If you have been issued a Michener mobile workstation, you will have certain limitations and restrictions. The laptop setup differs from your previous desktop workstation setup. These limitations and restrictions will consist of the accessibility of obtaining resources on-site and off-site. This article will go in depth on the limitations and restrictions of Michener issued laptops as well as guide you through the workarounds.
The mobile workstation setup includes the following:
- 14 inch Laptop Computer with a Built-in Webcam
- 24 inch Monitor
- USB-C Docking Station
- Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
- Wired USB Headset
If you are onsite, the USB-C docking station is connected to the 24 inch monitor, Michener's wired connection, and wireless keyboard and mouse. You must plug the USB-C cable to your laptop from the dock to access these features.
Limitations and Restrictions
When working on site on a Michener laptop, you will have limitations and restrictions when accessing resources. These resources that won’t be accessible are the following:
Work Arounds
Although these resources won't be accessible, we have compiled a list of best approaches when coming across these situations. Every resource is different and therefore will have a different approach when accessing them.
P: Drive
P: Drive is the personal storage for staff, faculty, and students. P: Drive cannot be accessed through a Michener issued laptop either on-site or off-site. The Michener laptops are not connected to the Michener domain and therefore does not have access to staff and faculty's P: Drive. The laptops are also not accessible to P: Drive off-site either.
How do I access P: Drive?
In order to access P: drive from your Michener issued laptop, the work around is to remote desktop into the remote server and access it from there. Instructions for staff and faculty to access P: drive are listed in the following:
I'm Having trouble with setting up Michener Remote Desktop.
If you are experiencing problems with remote desktop, please refer to the following:
My P: Drive is running out of space, where else can I store my files?
At Michener, the standard space allocation is 4GB of P: Drive space for staff and faculty. Although that isn't a lot of space, we suggest moving old files to OneDrive, to a USB thumb drive, or SharePoint.
What can I do with OneDrive and SharePoint?
Michener issued laptops are unable to access resources on-site or off-site unless you remote desktop into Michener's remote server. However, there are other alternatives that will allow you to easily access resources other than P: Drive and Y: Drive. These other alternatives include using OneDrive, an online cloud storage that is readily available anytime. SharePoint is another alternative storage but you would need to have permission in order to access this resource.
Where is my OneDrive?
Click here for instructions to access OneDrive on your web browser.
Where is my SharePoint?
In order to access your SharePoint, you would need permission and an invite from the SharePoint owner of the site.
Y: Drive
Y: Drive is the shared folder among staff and faculty. Y: Drive cannot be accessed through Michener issued laptops on-site as they are not connected to on-site domain. These laptops are also not accessible to Y: Drive off-site.
How do I access my Y: Drive?
In order to access Y:drive from a Michener issued laptop, the work around is to remote desktop into the remote server and access it from there. Instructions for staff and faculty to access Y: Drive are listed in the following:
Printer Access
To use Michener's printers, one must be on-site connected to our networks domain. Limitations and restrictions unfortunately allow Michener issued laptops to go so far. Printer access regarding these laptops must be connected to the domain. Printer access with these laptops do not have printer access on-site or off-site.
How do I access the printer?
Michener issued laptops have certain limitations with regards to printing. There are two work arounds for printing. One being that you would need to use Michener Remote Desktop. The other option is to use a hoteling workstation issued to your department.
Is wireless printing available?
Unfortunately, no. Printing is only available through Michener Remote Desktop or on an hoteling workstation.
Limited Software
Different staff and faculty when using Michener issued laptops will have limited and restricted access to certain software that they use. Unfortunately some software require a laptop or workstation that is connected to domain to have access in which Michener issued laptops are not. These laptops do not have access to certain software either on-site or off-site.
What software will not work on the laptop?
The following software will not work on the laptop on VPN or wired Michener connection. You must use a hoteling station to access these software.
- MOSAIQ
- CytoGenomic
- Coffalyser
What software will work on the laptop?
