Virtual Computing Lab (VCL)
The Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) is a joint venture of the College of Engineering Information Technology and Engineering Computer Services (ITECS) and the High Performance Computing (HPC) team in the Information Technology Division (ITD). This is an emerging effort to provide on-demand and reservation based remote access to NC State's extensive software library of Engineering, Design, and Scientific applications to address the increasing needs of both local and distance students and faculty for 24x7 access to advanced computing laboratory facilities.
The heart of VCL is a web-based service for scheduling and provisioning of remote access to a set of high-end computational resources (machine-room installed "blade" computers and other specialized University lab computers). These resources are loaded on demand with a choice of operating system images and predefined application sets geared to instructional computing.
VCL Features
- Easy to use remote access from one's own desktop or mobile computer in homes, offices, or the local coffee house, bringing the "lab" to you
- Full access to a dedicated computing resource (some scheduling choices include monitored root or administrator access). This access is the same or more than what is possible in physical computing laboratory.
- Vendor-standard remote access protocols and client software. Eliminates the need for specialized customization of one's own computer and eases updates and maintenance
- Extensible to any remotely-accessible desktop systems in specialized campus labs. Departments can bring their lab to their students.
For help with VCL and more details on it's use, visit http://vcl.ncsu.edu/site/pages/help/vcl-help
Reserving a VCL Computer
To connect to the Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) to schedule and run an application on a dedicated remote computer:
- Go to the web address, http://vcl.ncsu.edu.
- Select the Make a VCL Reservation link.
- Log in to the web-based reservation system with your Unity ID and password.
- Choose the application and operating system environment (Solaris, Linux, or Windows) from the pull-down list of available applications.
- Select the radio button beside Now if you wish to use the application immediately. Select the radio button beside Later to run the application in the future, and enter the day and time.
- Select the session length for how long you need the application and computer (For: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, or 4 hours).
- Select Submit.
If you choose to use an application now:
You will be taken to a Current Reservations page with a note in red that says Pending.... When the application is set up on the remote computer (requiring as much as 1 to 20 minutes to load), the Pending... note will be replaced by a Connect! button. Select it to connect.
If you schedule to use the application later:
You will get a reservation confirmation by email. Return to http://vcl.ncsu.edu at the specified reservation time and select the Current Reservations link to connect to the application
VCL Walkthrough
If you stil have questions about the Virtual Computing Lab and how to connect to it, try taking a look at the following Power Point presentation, compiled by Will Stark (one of the E115 Lab Instructors), and see if you find it helpful. Note that the instructions are just one of the ways to move files from a remote image to your AFS space, remember that it can be done using programs such as WinSCP and CyberDuck as well.
