VDE FAQ

ICPSR VDE Support can be reached by emailing icpsr-help@umich.edu. However, before you reach out, many common questions are answered here on the FAQ page. If you need support, please check for the error message or problem you have encountered below before you reach out to our support team.

Connecting to the VDE

Access Denied

Error: When attempting to log into the VDE, you receive the error message "Access Denied" at the Horizon login prompt. This error can occur in one of two ways. Check which one applies to your experience, noting the inclusion of a duo prompt in case two.

Case 1: Bad Password

Case 2: Correct Password

Solution 1: Your username or password is incorrect. Please see the password reset procedure.

Solution 2: Duo two factor authentication must be confirmed within thirty seconds of entering your password and clicking okay. We recommend using Duo Push notifications and having the Duo app already open on your phone to ensure you have plenty of time. SMS is our backup recommendation. The phone call method is NOT recommended due to the time it takes.

Connection Timeout

Error 1: When I connect, I get a black screen and can't see anything.

Error 2: The connection to the remote computer timed out VMware horizon client.

Error 3: Timeout was reached.

Error 4: Connection to remote computer has ended.

Solution: this indicates that there is a firewall on your machine or network preventing PCoIP traffic between your machine and Horizon's Connection Broker Server. You will need to unblock port 4172 TCP and UDP outbound from your machine to the following IP Addreses of our Horizon Connection Servers. Please see this VMWare KB for tech details.

  • 141.211.217.181
  • 141.211.217.182
  • 141.211.217.185
  • 141.211.7.224
  • 141.211.7.225
  • 141.211.7.226

These IP addreses may update periodically, but we try to keep them the same whenever possible. The University of Michigan owns all of 141.211.0.0/16, so if this IP range can be allowed it will be more future proof. You can verify what networks we own here: here.

All Desktops Busy

Error: All available desktop sources for this desktop are currently busy.

Solution: VDE Pools have a fixed number of machines. If we have hit a capacity issue, and you are using a VDE User License to our general access "Pay Per User" pool, please let us know and we will increase capacity. If you are using a sponsored pool and it is out of machines, such as the NAHDAP pool or the DSDR pool, those pools have a fixed capacity per a contract with the organization that funds those pools, and their size cannot be increased on demand.

Stuck Logging Off

Error: The View agent reports that this desktop is currently logging off a previous session.

Solution: Contact our support team. We can forcibly reboot the underlying machine to make your session close. Sometimes this happens when a machine is trying to log out but a program has unsaved work open. This is a quick fix on our end, so please let us know if you're seeing this error for >15 minutes and we can take care of it.

Tunnel Error

Error: Tunnel error: SSL connection was shut down while reading.

Solution: Please update to the latest version of the Horizon Client. You can find the latest supported VMWare Horizon Client downloads here.

Server License key has expired.

Error: Horizon Conection Server License key has expired. Please contact the system administrator.

Solution: Our platform's server has an expired license. If you see this error, please let us know so that we can apply an updated license. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Couldn't connect to server

Error: Couldn't connect to server

Solution: Please ensure you are connect to the correct server name of 2fa.midesktop.it.umich.edu

Windows 10

Error: I have a device with a different OS than Windows 10, but I read I need Windows 10.

Solution: You must use an operating system that is still under active support to meet our security requirements. If your operating system is still under active support, and can install the VMWare Horizon Client, then you may use it. Using an operating system other than Windows 10 may limit our ability to provide technical support if you experience issues connecting to the VDE.

Files and Data

About Storage

Error: I'm used to just saving things on my desktop or the C: drive. How does file storage work in the VDE?

Solution: There are three types of data storage in the VDE. There is ephemeral storage which is anything saved directly on the C: drive of your windows machine. This storage is deleted when you log out, but can be used for temporary files.

There is also your Personal Network Storage which consists of your Desktop and Documents Folders. We use Folder Redirection to save these folders on our network storage. These folders are intended to be used for configuration files and other small files only. As such, the quota is: 500MB per user.

All users have access to our Resource Drives. This is read-only storage for things like our CRAN mirror (the R: Drive, RFiles). As this is read-only storage, users cannot save files here. ICPSR can add content to these drives if necessary and it benefits all users of the VDE.

Lastly, but most importantly, there is also your Project Workspace which consists of your H: drive. This is a mapped drive and is named after the Principal Investigator of record for your VDE Project. It also includes a number, as some PIs will have multiple VDE Projects. This is the primary storage location for your Project Team and all files should be saved here. For information about storage limits please see this answer.

Project Workspace not Mapped

Error: I can't see my project workspace or I don't have an H drive.

Solution: Usually this is an issue with group policy. You can manually map to your project workspace and it should persist for future sessions.

