RTL Orientation and Troubleshooting Guide

The Remote Training Lab
Orientation guide and troubleshooting tips
Students taking courses using public domain training data
will have the opportunity to work in the Population Data BC
Remote Training Lab (RTL). This orientation guide will show
participants how to connect to the RTL and get practice
working within the Secure Research Environment (SRE).
This guide will assist participants to:
●● Connect to the PopData Remote Training Lab (RTL)
●● Navigate and work in the RTL, in particular by:
▪▪ Learning where all the files & programs that
will be used for this course are located
▪▪ Accessing software in the RTL, such as Word,
PowerPoint, Excel , SAS, Mplus and ArcGIS
▪▪ Creating a short Word document
Accessing the RTL can be tricky at first with all the steps and
details to remember, but it quickly becomes routine. As you
go through this guide and set up procedures, please note
the troubleshooting tips for extra help if you encounter any
problems.
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The Remote Training Lab (RTL) - Orientation guide
Introduction
Population Data BC’s Remote Training Lab (RTL) is a MSWindows working environment which provides a central
location for course data files, a range of software for participant use (i.e: EXCEL, SAS, Mplus, ArcGIS,PowerPoint
and WORD) and secure storage and backup, all protected by security standards that meet PopData’s Data
Steward requirements. The RTL is similar to PopData’s Secure Research Environment (SRE) 1, but has been
designed to meet the needs of courses that use public domain data obtained through PopData. Note that
course work is kept completely separate on the system so that course participants will only have access to the
directories that are specific to their course.
Part 1 | Connecting to the RTL
Set up PopData passphrase
If this is your first time connecting to the RTL, you will have been given a PopData username and then created a
passphrase for course registration which you can now use to proceed with the next RTL access steps. However, if
you have previously connected to the SRTL or SRE, or you have already reset your temporary passphrase as part
of completing the privacy test, you will still need to follow the instructions below to associate your passphrase
with your new secondary account.
Go to the my.PopData site: https://my.popdata.bc.ca, then click the LOGIN link. Log in with your username (e.g.
jsmith) and your temporary passphrase (for first time users) or current passphrase, then click the My Account
link. Select ‘Change Your Passphrase’, then create a new, secure, permanent passphrase2. Then select ‘Update Any
Secondary Accounts too’ and click ‘Update’. Note: if you already have a passphrase and are just doing this step to
associate your passphrase with your new account, you can enter your existing passphrase in all three fields3.
Install VPN software (unless previously installed4)
Next, you need to download and install Cisco AnyConnect VPN software onto the computer that you will be using
for your SRTL related course activities. Follow the instructions for installing VPN software at:
https://my.popdata.bc.ca/html/RTL/home.html (click on Windows users or Mac OS X users under Installing the
VPN software in the left hand menu, depending on your computer).
1
The term “SRE environment” is used to encompass the SRE, SRTL and RTL. In this course you are working in the RTL. The term SRE is
frequently used as a general term, intended to encompass all three of these work environments.
The SRE is used by researchers who have requested and received approved data from PopData. You may also see/hear the term SRTL
– the Secure Research Training Lab is used by students who have registered for courses that use approved data obtained through
PopData.
2
The passphrase should be at least 16 characters long and comprise a sentence or part of a sentence, or phrase of disconnected words
(e.g. “plug in sunshine thimbles”)
3
That is, you can use your current passphrase in all 3 fields – this will set up your current passphrase for your new secondary account.
4
VPN software only needs to be installed once, so if you have already done this for a previous course, you will not need to do it again.
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Tips for installing VPN software
If you are having trouble installing the VPN software, please try the following steps:
1. Ensure you are following the correct set of instructions, either for Windows users or Mac OS
X users. Start at https://my.popdata.bc.ca/html/RTL/home.html to download and install the
VPN software.
2. For both Windows and Mac, you will need a local account on your computer with
administrator privileges. It’s safer to not use such an account for everyday use, and many
workplaces don’t allow you to, in which case there is probably a separate account for the
purpose of installing by local IT personnel.
• For Windows XP, to get at the administrator settings for the User Accounts, click Start
and then Control Panel. From the Control Panel, double click User Accounts (for
other versions of Windows, the process is similar). If your account is not set up as an
administrator, and your institution’s policies allow it, ask another user who is set up as
an administrator to log in and change your user account setting to be an administrator,
too. To do this, the user currently set up as administrator should: open User Accounts
in Control Panel, click on the name of your account, click Change the account type,
click Computer administrator, then click Change Account Type (these instructions are
for Windows XP, but other versions will be similar). Then you can login to your user
account, and try the VPN install again.
• On a Mac, under System Preferences open “Users & Groups”, select user, and look at
checkmark for “Allow user to administer this computer”.
