The DECS RDS servers can be accessed through any modern web browser on most devices. The Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome web browsers seem to provide the best experience at the moment, Firefox presents some minor visual quirks that distract from the experience.
Please contact the DECS Support Office if you have any questions or require assistance.
1. In a web browser, navigate to https://remote.egr.msu.edu and log in with your EGR username and password.
2. Once logged in, click the icon for RDS and a session will load in your web browser.
To close your connection, you can close your web browser tab, or use the Sign out button in the Windows start menu of the RDS session. Click here for more info on the difference between signing out and disconnecting.
Alternatively, you can download the RDS file for an improved viewing experience.
1. Once Logged in, click on the gear icon to bring up the settings menu and select Download the rdp file.
2. Click the icon for RDS and a rdp file will begin downloading.
3. Running the downloaded rdp file will prompt you to connect.
DECS VDI Remote Desktop Environment
DECS VDI Remote Desktop Environment is limited to graphics rendered software.
VDI Is available for MacOS / iOS, Windows, ChromeOS, and Android.
VMware Horizon Client Download: Everything is centralized in the Engineering VDI Web Portal which can be found here
Upon opening the VDI Web Portal link above, you will notice two main options, "Download the Horizon Launcher" or "HTML Access"
The Horizon Client will allow you to install VDI access on to your local machine, which takes more time, but offers more performance, options, and an overall smoother experience.
HTML Access will allow you to login and launch your VDI session directly from the browser, without need for any client. Not all features may be available in this mode.
VDI Web Portal usage instructions can be found below for each supported operating system:
The Web Portal for Engineering's new Remote Desktop Environment Can be found here or at "https://vdi.egr.msu.edu/"
Upon Opening the Web Portal you should be greeted with a screen that looks like this, displaying two main options and some helpful links as well
Note: If you want to Install the VMware Horizon Client see the Below Tutorials to help you along!
To Use VDI In-Browser:
1. Click the "VMware Horizon HTML Access" Object on the Web Portal Landing Page
2. You will be presented with a screen asking for a login, this will be your EGR Username & Password, Formatting is shown in the example below:
3. Once successfully logged on, this screen will now populate your window and all that is required to connect is double clicking the "Engineering Virtual Desktop" Object
*If you encounter any issues with these steps please contact DECS Support and notify them of the issues that are occurring*
1. In a web browser, Navigate to Engineering's VDI Web Portal to Download the Horizon Client
2. Once Downloaded, Open the Horizon Client and Click the "Add Server" Button within the window.
3. Once the Add Server Dialog appears, enter in the EGR VDI Address : vdi.egr.msu.edu and click "OK"
4. Now it will ask for a Username / Password, for this, enter your Engineering NetID including the domain (Ex. egr\Sparty) and your Engineering password.
5. You should now see the "vdi.egr.msu.edu" server in the main window of your Horizon Launcher, Right-Clicking the server object and selecting "Connect" or Double-Clicking will Launch the Remote Desktop Environment
*To close your connection, you can click the X in the VMWare client title bar, or use the Log off button in the start menu of the VDI server.*
1. In a web browser, Navigate to Engineering's VDI Web Portal to Download the Horizon Client, Installing and rebooting if requested. Be sure to drag the application to the MacOS "Applications" Folder
2. Once Downloaded, Open the Horizon Client and Click the "Add Server" Button within the window.
3. Once the Add Server Dialog appears, enter in the EGR VDI Address : vdi.egr.msu.edu and click "Connect". A Login box will now appear
4. This Dialog box is asking for your EGR Credentials to Log into our VDI Environment, the two required fields (Username / Password) are formatted as follows:
User Name: (Ex. egr\Sparty)
Password: <Your EGR Password>"
5. Once your EGR Login is entered Click "Login"
6. You should now see our VDI Server in the Original Horizon Client Window, Previously occupied by a "Add Server" Object, Right-Clicking this Object and Selecting "Connect" or alternatively, Double-Clicking will Open the Remote Desktop
*To close your connection, you can click the X in the VMWare client title bar, or use the Log off button in the start menu of the VDI server.*
1. Navigate to the VMWare Horizon Client Installation List on their Website To Get either the Tar.Gz file or the Bundled file they offer for 32 & 64 Bit Linux Distros To Get either the Tar.Gz file or the Bundled file they offer for 32 & 64 Bit Linux Distros
Supported Distributions:
Ubuntu: 12.04 - 20.04
RHEL: 6.8 - Current
CentOS: 6.8 - 7
It is recommended that you visit the VMWare Docs to see more about how installation works for your system.
VMWare Documents: VMWare Horizon Docs
2. Once you have Downloaded either the Tarball or Bundle file the next steps are as follows:
Tar.Gz Method:
1. Download the Tarball Pkg from VMWare's Website
2. Once Downloaded Locate the Directory that the Tar.Gz was saved to
3. At that Location Right-Click and Open Terminal or Navigate to the Terminal as you do normally
Changing Directory into the Download Location
Ex. Location: ~\home\Sparty\Downloads\VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.x64.tar.gz
1. Open Terminal
2. In terminal type cd Downloads\
3. Now to unzip the Tarball do this tar -xvf VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.x64.tar.gz
4. This should give you a *.bundle file which you then can build the Installer with
2a. Non-Tar.Gz Method Begins Here:
NOTE: These Two Lines work for both the Tar.Gz & Non-Tar Downloads
GUI Method:
sudo sh ./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.x64.bundle
CLI Install:
sudo sh ./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.x64.bundle --console
*Linux Gets Limited Support by DECS & It is very much a user defined OS, This means that your own troubleshooting may be required to get the VDI Services working on your Linux Machine*
