VCL Best Practices

VCL Best practices

Lee Toderick, Department of Technology

Systems (toderickl@ecu.edu)

Tony Miller, ITCS (millerf@ecu.edu)

Topics Covered

• VCL Definitions

• Apache VCL Details

• Citrix VCL Details

• Incorporating VCL into Courses

• Conclusion and Questions

Virtual Computing Lab

Providing

computing

resources

without

traditional

physical lab

space

Benefits

• Increases availability to 24/7

• Reduces dependence on student owned

equipment and software

• Removes requirement to be on campus

• Increases equivalence of D/E and on-campus

student experience

• Controls access to software for only actively

enrolled terms

ECU VCL Options

• Option 1 – Apache VCL

– Presented by Lee Toderick

• Option 2 – Citrix VCL

– Presented by Tony Miller

APACHE VCL

Reserved computers at your command

Apache VCL Overview

Reference: https://cwiki.apache.org/VCL/#Index-ConceptualOverview

Apache VCL Features

• Reservations for an entire computer are

made for now or future date

• Reserved computers are delivered in initial

“known good” state

• Students have admin control of computer

during their session

• Reservations that expire cause computer

to reload

Apache VCL Features

• Faculty can request one time or repeating

scheduled reservations for their class

• Reduces wait time and allows class to

begin work right away

Apache VCL Features

• Because Apache VCL reserved computers

are trusted ECU machines, students can

access network resources not otherwise

available

• Ex: Apache VCL reserved computers can

directly access Pirate Drive

Apache VCL Labs (several)

Apache VCL Lab NSF/HP Grant

Apache VCL Statistics

Reservations Unique Users Hours Used

4,928 1,101 9,421

Data collected August 24, 2010 – March 18, 2011

Top Five Reserved Images

ECU Cisco Lab

ICTN 4800 Fall 2010

RHEL RHA

Windows XP with SAS, PASW, and Mathematica

Windows XP with NI Circuit Design

Apache VCL Computer Access

• Reservation for Microsoft Windows

– Use an RDP Client to show remote desktop– (Optional: Use a VNC Client to access remote desktop)

• Reservation for Linux

– Use an SSH Client to access remote

command line

– Use a VNC Client to access remote desktop

• All clients are available for Windows, Mac,

Linux, and mobile devices

Apache VCL File Saving

• Reservation for Microsoft Windows

– User can access Pirate Drive as U: drive

using desktop application

• Reservation for Linux

– User can mount Pirate Drive into their current

file system

Apache VCL File Submission

• Send files as e-mail attachments

• Set Pirate Drive permissions to allow

faculty to view files

• Use faculty designated persistent storage

• Use reserved computer’s web browser to

upload to Blackboard / Moodle• **New for ICTN4800, Fall 2010- student-initiated automated grading and

feedback!

Apache VCL Persistent Storage

• Faculty can request additional storage for

their classes

• Faculty control their space and can create

their own folder structure and file

permissions

CITRIX VCL

Individual Applications Delivered On Demand

Citrix VCL Features

• Users use web browser with plugin to

access Citrix VCL portal

• Users choose application and click link to

activate

• Citrix web plugin is used to deliver

application to users

Citrix VCL Features

• Web plugin is available for Windows, Mac,

Linux, and mobile devices

• Web plugin allows access to local

computer storage (if user desires)

• Web plugin allows access to local printers

Citrix VCL Features

• Because Citrix VCL servers are trusted

ECU machines, students can access

network resources not otherwise available

• Ex: Microsoft SQL Server instance

Citrix VCL Statistics

Total Number of Application Starts

6,851

Top Five Applications

Mathcad 14

SQL Server Management Studio Express 2008

Visio Pro 2007

Photoshop CS5

PASW (SPSS) 18

Data collected August 24, 2010 – March 18, 2011

Citrix VCL File Saving

• Citrix web plugin prompts for access to

local disks

• Servers have Pirate Drive automatically

available

Citrix VCL File Submission

• Local files → No different than usual

submission policy

INCORPORATING VCL INTO

COURSES

What Now?

VCL Integration Steps

• Determine software package information

• Obtain software

• Determine audience restriction (if any)

• Make VCL software request

• Test software in VCL

• Prepare course specific instructions

Determine Package Information

• Operating system requirements

• Vendor information

• Software license information

– Free? / Commercial?

– Not all software vendors allow virtualized

software

• ITCS assists with licensing details

Obtain Software

• Need to provide media or files to ITCS

VCL team

• Freely downloadable software only

requires a pointer to download method

Determine Audience Restriction

• Individual student(s)?

• One section?

• One course?

• One department?

• One college?

• No restriction - easiest

Make VCL Software Request

• Choose one of:

– E-mail vcl_help@ecu.edu with proposed

software

– Submit a Virtual Computing Lab Image

request via http://ithelp.ecu.edu

VCL Documentation

• Detailed information

– Apache VCL

– Citrix VCL

• Printable Adobe Acrobat documents

– Via ITCS Learning Center

VCL Resources

• VCL web site

– http://vcl.ecu.edu

• VCL e-mail

– vcl_help@ecu.edu

• IT Help Desk

– http://help.ecu.edu

Checklist for Help E-mail / Ticket

• What VCL am I using?

• What operating system am I using?

• What web browser am I using?

• What software / image am I using?

• What am I trying to do?

Course Repetition

• VCL software remains in place unless

removal requested

Conclusion and Questions

• VCL / Citrix is EXTREMELY flexible!

• ITCS support team is responsive (sense of

urgency)!

• Labs are scalable from a few students to a

hundred students!

QUESTIONS???

Contact Information

• Lee Toderick (toderickl@ecu.edu)

• Tony Miller (millerf@ecu.edu)