Getting Started in the CAES Instructional Computing Labs

We’re excited to announce that the CAES Computer Labs are open!

If you are receiving this email, you are a student, TA, or instructor scheduled to be in a course that traditionally makes use of the campus instructional computing labs in PES and Hunt Hall.  We also offer a remotely accessible Virtual Lab to supplement the Physical Computing Labs.  The Virtual Lab is based on Azure Virtual Desktop technology (just like last quarter).  Please read this message in its entirety to find out how to use the labs. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: We have replaced the computers in the Hunt Hall computer lab with new Dell Precision 3460 workstations.  The new computers have significantly more processing power than the previous generation of lab workstations and improve the user experience running many of the applications installed in the lab. 

Sections:

Lab Access Lab Software Lab Maintenance Contact Information Feedback

 

Section 1 – Lab Access and Accounts

The Physical Computer Labs on campus in 1137 PES and 253 Hunt Hall are open for in-person access.  Physical Lab access is managed through the AggieAccess program.  Students who are enrolled in a class using the Physical Labs will automatically get access provisioned at the beginning of each quarter.  If you are new to AggieAccess, please expect an email from AggieAccess with additional instructions.

  • Instructors who have not submitted a Reservation Request for the term, please do so using the Reservation Request form.  When submitting your Reservation Request, if you also have new software requests please fill out the Software Request form as well.
  • Instructors who have students without any UC Davis affiliation will need to fill out the Temporary Affiliate Form in order to get a campus login.

To access the CAES Virtual Labs, please follow the instructions here.  You will need to log in using a UC Davis Computing Account.

Students without campus logins will not be able to use the computer labs. Please note that it is a violation of campus policy to share campus computing accounts.

** Please DO NOT prop open the lab doors or allow anyone else to enter the computer labs after you open the door to enter or leave the labs.  Students, instructors, and TAs should use their own individual AggieAccess proximity card or mobile app to enter the labs.  This is critically important for physical security and for tracking lab utilization.

 

Section 2 – Lab Software

The CAES Physical and Virtual Labs use the Microsoft Windows operating system, and all the labs contain the same software applications (with a few small exceptions).  The physical labs located in Hunt Hall and PES use the Windows 11 Operating System, the remote Virtual Lab uses Windows 10.

In order for the Labs to work efficiently for the largest number of students:

  • Remember to save your work to Box!
  • You will get automatically signed out of the Virtual Lab after 60 minutes of idle time.  Unsaved work might be lost if this happens, please remember to save regularly.
  • There is no maximum connection time limit as long as you are active.
  • Certain pieces of lab software only have a limited number of licenses, and other students may not have access to the software until sessions are released.  Please be considerate of your fellow students and sign out when you have completed your work.

If you’d like to see what software is currently installed in the Labs, please visit the Software page.

  • The list of software that is currently available (see link above) includes a column, “Software Request Expiration”, which indicates when a particular piece of software requires a new Software Request form be submitted.

If you’d like to request additional software, please do so using the Software Request form.

  • Please note, all Software Requests are valid for a period of 1 year, at which point a new Software Request must be submitted for continued use in the CAES Instructional Computing Labs.

 

 

Section 3 – Lab Maintenance

The General Purpose Virtual Lab will be available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.  General Purpose Virtual Lab maintenance will happen transparently in the background, we won’t schedule downtime or maintenance windows unless we run in to technical problems.

The Physical Labs in 253 Hunt Hall and 1137 PES will be available 22-hours a day, 7 days a week.  Building access is limited to normal business hours for both labs.  Physical lab maintenance will happen nightly between 12-2am.

 

 

Section 4 – Contact Information

We are available through several different communications channels, depending on your needs:

We have also created a mailing list, caes-computer-lab-users@ucdavis.edu, to send announcements to students, TAs, and faculty using the Labs.  All future updates will be made through this mailing list, so if you know someone that isn’t on the list that should be, please let us know.

 

 

Section 5 – Feedback

Please let us know if you experience any application or performance problems with the Computer Labs.  We closely monitor lab performance as the quarter ramps up but your feedback on how the Labs are working for your class would be very helpful.

Thanks for your attention and best of luck with your classes!