Can't Save New Files

Error: I can't save new files, and get errors about either Permission Denied or Quota Full.

Solution: Your quota is full. Please either clean up some files or for information about storage limits please see this answer.

User Accounts and Passwords

Getting Help

Error: I need help! How can I get in touch with ICPSR for support and get the best and fastest support?

Solution: ICPSR VDE Support can be reached by emailing icpsr-help@umich.edu. However, before you reach out, many common questions are answered here on the FAQ page. If you need support, please check for the error message or problem you have encountered below before you reach out to our support team. Please include your full name, uniqname, project ID, and what archive your project is working with to get the fatest support.

Password Reset

Error: I forgot my password. What do I do?

Solution: If you don't already know your UMID, please email icpsr-help@umich.edu. Once you have your UMID please call 734-764-HELP and ask to have your UMich/Kerberos password reset.

Logging Out

Error: I am done working for the day. How should I log out from the VDE?

Solution: Please don't just close the VDE window. Open the start menu, click your profile icon (the default looks like a little person) and choose

Never Got Sponorship Email

Error: I recently signed up for a VDE account, but I never got the email about Sponorship.

Solution: Please check your junk/spam folders in your email, and ensure you provided the correct email during the sponsorship process. We have received some reports of these emails going to junk mail in the past.

Hardware Limitations

What are the specs of the VDE?

Error: I don't know what the VDE hardware specs are.

Solution: The hardware specs for the Windows 10 VM you get access to are:

  • 4 vCPU
  • 16GB RAM
  • 100GB HDD local disk ephemeral (temporary) storage
  • 1GB Networking (Intranet to networked storage)
  • Network Storage shared with your Project Team

Can I get more RAM or CPU cores?

Error: I've run into hardware limitations in the VDE. What can be done about this?

Solution: This is a question that has a lot of "it depends" attached to it. If you are using pool that is sponosored by an archive, then the hardware of that pool's desktops is determined by the sponsor of that pool that is paying the machine license. If you are using a user license, and have funding for additional costs associated with running a higher hardware spec desktop pool, please reach out to us at icpsr-help@umich.edu. Due to the architecture of the VDE, all users are currently restricted to the same hardware specs as this is a limitation of VMWare Horizon's Instant Clone model. There is a significant ongoing maintenance burden to maintain different hardware configuration, so this is not an option we can offer off-the-shelf.

Error: Can I get more networked storage for our project team?

Solution: Generally, yes. Up to reasonable limits, ICPSR will increase team's quotas automatically. For power users that are interested in obtaining bulk storage, please contact icpsr-help@umich.edu to discuss your storage needs.

R, Stata, and SAS

Using R in the VDE

Error: How do I use R in the VDE? It's different than I'm used to on my personal machine.

Solution: We maintain a whole page of documentation on R here.

RTools not Installed

Error: R is saying that RTools isn't installed and has lots of scary warning/error text.

RStudio has Ugly Graphs

Error: All the graphs/charts in RStudio look awful compared to what I am used to.

Solution: Go to the Tools Menu -> Global Options -> General -> Graphics/Advanced. Check the settings on your device vs the settings in the VDE. Antialiasing might be worth tweaking.

Using Stata in the VDE

Error: How do I use Stata in the VDE? It's different than I'm used to on my personal machine.

Solution: We maintain a whole page of documentation on Stata here.

SAS Fails To Start

ERROR: Invalid physical name for library SASUSER
NOTE: Unable to initialize the options subsystem.
ERROR: (SASXKINI): PHASE 3 KERNEL INITIALIZATION FAILED.
ERROR: Unable to initialize the SAS kernel.

Solution: Oddly enough, this means your quota for Documents/Desktop folders is full. That limit is 500MB by default, and includes the Recycle Bin. Move items from these locations to your Project Workspace or delete them (and empty the trash) then relaunch SAS and it should work.

External SAS Macros

Error: How can I import a SAS Macro like weightedvem?

Solution: Please open a ticket by emailing icpsr-help@umich.edu and include a link to the source of the macro you need imported. We will add it to your Project Workspace.

Python

PIP/Conda Repos

Error: I am trying to pip/conda install a package and it won't work.

Solution: ICPSR does not maintain an offline pip or conda mirror at this time. We run Anaconda, and the base anaconda environment has many packages preinstalled for data science work. Please contact icpsr-help@umich.edu for support if you need a package available. Please include the following information in your request:

  • All packages needed and their versions (preferably in a requirements.txt format)
  • Install sources for those packages (ie: whether they are available in pip, conda, conda-forge, or only exist on github)
  • Minimum python verison required
  • Any dependencies you are aware of for these packages