Syracuse University's Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is a virtual desktop environment for students, faculty, and staff to remotely access a university desktop from any personal computer with a stable broadband internet connection.
Who has access? The RDS solution is available to active SU faculty, students, staff, and guests as well as ESF faculty, students, and staff.
Before you Connect
Before you connect, please note the following important considerations for using the RDS solutions.
Save your work to your network (H:\) drive
Just like physical labs, any files saved to the local hard drives will be removed.
Save your work often
Although we consider the RDS platform to be stable, working remotely brings many factors into play, such as unexpected network outages, ISP issues or problems with your home network or personal devices. Saving often will help avoid losing your hard work and valuable time.
- Please be aware: Idle sessions will automatically be logged out after 2 hours.
- Only one session can be active per user. Logging into another session will disconnect from the previous and reconnect on the new session.
- Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge are the recommended browsers for connecting through the Web user interface.
- Please be aware: Users are required to have their Microsoft Two-Factor Authentication setup before using RDS.
Configuring and Connecting to RDS
Users are able to access RDS via the remote desktop client (RDP) or via a web browser.
Available Software on RDS
The following programs and applications are available when connected.
School or College Specific Software
Please be aware that not all school or college applications are available in the RDS solution. Schools and colleges that have specialized academic applciation, such as the iSchool, Engineering, and Whitman, have alternative connection options. Connection details can be found on the Remote Access home page.
| Application Name | Version |
|---|---|
| Adobe CC | Shared Device |
| ArcGIS | 10.7 for Desktop |
| ArcGIS Pro | 2.4 |
| Audacity | 2.3.2 |
| Edge Chromium | Current |
Gmetrix SMS | 6.1.914 |
| Google Chrome | Current |
| Maple | 2020 |
| Mathematica | 10.4.1 |
| Matlab | 2019b x64 |
| Microsoft Office Pro Plus | 64 bit |
| Microsoft Project Pro | 64 bit |
| Microsoft Silverlight | 5.1 64bit |
| Microsoft Visio Pro | 64 bit |
| Minitab | 19 |
| Minitab Quality Companion | 5.3.0 |
| Mozilla Firefox | Current |
| MS Visual Studio Code | Current |
| NotepadPlusPlus | 7.7 x64 |
| Onbase | 18.0.1.60 |
| Oracle SmartView | 11.1.2.5.900 |
| Python | 3.4.3 x64 |
| R | 3.6.1 |
| R Statistics | 3.5.0 |
| Read Write | 12 |
| RStudio | 1.2.5001 |
| Rtools | 3.5.0.4 |
| SAS | 9.4 |
| SPSS AMOS | 26 |
| SPSS Statistics | 26 x64 |
| Stata | 16-IC x64 |
| Statistics | 3.5.0 |
| SU Sherman Fonts | 2.0 |
| Texthelp EquatIO | 1.5 |
| WinSCP | 5.1.4 |
Requesting Software
Students
If you are a student and require a particular software for academic purposes, reach out to your professor or instructor to determine the need for a program.
Faculty & Staff
If you are a faculty or staff member and require a particular software for administrative or academic purposes, please contact your academic or administrative support personnel to determine how best to deploy the software.
Known Issues
RDS - Web User Interface Issues
Going into Full Screen mode can cause the connection to go black.
- Resolution: Reload the browser page, you will be brought back into your active session after you log back in.
- Keyboard and Mouse input issues. This is a local hardware compatibility issue --with varied models of laptops\desktops\keyboards\mice.
- Resolution: Utilize an alternative connection method to RDS.
RDS - RDP Client Issues
- Windows Store RDP App freezes\disconnects.
- This is currently a known issue with the Remote Desktop Client.
- Resolution: Utilize the native Windows 10 Remote Desktop Client.
Need Help?
If at any time you require additional assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk by voice at 315.443.2677 or by email at help@syr.edu.