TROUBLESHOOTING
If, after checking all of the above, you are still not able to install the VPN software, refer to Part 6 below on who to contact for additional help, and what to include in your message.
Tips for connecting to the VPN
If you have successfully installed the VPN software, and are having trouble logging into the Cisco
AnyConnect VPN software, please try the following steps:
1. Ensure you are using the correct username. This is the username (e.g. jsmith) which was
assigned to you when you registered for the course. Check that you are using the correct
combination of upper and lowercase letters.
2. Ensure that the “Connect to” box says “access.popdata.bc.ca” and the Group drop-down
menu is set to rtl.
3. Your passcode is your PopData passphrase. To ensure that you have remembered your PopData
passphrase correctly, try logging into https://my.popdata.bc.ca/. If you are unable to log in
there, email [email protected] for a new temporary passphrase. Then, follow the instructions
to change the temporary passphrase to a new secure passphrase. Try logging in again.
4. If you are a Windows user and get an error message saying “The VPN client driver has
encountered an error” followed by “Unable to establish VPN”, then try uninstalling VPN,
rebooting your computer, re-installing VPN, then rebooting again.
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The Remote Training Lab (RTL) - Orientation guide
5. Intermittent problems with your VPN connections may be due to security software on your
computer that believes AnyConnect is doing something suspicious and therefore breaks your VPN
connections. This problem can sometimes be rectified by uninstalling then reinstalling the Cisco
Anyconnect client. This may help your associated antivirus software (such as Norton) to recognize it
when it installs (and may even prompt you with a message asking if it’s OK). You can download the
installer via the following link: https://my.popdata.bc.ca/html/RTL/windows/installVPN.html
6. If you are a Windows user, and use Kapersky anti-virus, and are getting ‘Unable to connect’
errors, try the following, as suggested on the UBC site:
“Some security software suites will slow down or block the myVPN service or the data that it sends
and receives. This can be resolved by adding AnyConnect VPN client software into the “allowed” or
“trusted” software list and/or disabling SSL scanning.
Kapersky Internet Security suite - add the Cisco Anyconnect software into the allowed list:
• Deselect Http SSL 443 from the monitored port list in Settings->Network->Port Settings
• Add the following to Trusted Applications or Trusted Zone:
• C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client\VPNui.exe
• C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client\VPNdownloader.exe
• C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client\VPNagent.exe
7. If you are a Mac user, AnyConnect may sometimes fail to connect from a Mac which is
connected to the iCloud network backup service (or older MobileMe service). If this happens to you,
open MobileMe or iCloud from System Preferences and turn off or logout as appropriate; after your
RTL session is over, turn it on again if you wish.
8. Sometimes a student may wonder whether the problem may be not on their computer, but on
the PopData VPN server.
• If the VPN server is completely dead, it will not respond to connection attempts
• If PopData is aware of a problem with any RTL component, the page
http://my.popdata.bc.ca/rtl/available will show a message at the top
If, after checking all of the above, you are still not able to log into the Cisco AnyConnect VPN software,
refer to Part 6 below on who to contact for additional help, and what to include in your message.
Install Remote Desktop Connection (Mac users only, unless previously installed)
Note that Remote Desktop Connection (needed for the next step) comes with Windows, but on a Mac must be
downloaded from Microsoft. See https://my.popdata.bc.ca/html/RTL/mac/installVPN.html (instructions start
about half way down under the header “Installing the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client software”.
Note that ‘Apple Remote Desktop’ (an optional Application from Apple) is not suitable.
Connecting to the RTL
Each time you want to connect to the RTL, there is a two-step process. Clear instructions are given on the
PopData website, at: https://my.popdata.bc.ca/html/RTL/home.html Click on Windows users or Mac OS X users
under Connecting to the RTL, and follow the instructions.
1. The first step is to connect to the VPN by opening the Cisco Anyconnect application on your computer.
Recall you will use the short username which was assigned to you when you registered for this course, and
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The Remote Training Lab (RTL) - Orientation guide
the passcode is your PopData passphrase. The Group drop-down menu should be set to RTL.
Connect to the VPN:
Connect to: access.popdata.bc.ca
Username: e.g. jsmith
Passcode: PopData passphrase
Group drop-down menu: RTL
Users who have the updated version 3 of Anyconnect will see windows and icons as shown here:
Some users may have the previous version of VPN, which had windows and icons as follows:
2. Once you are connected to the VPN, follow the instructions on the PopData website for the second step,
which is connecting to the RTL. First, check what machines are available for use at
https://my.popdata.bc.ca/rtl/available and then open a Remote Desktop Connection5. For the Remote
Desktop Connection, your username must be entered as popdata\username for Windows users (just
username for Mac users), and the passphrase will be the one you set up in my.PopData.
