This article provides possible solutions for common Virtual Lab issues. 

Intro

Virtual Lab is a system that lets you use your laptop or mobile device to access programs normally using applications in Virtual Lab. This document has troubleshooting instructions for solving problems with Virtual Lab.

Q and A section

I am getting a “you cannot log in using a Smart Card” error when attempting to log into Virtual Lab.

You have two options to resolve this browser caching issue.

Use a Private/Incognito Browser or Clear Browser Cache:

1. Open a private or incognito window in your browser and navigate to virtuallab.unc.edu to log in.
2. Clear the cache and cookies in your browser then return to virtuallab.unc.edu to log in.

Use Citrix Workspace App:

1. Open the Citrix Workspace app on your device.
2. If prompted for a server or email address, enter virtuallab.unc.edu as server.
3. Log in using your Onyen credentials.

I cannot connect to Virtual Lab.

If you have issues accessing Virtual Lab through your web browser, you can also access it directly through Citrix Workspace. To do so, open your Citrix Workspace app and when it asks you to add an account enter “virtuallab.unc.edu”, without the quotes, in the field. Then use your Onyen and Onyen password to sign in and it will connect you directly to Virtual Lab.

If you have logged into Virtual Lab before and used the virtual applications but cannot do so now, check the following:

-Uninstall and reinstall the Citrix Workspace application

-Try a different web browser.

-If you are on campus, check to make sure you are not connected to UNC-Guest.  Campus wireless users must be connected to either eduroam or 23-24UNC-PSK to connect to Virtual Lab.   Refer to Wireless Network: Connect to UNC WiFi for assistance with configuring your machine for the UNC network.

-Reboot your home computer and try again.

-Try getting to Virtual Lab directly through the Citrix app on your computer.  During setup, you may be prompted for an email/server address.  Use Virtuallab.unc.edu as the server address.

If you are still having difficulties, contact the ITS Service Desk:

• Chat Now
• Walk in
• Call 919-962-HELP

I cannot log into Virtual Lab

Virtual Lab requires that you login using your Onyen account in the form of Onyen@ad.unc.edu, along with your Onyen password.  If you have an active browser login for a different UNC account (such as @business.unc.edu) and navigate to virtuallab.unc.edu, you may receive an error due to the browser attempting to log you in with the incorrect account. To resolve this issue, try an alternate browser with no active @business.unc.edu login, an incognito/private window, or log out of the @business.unc.edu account and then login with the Onyen account. 

I had unsaved data on my virtual application session when I lost connection. How do I retrieve it?

There is a way to restart your previous session. If you reconnect your application within 15 minutes of the time you lost connection (this does not include manually exiting your application session), you will be reconnected to your previous session. Otherwise, all data is lost.

I logged off the website and my application closed.

If you log off the Virtual Lab website, then your session is disconnected. If you log off by accident, you can log back in to Virtual Lab within the next 15 minutes, click on the program you had open, and you will be reconnected to the same session without causing losing unsaved work. Disconnected sessions stay on the server for 15 minutes, so  as long as you reconnect within that time you will continue your session. If it's longer than 15 minutes, a new session is created and any unsaved work in the previous session is lost.

I closed my virtual application and opened it back up, but the data I saved to “Documents” is gone.

In Virtual Lab, there are more than one Documents folder: home and application-specific. Make sure that when accessing and saving data, you are accessing the Documents folder from your home desktop. Refer to Virtual Lab: Saving Your Files for more information. Any data that is written into the Documents folder that resides on your virtual application is lost when your virtual application has been closed for more than 15 minutes.

I can’t access my files or save to my local drive while using Virtual Lab. How do I change the access granted for my local drives?

For Windows users, whenever you start a program via Virtual Lab, the Citrix Workspace icon (a blue icon with white arcs on it like a wifi signal) displays in your toolbar at the bottom right near the time. Follow these steps:

1. Right click the Citrix Workspace icon and choose About.
2. Click the Advanced tab to access the menu and click Connection Center.
3. When the Connection Center comes up, your current session is highlighted. On the right, under Session Security, you can see all the security settings for Citrix accessing your computer. Change the first one, called “Files," to full access. You can then access and save your files.

For Mac users, you need to change the settings and restart the program for the changes to take effect. To change these settings:

1. Click Preferences in the Citrix Viewer toolbar.  
2. Under the Devices tab, change access to Read and write.  
3. Restart the program so the changes take effect.

Your files are generally located in the “Computer->Local Disk (C: on yourcomputername)” drive.  That location takes you to the root of your drive and then you need to browse to your User folder (Users\username) to access your Documents or Desktop folders.  The built-in Windows library links (“Documents”, “Desktop”, “Music”, etc) do not point to folders on your computer and so you need to manually browse to the appropriate location.

How do I access my files using a file path in programs such as R, SAS, SPSS, M Plus, etc?

This problem occurs because when using Virtual Lab, the program defaults to the hard drive on our servers.  However, you should be able to correct this by using the following format:  “//Client/C$/User/…”.  “//Client/” tells it to go to the client’s (your) computer.  From there, you can use the file path associated with your personal computer.

I closed out my virtual application. Can I reconnect to the same session?

If you exited your virtual application and did not correctly save your data, your data is lost and you cannot reconnect to that session. Session information has been deleted off your home desktop, making the session available for another user. However, if you lose your connection because of connectivity issues, you have a 15-minute window of time to reconnect before your session is deleted and all data is lost.

I cannot print to my USB-connected printer.

Most generic print drivers are compatible with Virtual Lab. However, if you are having difficulties with getting your page to print correctly, your current print driver may not be updated to the current version. Close out your virtual application and download a new driver from your home desktop. You will need to check with your printer’s manufacturer for information on how to download and install a new driver. If you are still having problems, try printing to a different printer or use Carolina Print Hub printers on campus).

My Carolina Print Hub print job is not appearing in my print queue.

Your print job only stays in the Carolina Print Hub Print Queue for one hour before it is automatically deleted. If you received confirmation that your job was processed and you checked your Carolina Print Hub Print Queue in the allotted time period, try sending your job again. Make sure that you are typing the Onyen that you are submitting the job to correctly in the Pharos pop-up box. If the Onyen is misspelled, the job will be lost. If you are still having difficulties, check the Carolina Print Hub FAQs.

I am having difficulty connecting my USB device.

The only USB devices available for connecting to your Virtual Lab session are flash drives and printers. Other USB devices are NOT supported by ITS Labs at this time. Flash drives are displayed in your virtual application Computer folder as a Removable Disk under Other. USB and network printers are accessible in the printer list in your Print Settings.

How do I close an unresponsive program in Virtual Lab?

The instructions on disconnecting a software application that is not responding on your Citrix connection.

For Windows:

1. Right click on your Citrix Workspace Icon (found in the show hidden icons menu).
2. Click Connection Center.
3. Click the Remote Application Software to Close.
4. Click Logoff.

• You are logged off of the server and the application is removed from the Applications list. Close the window.
• All the other applications are still running, and you can restart the application that was terminated.

For Mac:

1. Right click Citrix Viewer.
2. Select quit.
3. Choose log off.

My session freezes when I try to open multiple applications at the same time.

While you can use multiple Virtual Lab applications at the same time, we recommend opening the applications one at a time.  Wait for one application to load and open before trying to open another application.