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McMaster University DeGroote School of Business V-Lab
Accessing Virtual Apps on OS X The DeGroote School of Business has implemented Microsoft RemoteApp to deliver applications to its students remotely over the local McMaster network and Internet (no VPN required). They are accessible from OS X based devices using the Microsoft Remote Desktop app available for no cost in the Apple App Store. Applications access is secured by an encrypted SSL connection.
Access to, and use of, the Virtual Lab applications may vary slightly between different versions of the Remote Desktop App but will follow the basic steps outlined below.
Accessing the Virtual Lab Applications Page 1. Open the Apple App Store on your OS X device.
2. Search for remote desktop in the store. You will find it as shown below.
3. Install the app, and then once complete, tap on the “Open” button.
4. Once opened, select “Remote Resources” in the menu shown here:
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5. You will be presented with a “Remote Resources” connection window. In the URL field, enter
https://vlab.business.mcmaster.ca as show here:
6. In the “User Name” field, enter your Mac ID in the form of ads\macid where macid is your
personal McMaster Mac ID and password.
7. Click the “Refresh” button, and if successful, the URL field should get updated by the system to
reflect what you see here:
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8. Once you have successfully connected, you will be presented with the Remote Resources page as
shown below. From this page you can launch any of the Virtual applications being made available
for use.
Launching an Application
1. Double click on the application you would like to launch (in this case we’ve chosen MS Project):
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2. While the application is loading you may see the following window. This is perfectly normal.
3. After a short time, your application will open in a normal window and act as if it were installed on
your local computer as seen here:
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Note that the application will behave normally, but expect occasional delays when accessing files on your
local device. REMEMBER: Save your files (see below) to your local device only and on a regular basis while
being worked on to avoid losing any work should you become disconnected! In the event of a
disconnection, your application session will remain open for up to 1 hour and upon reconnection, you will
be connected back to your application where you left off.
Saving your files to your local file system
NOTE FOR MS PROJECT USERS: If you are trying to save a Microsoft Project file, you cannot save it to your local file system. You must save it
to your U: Drive. Please see the instructions at the end of this document on how to save to and upload from
your U: Drive.
1. You can access and save files on your local OS X device’s file system. You only need to be aware
that your local file system will be labelled in the form “home on localhost.loc” where localhost.loc
will be the name of your laptop in the App/Windows File Explorer as seen below.
NOTE: Folders listed under “Favorites” are not the folders on your local device as with a Windows system.
You must click on your local device under “This PC” and drill into your desired local folder.
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Microsoft Project – how to save to your U: Drive
For Microsoft Project, you cannot save to your local file system. You must save to a shared network location,
the U: Drive.
1. Within Microsoft Project, choose File > Save As and the following window will appear. Click the arrow
beside This PC and select the drive with Mac ID (U:)
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Microsoft Project - how to upload from your U: Drive
Once you are ready to submit your final Microsoft Project file to be graded, you will need to upload the file
using V-Lab.
1. Log into V-lab as normal and select Avenue to Learn from the list of available applications:
2. Avenue to Learn will launch in a browser. Click the Login button to proceed.
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3. You will be redirected to a login page. Enter your Mac ID and password and then click Submit:
4. You will be redirected to a blank page. You will to need to refresh the page by pressing F5 on your
keyboard or clicking the refresh button (circular arrow) on your browser.
5. Navigate to the appropriate assignment upload page for your course. Upload pages vary between
courses, so please consult with your instructor if you do not know where to upload your file. On
the upload page for your course click the Upload button.
6. The following window will appear. Click This PC and then macid (U:) to find the file you wish to
upload. Click the Open button and upload the file.
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Help
For any issues regarding access to the Virtual Lab applications portal, or technical issues, please contact the
DSB ITS department by sending an email to: [email protected] to have a support request ticket created.
Please be sure to include your Full Name, Mac ID, Course Number, and Instructor Name in your email.
NOTE: The DSB ITS team is available Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm and will attempt to respond to
your issue as quickly as possible.