Connecting to the Thin Client Server from a PC

Here at SESP, you may need access to a Windows virtual machine to use school-licensed software. The server hosting this virtual machine is here on campus, so you will ned to use the VPN when acessing the virtual machine from off-campus. Keep in mind that even though you are working on a virtual machine, we recommend saving your files to your own computer for safekeeping.

The instructions below will walk you through how to use the VPN, access the virtual machine, and save files to your own computer.

Connecting to Northwestern's VPN

Any time you are off- campus, you will need to connect to the Northwestern VPN to access the thin client virtual machine. Follow the instructions from NUIT to connect to the VPN. Note: The instructions wil differ based on your computers operating system (Mac OS X, Windows 7, Windows 8, etc.).

Accessing the Windows Virtual Machine

1. Open Remote Desktop Connection from the Start menu.

1. For "Computer", enter: "thinclient.sesp.northwestern.edu". Click "Show Options".

1. For "User name", enter: "SESPAD\" followed by your NetID. (ex: "SESPAD\www075")

1. Although you will be working off of the virtual Windows machine, we recommend saving your work to your own computer. Remote Desktop Connection will allow you to give the virtual machine access to your local files, so that you can easily transfer files between the two computers. To set this up, click "Local Resources" from the menu at the top. Click "More" under "Local devices and resouces".

1. Check the box next to "Drives", then click "OK". This will give the virtual machine access to your computer's files. Then click "Connect" to access the virtual Windows machine.

1. When prompted, enter your Northwestern password. Click "OK".

1. You may be prompted to accept the remote desktop connection and the certificate. Click "Connect" and/or "Yes".

You should now be connected to your virtual Windows machine.

Saving to Your Own Computer In order to access files from your own Windows computer, click "Computer" from the Start menu. You should see your shared folder listed as a drive under "Other". Open this drive to access your files.

You may need to navigate through the file structure to find the folder/file you are looking for. Click on "Users", and then your username. From here, you should be able to find your content and save your work directly to your own comptuer.

Technical Support

• If you are having issues connecting to the thin client server (Windows virtual machine), please contact SESP IT at helpdesk@sesp.northwestern.edu.

• If you are having issues with the VPN, contact NUIT by phone, email, or chat.

Download

You can download a copy of these instructions to save to your computer or upload to Canvas to share with your class: Connecting to the Thin Client Server from a PC.

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