Working Remotely

There are 100 or so Windows computers in the Pearson labs (Rooms 108, 105/109, 113, and 158) that have Python and Wing 101 installed. If you always plan to do your work in the labs, you can ignore this page.

However, most of us prefer to install the software on our own computers. You can find installation links in the "Software" section of the syllabus.

Note: TAs are not your IT staff

All work for this course can be done in the labs. Using your own computer is a convenience for you. Although we will all try to be helpful when you have installation or network problems, please be aware that the hours for instructional staff in this course are severely limited, and the TAs cannot spend a large amount of time on personal computer issues.

For most personal computer or network connection problems not specifically related to Python or Wing 101, you should probably contact the ITS Solution Center located in Parks Library. See https://www.it.iastate.edu/solution/

One excellent source of help is the Piazza discussion forum. Other students who have had issues similar to yours can make suggestions. Try to describe your problem clearly, and include specifics about your operating system.

Local workspace vs. Remote workspace

When you use your own computer to do homework (or labs) for this course, you have a several options:

Option 1: Always work on your local hard drive, and regularly back up your files on MyFiles using one of the remote access options below.
- This is probably the simplest option, but it also means that when you do want to work on the lab machines, you will have to manually transfer files.
Option 2: Always use MyFiles, both in lab and remotely.
- This basically just requires mapping your workspace location as a network drive, described below.
- This is convenient, but the potential disadvantages are that you can't access your files without a network connection.
  - We would recommend that in any case you always keep a local copy of everything you're working on.

It is also possible to set up your workspace on a flash drive that you can use both at home and in the labs, but we find that these are frequently lost or broken, so you are still expected to back up your work on university network storage.

Remote access

Note: All off-campus access requires VPN

If you are off-campus (not on the ISU network), you'll need to run the VPN client first before using any of the options below. This is described in the ITS document at https://www.it.iastate.edu/howtos/vpn. .

Accessing MyFiles remotely via Samba

This will give you a File Explorer or Finder window for your MyFiles, at which point you can easily a) copy files between your own computer and your MyFiles, or b) open your workspace directly via the mapped drive.

To connect, you can basically follow the instructions in the SSG FAQ: http://www.cs.iastate.edu/how-access-your-files-through-samba-server, using the network path:

\\my.files.iastate.edu\Users\yournetid

where yournetid is replaced with your ISU NetID.

On a Mac, the server address is: smb://my.files.iastate.edu/Users/yournetid

Using MyFiles remotely as your workspace

Follow the instructions above to connect via Samba. Then after you start Wing, you'll be able to open and update the files you have on MyFiles.

Note: you may see a dialog warning about a file being open in another instance of Wing. This happens if you start Wing twice or if you didn't shut down correctly last time you were in lab. It is usually ok to click "override lock".