:) in the RDC session. See Local Devices and Resources. The screen also allows you to use the clipboard to cut and paste text between applications on the RDC client session and the local client.

The screen also allows you to use the clipboard to cut and paste text between applications on the RDC client session and the local client. This window can be prevented from appearing each time by checking the “Don’t prompt me again for connections to this computer”. If the username or password is incorrect you will be prompted to re-enter your credentials. Note: After a number of failed attempts your user account will be locked out and you will need to contact IT Services Help Desk is order for your account to be reactivated.
Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 5 of 15

31/10/2007

The Thin Client Desktop
Once the RDC client has successfully authenticated the user the RDC client will proceed to login to the service the same as logging into a users workstation. After a short period of time the desktop will appear (see Figure 1: Thin Client Desktop) and you will be able to access the authorised programs (see Figure 2: Thin Client Desktop Menu). The desktop looks and feels like a standard windows client. The user experience has been tailored to provide each user with a consistent view. Features that would normally be available on an individual’s client computer have deliberately been disabled in the terminal service environment. This is in order to prevent any one user from either maliciously or unintentionally causing disruption to the service for all other users. The reason for doing this is because there are a number of servers that make up the service and each server can host hundreds of users at the same time.

Figure 3: Thin Client Desktop
Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 6 of 15

31/10/2007

Accessing Applications

Figure 4: Thin Client Desktop Menu Applications are started by clicking on start and then navigating to the required application. Note: Not all applications that can be found on an Open access PC will be or are available on the Thin Client service.
Back to Topics

Opening and Saving Files
Files can be opened using the following standard methods. 1. Double click the My Computer icon (The name represents the server that you are connected to) and select the required drive i.e. H: or W: and navigate to the required file and then double click the file with the mouse. If the file is not associated with an application (the application may not be installed) you will be prompted to select an alternative application to open the file with. 2. Open the required application i.e. “Microsoft Office Word 2003”. From the “File” menu select “Open”. A window will then appear presenting you with icons in the left hand pane “My Documents” and “My Computer”. The “My Documents” is set to look for files in your user Home folder H:

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 7 of 15

31/10/2007

If you require files on the W: drive please select the “My Computer” icon and navigate to the appropriate file location.

Files can be saved using the standard method. From the active application i.e. “Microsoft Office Word 2003”, select “Save As” from the “File” menu. A window will then appear presenting you with icons in the left hand pane “My Documents” and “My Computer”. The “My Documents” is set to look for files in your user Home folder H: If you require your file on the W: drive please select the “My Computer” icon and navigate to the appropriate file location before saving.
Back to Topics

Exiting from the service
Once you have finished using the service, save any files you have open and close any which is applications. You should then select “Start” and then the Log Off icon followed by your username. This will then close the session in a controlled manner and free up resources for other users.
Back to Topics

Disconnected sessions
In some instances sessions to the service will lose connectivity unexpectedly. This can happen for a number of reasons i.e. using the service from a laptop whilst on a train which enters a tunnel. In this case the session would disconnect unexpectedly and leave the user’s session active on a server in the Thin Client service. Any applications that were running at the time would still be active. This would seem to be an issue in that how do you the user reconnect to the original session which could be on any one of a number of servers? Fortunately there is a service called the Terminal Services Session Directory Service (TSSDir) which manages all sessions on the service and re-connects you to your session.
Back to Topics

Reconnecting to the service
All you the user have to do is restart the RDC Client as detailed in Connecting to the Thin Client Service and the TSSDir Service will reconnect you to your original session. Note: The TSSDir Service monitors and manages all sessions and terminates sessions after a period of 1 hour of inactivity.
Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 8 of 15

31/10/2007

Remote Desktop Connection Advanced Features
This section is designed to give you the user a brief overview of the advanced features that are available in the RDC Client.

Display The DISPLAY tab gives you the option of setting the size of the RDC Client screen that will be presented on your client display. For ease of use it is recommended that you set this option to Full Screen. The colour pallet depth that is available is determined by the terminal server that you attach to. You will find that the default of High Color 16 bit is more than adequate. The option to “Display the connection bar when in full screen mode” is useful if you need to work on your local client as it allows you to minimise the RDC session whilst you work locally.

Local Resources The LOCAL RESOURCES tab allows you to customise the sound and keyboard resources that are available. The “Local devices and resources” section allows you to define how the Clipboard functions between your local client and the RDC session. Checking the “Printers” option allows you to print documents from the RDC session on your locally attached printer. This option must be checked prior to starting the session for this to work. By default if the printers option is not selected the service will resort to the CutePDF printer driver which will create a pdf document in you’re My Documents folder (H:). The “More” option allows you to select which of your client local drives will be presented to you in the RDC Session.
Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 9 of 15

31/10/2007

Local Devices and Resources It is recommended that you only select one local drive for performance purposes. Note: If you are using v5.2 of the RDC client and you select the “Local Drives” option it will select all your local drives. This will severely impact the performance of your connection. The drive you select will be presented in the “My Computer” window as a drive letter in the form <drive letter> on <computer name>. This feature will allow you to copy file between your local computer and the network shares.

Programs The PROGRAMS tab allows you to select a program to start every time you connect to the service.

