The Department of Information Technology is pleased to announce that the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) for students will be upgraded to the Windows 11 operating system effective August 20, 2023. VDI allows students to connect from their own computer to a virtual Windows desktop to access instructional computing software dedicated to serving the dissertation, course work, and academic computing needs of students.
The upgrade of VDI from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is part of an ongoing project launched by the Department of Information Technology to keep Windows computers up to date and secure.
Software on Student VDI:
- Student VDI contains licensed software used for coursework.
- Software packages are routinely updated to their latest versions and consequently older versions are removed.
- Software requests for Fall Term (August thru December) must be submitted by Monday, August 21st to ensure time for installation and testing prior to student use.
Reminders about VDI:
- When using VDI at the Chan School, print jobs can be sent to print stations where they remain available for 30 minutes.
- When using VDI from home, print jobs can still be sent to the Chan School print stations, OR to your home printer (e.g. USB connected or Wi-Fi printers – though some models may not be recognized by VDI).
- Save all work to your P: drive. Files stored on the Student VDI desktop are deleted upon logout/disconnect.
- Idle sessions are automatically disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity.
VDI may be run from a web browser on your PC or Mac, or from a more full-featured piece of software called “VMWare Horizon Client”. Visit the VDI FAQ for more information.
Please contact our IT Helpdesk at (617) 432-4357 or email helpdesk@hsph.harvard.edu for any questions or concerns you may have regarding this information.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Department of Information Technology
