This article will walk through how to configure a few different example scenarios for computer lab access using Scheduled Access in Splashtop On-Prem.
This includes examples of scheduling a computer lab for:
- Open lab access (24/7 access)
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One-time or limited access
- Example: staff training, student access to specialized lab for a lesson, etc.
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Multiple different courses utilizing the same computer lab
- Example: CMPS 101 section A & B, AMS 20B
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Hybrid learning environments
- Where there is a combination of remote and on-campus students
Note: You can schedule multiple of the above scenarios on the same resource (set of computers)!
Open Labs - 24/7 access
- First, follow steps 2-7 in the Scheduled Access article to create a resource, which will be the set of computers that you would like to schedule. Make sure to enable exclusive access settings (step 4) in the resource if you're worried about cases where students forget to log out of their OS user account before disconnecting.
- Continue to Create Schedule.
- Enter the Schedule Name, Description (Optional), and Start Date of the schedule. Since this is a schedule that will be available 24/7, configure the timeslot for 0:00 - 23:59, repeating Daily.
- Since this is a 24/7 access lab, uncheck "Force session to disconnect when schedule ends", otherwise sessions will be automatically disconnected each day at midnight.
- Enable Advanced Settings -> Exclusive Access as a safeguard for students forgetting to log out of their accounts before disconnecting.
- Add users or user groups to the schedule. You may also copy/paste a list of emails into the Users box.
- Click Create - Now you can see your created Schedule on the calendar view.
One-time or Limited Access
- First, follow steps 2-7 in the Scheduled Access article to create a resource, which will be the set of computers (or specific computer) that you would like to schedule. Make sure to enable exclusive access settings (step 4) in the resource if you're worried about cases where users forget to log out of their OS user account before disconnecting.
- Continue to Create Schedule.
- Enter the Schedule Name, Description (Optional), and Start Date of the schedule. Since this is a one-time schedule, configure the Start Date and Time as exact day and time you want to schedule, repeating Never.
- Make sure "Force session to disconnect when Schedule ends" is checked if you want to ensure that the user is disconnected when the scheduled time is over.
- Enable Advanced Settings -> Exclusive Access as a safeguard for users forgetting to log out of their accounts before disconnecting.
- Add users or user groups to the schedule. You may also copy/paste a list of emails into the Users box.
- Click Create - Now you can see your created Schedule on the calendar view.
Multiple Courses utilizing the same computer lab
- First, follow steps 2-7 in the Scheduled Access article to create a resource, which will be the set of computers that you would like to schedule. Make sure to enable exclusive access settings (step 4) in the resource if you're worried about cases where students forget to log out of their OS user account before disconnecting.
- Continue to Create Schedule.
- Enter the Schedule Name, Description (Optional), and Start Date of the schedule. Configure the Start Date, Time, and Recurrence of the schedule. In this example, we're configuring CMPS 101 Section A for 8:00-11:45 every MWF.
- Make sure "Force session to disconnect when Schedule ends" is checked to ensure that the student is disconnected when the scheduled time is over.
- Enable Advanced Settings -> Exclusive Access as a safeguard for users forgetting to log out of their accounts before disconnecting.
- Add users or user groups to the schedule. You may also copy/paste a list of emails into the Users box, like from a class roster.
- Click Create - Now you can see your created Schedule on the calendar view.
- Repeat steps 2-6 to schedule additional courses/sections on the same computer lab (resource). After creating, your calendar view will now contain multiple schedules on this resource.
Hybrid Learning Environments
Configuring a schedule for a hybrid learning environment is very similar to how schedules are configured with the above scenarios, but with the addition of specific settings in Exclusive Access Mode.
- First, follow steps 2-7 in the Scheduled Access article to create a resource, which will be the set of computers that you would like to schedule. IMPORTANT! Make sure to enable exclusive access settings (step 4) in the resource, which will be used for hybrid learning environments.
- Continue to Create Schedule.
- Enter the Schedule Name, Description (Optional), and Start Date of the schedule. Configure the Start Date, Time, and Recurrence of the schedule. In this example, we'll configure a course called CMPS 101 Section A for 8:00-11:45 every MWF.
- Make sure "Force session to disconnect when Schedule ends" is checked to ensure that the student is disconnected when the scheduled time is over.
- Make sure Advanced Settings -> Exclusive Access is enabled on the schedule.
Enabling Exclusive access will prevent a remote user from accessing a computer that is already logged in with an OS user. This way, even students locally using the lab computer can work undisturbed. Blank screen and lock keyboard/mouse settings also prevent local users from seeing remote user's sessions. - Click Create.