Experience The EXPERIENCE tab is probably one of the most important items that are available to you. It allows you to select the type of connection that you are using in order to optimise your experience. The terminal service when you connect to it also performs some performance testing in the background to work out the optimal settings for your connection. The terminal service has also been configured to control some of the features available i.e. Desktop background is not allowed on performance grounds.

Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 10 of 15

31/10/2007

Advanced The ADVANCED tab allows you to control how the RDC Client reacts to a failed authentication. By default the client is configured to continue the session and prompt you to reenter your password.

Advanced Settings The “Settings” option allows you to configure the Terminal Services Gateway settings. At this time the service is not using a TS Gateway server. This may change with the next version of Terminal Services. You can either leave the default setting of “Automatically detect TS Gateway server settings” checked or check the “Do not use a TS Gateway server” The later option does offer improved performance, but will need to be turned back on when TS Gateway servers are installed.

Back to Topics

Checking the Remote Desktop Client version
To determine which version of the Remote Desktop Client (RDC) is installed, you first need to open the RDC application. Start – Programs – Accessories – Communications – “Remote Desktop Connection” In some cases after the RDC client has been upgraded via the Microsoft Update service the location changes to: Start – Programs – Accessories – “Remote Desktop Connection” To start the client, double click on the icon.

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 11 of 15

31/10/2007

In the top left hand corner of the RDC window, click on the icon to access the drop down menu. From the drop down menu choose the “About” option.

The “Shell Version” number is the one that you are interested in. If your version is less that v6.0 it is recommended that you upgrade to the latest version by following the link RDC Upgrade.

Back to Topics

Printing
Printing is handled in a number of ways in a Terminal Service environment. All users of the STUTS service will automatically receive a number of default printers. These will include a PDF writer to create pdf documents from various applications and the university Printer Accounting System (PACS) in both Colour and Black and White.

Default printers As new or replacement services are introduced printers will be added and deleted as necessary. When using the software RDC client users can also present their local desktop printer via the RDC session to the Terminal Service. See the topic “Local Resources” for how to connect printers. Care must be taken when using this facility as not all printers are supported due to the enormous number available. Coventry University currently uses Hewlett Packard (HP) printers as its printer manufacturer and will attempt to support as many HP drivers as possible within reason. To this effect the HP Universal Printer PS (Post Script) driver has been included to support as many printers as possible using a single generic driver.

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 12 of 15

31/10/2007

Printers using both Fallback and matched drivers. If the service is unable to find match to the printer that is being presented then the service will revert to fallback drivers as a last resort. These can be identified by the printer being appended by the following; (Terminal Server PCL Fallback Driver) or (Terminal Server PS Fallback Driver). These are currently HP Deskjet 550C drivers for PCL and HP Color Laserjet 5/5M PS drivers for Post Script (PS). The default printer is the CutePDF Writer.

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 13 of 15

31/10/2007

Troubleshooting
Q. I am having trouble connecting to the service. A. To connect you are required to have a valid active IP address on your client device. You can check this by typing “ipconfig <enter>” at a “Command Prompt” Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . . . : coventry.ac.uk (This may be different) IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.163 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.160 You should obtain a result similar to the above (the numbers will be different). If any of these numbers are missing or are incorrect you will not be able to connect to the service. A further check can be made by typing the following ping command at a DOS prompt. C:\>ping stuts.coventry.ac.uk<enter> Pinging stuts.coventry.ac.uk [193.61.107.80] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 193.61.107.80: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126 Reply from 193.61.107.80: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126 Reply from 193.61.107.80: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126 Ping statistics for 193.61.107.80: Packets: Sent = 3, Received = 3, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

A further test can be made by running a web browser and attempting to access a website external to the client. If the ping and the web access work ok then the Thin Client service may be unavailable due to maintenance. Please check the following News Link for any announcements (NEWS). If you are still experiencing problems connecting to the service please contact the IT Services help desk on +44 2476887777 or help.its@coventry.ac.uk. Your call will be processed during normal working hours.
Back to Topics

Q. Why cannot I login to the service? A. The most common reason for this is due to the username not being entered in the correct format. See the section “Connecting to the Thin Client Service”.

Q. I have entered my username and password correctly but still cannot login. A. Double check your password is correct by typing your password into notepad.exe. In some cases (especially on laptops) the “Num Lock” is turned on which activates the numerical keypad functions on the main QWERTY keypad. This can result in a K being translated as a 2 etc.
Back to Topics

Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT

Page 14 of 15

31/10/2007

Q. I was using the service when one of the following messages appeared;

You might experience this message when an administrator of the server that you are connected to has intentionally disconnected your session. Any applications that you had open will still be available when you reconnect.

You might experience this message when an administrator of the server that you are connected to has intentionally logged you off and ended your session. Any applications that you had open will have been lost.

You may experience this message when your connection to the terminal service is interrupted i.e. your network connection may have dropped due to moving between wireless access points. Any applications that you had open will still be available when you reconnect. The Disconnected sessions section of this document explains what has happened. The Reconnecting to the service section explains how to reconnect to the service. The RDC client will attempt to automatically reconnect you to your interrupted session unless you click on the Cancel button. Back to Topics Prepared by: IT Services Thin Client User Guide - STUDENT Page 15 of 15 31/10/2007