Connect to the RTL via a Remote Desktop Connection:
a) Find available machine: https://my.popdata.bc.ca/rtl/available
b) Remote Desktop Connection:
Computer: select one of the available machines, e.g. RTL1
Username: Windows users: popdata\username (e.g. popdata\jsmith)
Mac users: username
Password: passphrase set up on my.PopData
Domain (Mac users only): POPDATA
5
For Mac users – this needs to be installed – see instructions above. For Windows users – if you can’t find the Remote Desktop
Connection, look for it from the Start Menu by selecting:
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Communications -> Remote Desktop Connection
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection.
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The Remote Training Lab (RTL) - Orientation guide
Tips for connecting to the RTL with Remote Desktop
If you have successfully logged into Cisco AnyConnect VPN software, and are having trouble
connecting to the RTL using the Remote Desktop Connection, please try the following steps:
1. Check: https://my.popdata.bc.ca/rtl/available for server outage and technical issue notices.
2. For Windows users, if you can’t find the ‘Remote Desktop Connection’ on your Start menu, try
looking for it from the Start Menu by selecting:
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Communications -> Remote Desktop Connection
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection
Finally search for “Remote Desktop”
or
3. For Mac users, the Remote Desktop Connection may be in the program tray. If it is not there,
use Spotlight to search for “Remote Desktop”. If “Remote Desktop Connection” is not installed, see
https://my.popdata.bc.ca/html/RTL/mac/installVPN.html for instructions on downloading it from
Microsoft (instructions start about half way down under the header “Installing the Remote Desktop
Connection Client software)”. Note that ‘Apple Remote Desktop’ (an optional Application from
Apple) is not suitable.
If, after checking all of the
above, you are still not
able to connect to the RTL
using the Remote Desktop
Connection please refer
to Part 6 below on who to
contact for additional help, and what to include in your message.
Part 2 | Practice navigating in the RTL
The R: drive is the RTL network drive that contains all the course material. You can see what is in the R: drive by
double-clicking on the RTL Data Files (R) icon located on the left-hand side of the computer screen. This opens a
folder containing your course data directories.
To continue to explore the RTL, go to the Windows symbol on the bottom left. Left click on the
symbol and hover the mouse over ‘All Programs’ (or click on it once) to open a list of all programs
available to you. Use the scroll bar to move up and down the list. Try launching a few programs.
• Word, Excel and PowerPoint, plus other Microsoft Office products, can be started from within this list by
opening the folder titled ‘Microsoft Office’, then clicking on the desired program.
• SAS can be launched from within this list by opening the SAS folder, then clicking on SAS 9.39 (English)6.
6
Versions of SAS may be updated from 9.3 over time.
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The Remote Training Lab (RTL) - Orientation guide
Part 3 | Screen customization for remote desktop viewing
Once you have entered the RTL, you may notice grey scrollbars to the right
and below the remote desktop as shown below. This indicates that the
virtual screen is larger than the local screen.
To set your screen for better viewing, use the Remote Desktop
customization options prior to logging in and select a smaller screen size as
shown below.
You can then save the
selection as a default or
change viewing parameters prior to each RTL login.
Part 4 | Logging Off
Please ensure that you log out when you have finished
your session, otherwise the machine is not available for
others to use.
To log out of the RTL, left-click on the Windows symbol at
the bottom left corner of the Remote Desktop window.
Then left-click on ‘Log off’.
To disconnect from the VPN, right-click the VPN “lock”
icon in the system tray (bottom-right of your
screen) and choose “disconnect”. Some users may have the older version VPN “lock” icon:
Please note: Closing the window does not log you off, and ties up the machine so others can’t use it. If you can’t
see the log off button, scroll down within your viewing screen.
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The Remote Training Lab (RTL) - Orientation guide
Part 5 | How to get additional help
If you are not able to complete your RTL orientation and related set up procedures after you have reviewed this
orientation guide and associated trouble shooting tips, send a request to [email protected].
When requesting RTL support be sure to include the following details in your request:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Student Name
Course
Email
Username
Phone number
Mac or PC user
A description of what you tried to do
The error/message that resulted from this action
For a faster solution to your problem, be as specific as you can about the steps you checked above (e.g. which
ones worked and which didn’t), and report any error messages that you receive. Of course, never tell anyone
your passphrase.
Part 6 | Additional online resources
PopData’s Education and Training Unit has several free online courses and resources that you may find useful
including tutorials in:
• Statistical analysis
• SAS
• Mplus
• Linear Regression
• Health geomatics
• Spatial Epidemiology
• GIS and Epidemiology
• Space-Time Disease Surveillance
For details about these resources and how to access them visit: https://www.popdata.bc.ca/etu/onlinecourses
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