Thanks to feedback from PSU students, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) has continued to develop PSU’s Virtual Computer Lab (VLAB) service. If you haven’t visited the VLAB, or if it’s been a while, we encourage you to check it out!
Take advantage of free software
Did you know students can access up to $7000 worth of academic software titles in the VLAB, and avoid the need to purchase that software for themselves? Check out the full list of software available in the VLAB.
Improved VLAB performance
Now with Graphic Processing Units (GPU) and premium SSDs, the VLAB offers a more responsive overall experience, and supports graphic-intensive applications such as Google Earth, ArcGIS Pro with 3D, IQMOL, Sketchup, and Minecraft for desktop.
For even better performance, access the VLAB with an app
In addition to accessing the VLAB through a web browser at vlab.pdx.edu, students can also access the VLAB using the Microsoft Remote Desktop application.
Why would you want to use the Remote Desktop application rather than access the VLAB through a web browser? The benefits include:
- Support for accessibility tools such as screen readers.
- Multiple monitor support.
- True fullscreen mode.
- Improved touchscreen support.
- Copy (Ctrl+C), Paste (Ctrl+V), and other keyboard hotkey support.
- Improved application performance for some scenarios in the VLAB.
- New features regularly added by Microsoft.
Visit Install Microsoft Remote Desktop to access the VLAB to learn how install and use the application.
Saving your files in the VLAB is now even easier!
We’ve made it easier than ever for students to save files to their PSU Google Drive to store and access files while in the VLAB.
Now, when first you access the VLAB, you’ll be prompted to “Sign in to continue to Google Drive for desktop”. After signing in, each time you use the VLAB you’ll see a Google Drive folder on the desktop that provides you with access to the files in your PSU Google My Drive and Shared drives.
Visit Start using Google Drive for desktop in the VLAB to learn how to sign in.
Continue to provide your feedback
In OIT, we’re committed to continued improvements of the VLAB. Have you used the VLAB to complete your academic work lately? Please let us know about what you think!