A Guide to DaDesktop for Participants

Objective

This guide is for participants (students) who want to join a course hosted on DaDesktop.

 

Overview of DaDesktop

DaDesktop is a cloud platform built specifically for IT training. It’s designed for both IT instructors and learners, using virtual desktops powered by the groundbreaking DaDesktop® technology. During sessions, every participant gets their own full online desktop, so they can work through exercises while the trainer supervises.

It has three main components:

1. Management Console – a web interface for system administration, like starting and stopping cloud desktops.
2. Training Room – a collaborative space for remote desktop sharing, audio, chat, lesson recording, and more.
3. Remote Desktop – a virtual machine (Windows or Linux), one per user.
    

Requirements

If you plan to join from your office or home, here’s what you’ll need:

• A computer (desktop or laptop) with a reliable internet connection – at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload. Windows, Mac, and Linux are all supported.
• Chrome or Firefox web browser
• A good-quality microphone or headset (using a phone is a last resort and not recommended)
• A quiet space, free from distractions and background noise – a coffee shop won’t do
   

Recommended:

• Webcam
• A second monitor: use one screen to follow the trainer, and the other for your DaDesktop Virtual Machine during labs.
• Turn off any VPN before joining the course
• If possible, disable any security software that could interfere with the network connection
• Use a wired Ethernet connection when you can; on Wi-Fi, test your internet speed beforehand (like at speedtest.net).

You might like to try joining your course and exploring your DaDesktop virtual classroom before the course starts. If you do, please know that outside of course days, you’ll only be able to access the desktop for 15 minutes at a time.

 

Course Access

Course access is limited to 15-minute windows on days when the course isn’t running.

On course days, however, access is available all day. (Previously, this was only permitted about an hour before the session.)

 

Keep Desktop after Course finishes

A standout feature of DaDesktop: participants can keep using their machine after the course ends. 

Check the link above for full instructions.

Joining a Course

Open the link sent by your coordinator (for example, dd4t.dadesktop.com/da/join/xxxxx).

 

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If you’re a first-time user, fill in your details under “Account” and click “Sign Up.” You can register using the form, or sign up via your Google or LinkedIn account.

If you already have an account, just log in.

You’ll then be taken to the Management Console for your course.

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Using the Management Console

Click the “TRAINING ROOM” tab.

Click the “Join Training Room” button.

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The Virtual Training Room will open in a new browser tab. A pop-up will appear asking permission to copy items to your clipboard—click “Allow.”

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Navigating the Training Room as a Participant

The Training Room appears with a tab at the top that provides links back to your course.

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Controls available at bottom of the screen

• From the bottom controls, you can ‘pop out’ the screen onto a second monitor, and you can also maximize the browser window to full screen.
• Over on the bottom right, a small blue toggle gives you access to DaDesktop support chat.

 

Using the new Clipboard function

To transfer text—like web links, commands, etc.—from your own computer into the Virtual Machine, we use the Clipboard.
 

When you connect to your Online Course or Stand-alone Desktop, a pop-up like the one shown here will appear. Click ‘Allow’. Note that images cannot currently be copied to the clipboard while using DaDesktop.

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Click the small clipboard icon in the address bar to change the clipboard settings for this site.

Usage

• On Windows and Linux VM Desktops, use the usual copy and paste shortcuts: Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
• On a Mac, copy as you normally would, then paste with Shift+Ctrl+V or a middle mouse click.

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If you need further help with this feature, please get in touch with us.
 

Original Clipboard (to be used only for incompatible browsers for new Clipboard) ie IE, or as fallback.

• To copy text between your machine to the virtual DaDesktop machine, type or paste into the clipboard area at the bottom left of the screen.
• On the virtual machine, click the middle mouse button (or mouse wheel) to paste the contents of the clipboard to the desktop. This works anywhere in DaDesktop where text can be entered. This assumes you are using the standard Linux DaDesktop virtual machine.
  Mac users - Use Command c or ⌘ c (copy) Command v or ⌘ v (paste). Once pasted in dd4t clipboard, inside dd4t it becomes Control X, C and Control V to cut, copy and paste.
• If using the Windows virtual machine, right click to paste from the clipboard.

To resize the size of the clipboard area click the green and white arrow icon at the bottom left of the screen.
 

 

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Using the mouse in a multi-user scenario

When more than one user is connected to a desktop, the username of the person controlling the mouse is shown right next to the cursor. This is especially handy for multi-user sessions and training activities where different people may take control at different times.

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If more than one user is connected, their usernames appear at the bottom centre of the screen.

 

 

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You can turn this feature on or off by clicking the green ‘Info’ button at the bottom of the screen.