How to Use DaDesktop as a Participant

Objective

This guide is intended for participants (students) looking to join a course run on DaDesktop.

 

Overview of DaDesktop

DaDesktop is a cloud platform built from the ground up for IT training. It serves both instructors and students by harnessing the groundbreaking DaDesktop® technology to deliver virtual desktops. In these sessions, each participant receives a full online desktop, where they can carry out exercises while the trainer observes and guides them.

Its three main parts are:

1. Management Console -- a web-based interface for managing the system, such as launching and shutting down cloud desktops.
2. Training Room -- a collaborative environment for sharing desktops remotely, audio, chat, recording lessons, and more.
3. Remote Desktop -- a virtual machine (Windows or Linux); one per user.
    

Requirements

To join from your office or home, you'll need:

• A computer (PC or laptop) with a stable internet connection (minimum 10 Mbit/s down and 1 Mbit/s up). Windows, Mac, and Linux machines are all supported.
• Chrome or Firefox web browser
• A good-quality microphone or headset (a phone is a last resort and not recommended)
• A quiet spot free from distractions and background noise (a coffee shop won't work)
   

We 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
• If possible, disable security apps that might interfere with the network connection
• Whenever possible, use a wired Ethernet connection. If you're on Wi-Fi, test your internet speed beforehand (e.g., at speedtest.net)

You might want to test joining the course and exploring the DaDesktop virtual classroom before the actual start date. Just keep in mind that access to the Desktop is limited to 15 minutes on days prior to the course.

 

Course Access

Outside of course days, your access is limited to a 15-minute window.

On course days, you can access it all day long. In the past, this was only allowed for about an hour before the session.

 

Keep Desktop after Course finishes

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

Check the link above for complete instructions.

Joining a Course

Open the link your coordinator sent you (e.g., 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 sign up with the form or use your Google or LinkedIn account.

If you already have an account, just log in.

That will bring you 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 opens in a new browser tab. A pop-up will ask for permission to copy items to the clipboard – click 'Allow'.

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Navigating the Training Room as a Participant

At the top of the screen, you'll see a tab bar that links back to your course.

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Controls available at bottom of the screen

• From here, you can pop the screen out to a separate monitor, and you can also maximize the browser window to full screen.
• Additionally, a small blue toggle in the bottom-right corner lets you open the DaDesktop support chat.

 

Using the new Clipboard function

To transfer text – like web links, code snippets, etc. – from your own machine to the Virtual Machine, you'll use the Clipboard.
 

When you connect to your online course or standalone desktop, a pop-up like the one shown will appear. Click ‘Allow’. Please note that images can't be copied via the clipboard in DaDesktop at the moment.

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

Usage

• On Windows and Linux virtual desktops, copy and paste as you normally would with Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V.
• On a Mac, copy as usual then press Shift+Ctrl+V, or middle-click, to paste.

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If you need more help with this feature, feel free to contact us.
 

Original Clipboard (for browsers incompatible with the new clipboard feature, like Internet Explorer, or as a fallback)

• To copy text between your computer and the DaDesktop virtual machine, type or paste it into the clipboard area at the bottom left of the screen.
• On the virtual machine, middle-click (or press the mouse wheel) to paste the clipboard contents onto the desktop. This works wherever text can be entered in DaDesktop, assuming you're on the standard Linux virtual machine.
  Mac users: Use Command-C (⌘C) to copy and Command-V (⌘V) to paste. Once you've put something in the dd4t clipboard, inside dd4t you'll use Control-X, C, and V for cut, copy, and paste.
• If you're on a 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

We've added a feature that shows the username of the person controlling the mouse next to the cursor when multiple users are connected to the same desktop. This is particularly handy for collaborative sessions and training where different users take turns with the mouse.

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When more than one user is connected, their usernames appear near 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.