Technical Operations provides a VDI infrastructure that can be accessed by faculty and staff who are unable to utilize the VPN infrastructure in place. There are two primary methods for connecting to our VDI infrastructure - via the VMware Horizon Client and the VMware Horizon HTML Access (web access).
Technical Operations recommends using the VMware Horizon Client. To download the VMware Horizon Client, click here if you're running Windows or click here if you're running Mac.
If you're unable to install the VMware Horizon Client, feel free to click on VMware Horizon HTML Access and continue with the rest of the guide.
Installing the VMware Horizon Client
Double-click on the VMware Horizon Client download to begin the installation of the VMware Horizon Client.
Mac
To install the VMware Horizon Client on a Mac, simply drag the VMware Horizon Client icon into your Applications folder. From there, you can find the application in Launchpad.
Windows
To install the VMware Horizon Client on Windows, double-click the installer file. From there, click on the Agree & Install button. Once completed, you can find the application in the start menu.
Connecting to the VDI Session via the Client
Open the VMware Horizon Client on your computer.
The following window should appear. Type in https://view.mscc.edu in the Connection Server box and check the Always connect at launch button, then click on Connect.
A login box should now appear. To log in to the VMware Horizon server, use the username and password that you'd use for your computer, then click on Login.
Please do not use your email address as the username as it will not allow you to log in.
You should immediately connect to a VDI session. From here, you'll want to use Remote Desktop to log into your assigned work machine.
Connecting to a VDI Session via Web Browser
To connect to a VDI session to access Motlow State resources, head over to https://view.mscc.edu.
You should see a screen similar to the one above. You'll have two options for connecting to the VMware Horizon system, the VMware Horizon Client and the VMware Horizon HTML Access (web-based). From here, click on the VMware Horizion HTML Access on the right side of the screen.
You should now see the login screen. To log in to the VMware Horizon server, use the username and password that you'd use for your computer, then click on Login.
Please do not use your email address as the username as it will not allow you to log in.
You should now see the following screen. Click on Faculty Desktop and you'll be logged into a VDI session. From here, you'll want to use Remote Desktop to log into your assigned work machine.
Using Remote Desktop over a VDI Session
After connecting using a VDI session, the next thing most employees need is to connect to their desktop machine via Remote Desktop or RDP.
Double-click on the Remote Desktop Connection icon on your desktop, or press the Start button and type in Remote Desktop Connection and press Enter on your keyboard.
The Remote Desktop Connection window will appear. In the Computer field, type in the name of your computer, then click on Connect.
If you need assistance in finding your computer name, click here to go to the How can I find my computer name? article in our KB system or feel free to contact Technical Operations by calling or submitting a ticket and we'll be glad to help.
A Windows Security dialog box will appear. Input the following information:
- Username: MOTLOW\username
For example, if your username is RLocke, you would type in MOTLOW\RLocke
- Password: Your Motlow State password
- Optionally, you may check the box Remember me.
Click on OK. You may see a warning window pop up that states The identity of the remote computer cannot be verified. Do you want to connect anyway?. Click on Yes and optionally check the box that states Don't ask me again for connections to this computer.
If everything authenticates successfully, you'll be connected to your desktop machine using Remote Desktop. To close out of Remote Desktop, move your mouse to the top-middle of your screen to show a blue connection bar and press the X button.