DaDesktop for Participants: A How-To Guide

Objective

This guide is designed 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 serves both instructors and learners, offering virtual desktops powered by the innovative DaDesktop® technology. During sessions, each participant gets a complete online desktop to carry out exercises under the trainer’s supervision.

Its three main parts are:

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

Requirements

To connect from either your workplace or home, you will need:

• A computer (PC or laptop) with a stable internet connection (minimum 10 Mbit/s download, 1 Mbit/s upload). Windows, Mac, or Linux systems are supported.
• Chrome or Firefox browser
• A good-quality microphone or headset (using a phone is a last resort and isn’t recommended).
• A quiet space free from distractions and noise – a coffee shop won’t work.
   

We also recommend:

• Webcam
• A second monitor – use one screen to follow the trainer and the other to work on your DaDesktop Virtual Machine for labs.
• Turn off any VPN before the course starts.
• Disable security software that might interfere with your network connection, if you can.
• Use an Ethernet connection if possible; if using Wi-Fi, check your internet speed beforehand (for example, via speedtest.net).

You might want to test joining your course and exploring your DaDesktop virtual classroom before the course begins. If you do, keep in mind that you can only access the Desktop for 15 minutes on days prior to the course start time.

 

Course Access

Please be aware that outside of course days, you can only access your course for a 15-minute period.

On course days, access is available all day – previously, it was limited to about an hour before the course.

 

Keeping Your Desktop After the Course Ends

A standout benefit of DaDesktop is that course participants can continue using their machine after the course finishes. 

For full details on how to do this, please refer to the link above.

Joining a Course

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

 

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For first time users, fill in your details in the “Account” section and click “Sign Up”. You can join using the form or by signing up with your Google or LinkedIn account.

If you already have an account, just log in.

This will bring you to the Management Console for your course.

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Using the Management Console

Select the “TRAINING ROOM” tab.

Click the “Join Training Room” button.

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The Virtual Training Room opens in a new browser. A pop-up will ask you to permit clipboard access – click “Allow”.

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Navigating the Training Room as a Participant

The Training Room displays a tab at the top of the screen with links back to your course.

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Controls available at bottom of the screen

• Here you can pop the screen out to another monitor if needed, and you can also maximize the browser window to full screen.
• In the bottom-right corner, a small blue toggle lets you open the DaDesktop support chat.

 

Using the new Clipboard function

We use the Clipboard to pass text — such as web links and commands — from your own computer to the Virtual Machine.
 

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

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Clicking the small clipboard icon in the address bar lets you adjust clipboard settings for this site.

Usage

• On Windows and Linux VM desktops, use standard copy and paste (Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V) from your PC.
• On a Mac host, copy as usual and then paste using Shift + Ctrl + V or a middle mouse click.

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Please get in touch with us if you need further assistance with this feature.
 

Original Clipboard (use only for browsers incompatible with the new Clipboard, such as IE, or as a fallback)

• To copy text between your machine and 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 clipboard contents to the desktop. This works in any text entry area within DaDesktop, assuming you’re using the standard Linux virtual machine.
  Mac users – use Command+C (copy) and Command+V (paste). Once pasted into the dd4t clipboard, inside dd4t you use Control+X, Control+C, and Control+V for cut, copy, and paste.
• If you are using the Windows virtual machine, right-click to paste from the clipboard.

To resize 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

This feature shows the username of the person controlling the mouse next to the cursor when more than one user is connected to the same desktop. It’s especially helpful in multi-user situations and training exercises where mouse control switches between users.

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When multiple users are connected to the desktop, their usernames appear at the bottom center of the screen.

 

 

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