Remotely controlling lab computers from your home Mac or PC using availability lists

General Use / Open Access Instructions

Some students may need to use a Bren desktop remotely for general studies or specialized group project needs (like ArcGIS). We have enabled remote desktop capability on some lab computers and have provided steps on how to connect to them below:

Part 1 - Connect to UCSB VPN

To access the Bren network, you'll need to have the UCSB VPN (aka Ivanti Secure VPN) installed. Instructions to download and get connected to VPN are located here. Please make sure you choose the appropriate operating system or OS (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc). You will know if you are successfully connected to the UCSB VPN if your Ivanti Client looks like this:

Part 2 - Download Microsoft Remote Desktop

If you are a Windows user, you should already have Remote Desktop installed.

If you are a Mac user, you can download Microsoft Remote Desktop from the App Store.

Part 3 - Select an available machine in the open access pool

Once you're connected to the UCSB VPN, you can access this webpage for a list of available computers [link here]. 

Select the access pool you want to use:

• General Open Access is for all Bren students
• GP Open Access is for MESM group projects requiring specialized software

Choose a computer name with a green logo next to it (green = available, red = in use). Press "Connect" to find and copy the IP address that you will use in the next step. 

Part 4 - Launch Microsoft Remote Desktop & connect to machine

1. Open up the Microsoft Remote Desktop App. 
2. Press on the "+" arrow then "Add a PC"
3. Add the IP address into "PC name" and optionally, you can add the computer name into the "Friendly Name" field (not necessary though).
4. Press "Add" to add the computer.
5. It will prompt you to type in your Bren username and password (the password you were given at orientation). Please make sure to type "esm\" before your username as well.
6. If you are connecting for the first time, you'll get the following notification - press continue.
7. NOTE: If you get a notification that another user is already logged on, please choose a different computer to log into.

Part 5 - Disconnect

Once you are done, please make sure to log off to make the computer available for another student. (Start Menu > Log off)

If you have any problems with connecting, let us know, and we can do a zoom session to guide you through the process (email [e-mail]).