What is a Virtual PC?
MSJC IT technician working in the CIS Server room.
You have probably heard the term "cloud computing" being
used by a lot of big companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and
Microsoft, well MSJC is using the same technology to give its students the
best learning experience possible. MSJC is very committed to providing our students with cutting edge technology.
Some of the classes you
enroll in at MSJC (online & face-to-face) may use the RemoteApp and Desktop System (RDS) also known as a virtual PC or virtual machine (VM). Using a
virtual PC is no different than using a computer in the classroom, at home, or at work.
The advantage of using a virtual PC is that MSJC's IT personnel can easily customize
a computer environment that students will need to complete assignments in
many of our technology-based courses. For example, students enrolled in the CSIS 111B, CSIS 113A, CSIS 113B, CSIS 113C, CSIS 115A, CSIS 125A and CSIS 786 courses need to have access to Microsoft's
Visual Studio software to be able to complete their coding assignments; using virtual PCs make that possible.
By using a virtual PC you are able to access a full
version of Microsoft Windows and full versions of any required computer
application software without any special installation needed on your own
personal computer. If you are on campus, you will connect to the RDS over the
MSJC intranet, from home you can have the exact same access to the RDS
over the Internet. All that is needed is an intranet or Internet connected
PC (laptop or desktop) with the Internet Explorer Web browser installed (access to the
RDS is currently only available using IE version 8 or greater). All of the processing and memory needs of the software is handled by our extremely powerful array of cloud servers
located on the Menifee campus.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Menifee Campus' Business and Technology Center building, be sure to venture up to the second floor where you will be able to see our
cloud servers located in the glass enclosed equipment room between rooms 970 and 973 - that's where all of the Virtual PCs are running from.
It is quite a sight to behold!
System Requirements
MSJC's RDS is a Web-based program and currently only supports access using the Web browser
Internet Explorer version 8 or greater on a Microsoft Windows-based computer (XP or greater). The RDS does not support any Linux, Mac or Android-based operating system, or any Web browser other than Internet Explorer.
That means Firefox, Google Chrome,
Safari, Opera, etc. will
NOT work on the MSJC RDS system.
How to Access Your Virtual Machine
Click here to view
instructions.
How to Properly Exit Your VM
Once you are done using the VM please click on the "Start" button
in your VM and choose "Log Off (your name)." It is important that you log off so that your VM is no longer using our server's memory. If you just close your VM window, your VM remains in our servers memory for a period of time until it "times out," which might possibly delay other users from being able to access their VM. Please, ALWAYS log off as soon as you are done using your VM, it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
What If You Have Problems?
If you have problems accessing the MSJC RDS or any problems operating the VM environment itself, please contact the MSJC Help desk, help@msjc.edu.