Oamk’s Windows Virtual Desktop – how to start using the remote desktop from your own computer

NB. When you use a virtual machine, you should always save your work in the cloud or to an external hard disk, because the pricing is partly based on the used disk space. Also, if you save your work to the virtual machine, you might lose it when you close the virtual desktop because every now and then we clean up the disks whenever the used space is getting closer to the limit. It is your responsibility to take care of your own files!

Oamk’s most recent remote desktop solution is a cloud service (Windows Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure). It means that you can access a set of Windows applications defined by your teacher, and you can use them even on a non-Windows device: The applications are available in a ready-configured virtual, remote desktop that is located in a Microsoft-managed data center. Oamk’s virtual environment is maintained by the ICT services at Oamk. To be able to use a virtual desktop, all you need is a network connection and an Oamk account that has rights to use a remote desktop defined by your teacher.

With the remote desktop, you are able to use some of the tools, for which remote use is possibile within the license Oamk has purchased for student use. E.g. Automation Studio is available for remote use on a remote desktop, while the Adobe CC license forbids it.

In Oamk, the amount of simultaneous remote desktop users is limited. If you need a remote desktop in the first place, it is up to your teacher to decide: If your teacher has ordered a remote desktop to your group, he/she will tell you about it. You can then log into the service and the desktop(s) you need will be available to you. When you log in, you have to use your email address and the related password. The short form of your email is username@students.oamk.fi (and of course, you have to replace the username with your unique username).

You can use the service in your browser, or you can download a separate application and use that. On this page, you can find the instructions for both cases.

Remote Desktop in a browser

Open a browser (MS Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari).
Go to https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient
Log in using your Oamk email address (it has to be in the short form; uname@students.oamk.fi – where uname should be your username ) and related password. (If you have already logged into MS Office 365 in your browser, you dont have to login again.)
- On the first time, you should read and accept the terms to be able to use the remote desktop. When you accept the terms, your are also accepting the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Choose a desktop (It could be there is just one to choose from, e.g. “Automation Studio, SPSS, Visio”).
- Log into the desktop with your email address (again, it has to be in the shorter form, with the username)
- NB. The first time you open the desktop on a device, it might take a longer than usual to open.
When you are done, please log out to free the desktop for others to use. You will find the logout option from the menu with your name on it, just closing the browser tab/window is not enough.

More information:

Microsoft: Get started with the Remote Desktop web client
To make things easier, accept of the use of local devices as needed.

Remote Desktop in the application

There is an application available both for Windows and Mac.

Installing the app for Windows

Dowload the Microsoftin Remote Desktop installation package
- Windows: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/connect-windows-7-10
Choose a package that is meant for the Windows operating system on your computer (check if your operating system is 32-bit or 64-bit.)
When you have downloaded the package (a msi file), double-click the name of the file and follow the guided installation process. You wont be needing administrator rights to install the Remote Desktop app to your own profile. However, you might need to restart your computer.

How to open a desktop

Open the Remote Desktop application. The fastest way to do it is to open the Start menu (use the Windows icon on the screen or the Windows key on your keyboard) and start to write the name of application, which in this case is Remote Desktop.
Click the Subscribe with URL button and paste this URL to the Email or Workspace URL field:
https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/arm/feeddiscovery
Choose Next.
Log into the service with your Oamk email (in the short form that has your username in it) and the related password.
- On the first time, you should read and accept the terms to be able to use the remote desktop. When you accept the terms, your are also accepting the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Double-click the desktop icon of the desktop you wish to use. (It could be there is only one to choose from, the name could be e.g. “Automation Studio, SPSS, Visio”.)
- Use your Oamk email (the short version with your username) to log in.
- On the first time, you might have to wait for a little longer for the desktop to open.
When you are done, please log out to free the desktop for others to use.

More information:

Microsoft: Get started with the Remote Desktop Windows client
To make things easier, accept of the use of local devices as needed.

Installation instructions for other devices:

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