The following software will work on a Michener issued laptop.
Michener-wired connection only:
- EC2/NMIS - you may be prompted to enter your Michener credentials, every time the software is launched.
- Cytosure - launches, but needs further testing
- PS Suites
Both Michener-wired connection and VPN:
- Coral
- RayStation
- SARAMIS
- Intellispace - will need to enter intellispace.ad.michener.ca as the server
How do I access the software I need for my class?
When using a Michener issued laptop, certain software access has limitations depending whether you are off-site or on-site. When off-site, you would need to use the Michener VPN to access certain software. When on-site, you would need to be connected physically to Michener's network through a wired connection as the limitations and restrictions of a Michener issued laptop make it unable to utilize these software.
Please see the software list above. You may also need to use a hoteling workstation if the software above is not available.
Why do I need VPN?
Depending on staff and faculty, certain software are required. Using VPN allows staff and faculty to access certain software off-site when working remotely. Keep in mind VPN will not work on Michener Wi-Fi or wired connection at Michener. The VPN can only be connected on an external network.
What can I do with VPN?
VPN is our virtual private network connection to Michener. You can use VPN to establish a connection to Michener and access certain software and resources when you are off-site.
How do I access VPN ?
VPN can be accessed by the following:
Why I can't connect to VPN to access my software applications?
When connecting using VPN, there are prerequisites when connecting to Michener's network to access these software applications. These prerequisites being:
- Having the right Multi-factor authentication installed and enabled to your Michener account.
- Putting in the right credentials to connect.
If you find yourself having done the steps above correctly then there are things to keep in mind when trying to connect. If you are on-site, VPN will not be able to connect. VPN will only connect if you are off-site using an external internet connection.
VPN Troubleshooting
To use VPN, you have to use Cisco AnyConnect. Keep in mind that when using AnyConnect, you may experience a disconnect from the VPN without you realizing it. There will be no warning from your computer to let you know that VPN has disconnected. These reasons are not exclusive to and could be the following:
- the laptop was left idling (i.e sleep mode)
- disruption from your internet, bandwidth issues, etc
If you find yourself unable to connect, have no connection or can't access the software, go to Cisco AnyConnect and disconnect and reconnect the VPN.
What software is available through VPN?
The following software is available through VPN. Please see list above, at the start of the Limited Software for a more comprehensive list of software.
- Coral - Instructions
- RayStation - Instructions
*Note: VPN will not work on-site through Wi-Fi or wired connection. Must be connected on an external network.
Wi-Fi Connectivity
All staff and faculty have access to Michener's wireless connectivity. Although you have access, our Michener issued laptops do not have access to certain resources when connected to Michener Wi-Fi.
VPN will not work on-site and will only work off-site to access certain applications.
Michener Remote Desktop will not work on-site through Wi-Fi but will only work on-site using a wired connection. Michener Remote Desktop can also work off-site through home connection.
I'm connected to Michener's Wi-Fi, why can't I access certain resources?
Michener issued laptops cannot access resources such as P: Drive and Y: Drive through Wi-Fi as these laptops are not connected to the Michener domain. To access resources, you will need to connect to Michener Remote Desktop through a wired connection at Michener or you are connected off-site and using Michener Remote Desktop to access these resources.
I'm physically connected to Michener's through a wired connection, why can't I access certain resources?
Michener issued laptops cannot access resources fully such as P: Drive and Y: Drive through a physical connection as these laptops are not currently connected to Domain. To access resources entirely, staff and faculty must use Michener's Remote Desktop to remote into Michener in order to access these resources.
How do I access Michener's Wi-Fi?
To use Michener Remote Desktop, the laptops will need to be connected through a wired connection to connect to the remote server to access resources. For all other unrelated Michener Remote Desktop resources, you can access Michener Wi-Fi through the Michener's Wi-Fi guides.
Related Resources and Guides
Before proceeding to work off-site, please refer to the list of best practices and advice:
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