Participant Guide: Getting Started with DaDesktop

Objective

This guide is intended for participants (students) who plan to attend 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, every participant gets their own complete online desktop, allowing them to work through exercises while the trainer can monitor and guide them.

It comprises three main components:

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

Requirements

If you’re joining from your office or home, you’ll need:

• A computer (PC or laptop) with a stable internet connection (at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload). Windows, Mac, and Linux are all supported.
• The Chrome or Firefox web browser
• A good-quality microphone or headset (a telephone should be a last resort and isn’t recommended)
• A quiet environment, away from background noise and interruptions (no coffee shops!)
   

For the best experience, we recommend:

• A webcam
• A second monitor—so you can follow the instructor on one screen while doing labs on your DaDesktop Virtual Machine on the other
• Turning off any VPN before the course begins
• Disabling security software that might interfere with your network connection, if you can
• Using a wired Ethernet connection when possible; if you have to use Wi-Fi, run a speed test beforehand (e.g., speedtest.net)

You might want to test joining your course and explore the DaDesktop virtual classroom ahead of time. Just be aware that on days before the course officially starts, you can only access the Desktop for 15 minutes at a time.

 

Course Access

Please note that outside of official course days, you can only access your course for 15 minutes at a time.

On the actual course days, you’ll have access all day (previously, this was limited to roughly an hour before the course began).

 

Keep Desktop after Course finishes

A key benefit of DaDesktop is that participants can keep using their virtual machine after the course ends. 

Check out the link above for step-by-step instructions on how to set this up.

Joining a Course

Open the joining link provided by your coordinator (something like dd4t.dadesktop.com/da/join/xxxxx).

 

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If this is your first time, fill in your details under “Account” and click “Sign Up”. You can register this way or sign up using your Google or LinkedIn account.

If you already have an account, simply log in.

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

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Using the Management Console

Go to the “TRAINING ROOM” tab.

Then click “Join Training Room”.

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The Virtual Training Room will open in a new tab. A pop-up will ask for permission to copy items to the clipboard—choose “Allow”.

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Navigating the Training Room as a Participant

The Training Room displays a tab at the top that contains links back to your course.

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Controls available at bottom of the screen

• From here you can detach the screen onto another monitor if needed, or maximise the browser to full screen.
• Also, on the bottom right you’ll find a small blue toggle that opens the DaDesktop support chat.

 

Using the new Clipboard function

To move text—like web addresses, commands, etc.—from your own computer into the Virtual Machine, we use the Clipboard.
 

When you connect to your Online Course or Stand-alone Desktop, you’ll see a pop-up similar to the one shown. Click ‘Allow’. (Note: Images currently cannot be copied to the clipboard in DaDesktop.)

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If you click the small clipboard icon in the address bar, you can adjust the clipboard permissions for this site.

Usage

• On Windows and Linux VM Desktop, copy and paste as normal with Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V
• On a Mac, copy as usual and then press Shift + Ctrl + V, or use a middle mouse click to paste.

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Please reach out to us if you need any extra help with this feature.
 

Original Clipboard (for browsers that don’t support the new Clipboard, like IE, or as a fallback)

• To copy text between your computer and the virtual DaDesktop machine, type or paste into the clipboard area at the bottom left of the screen.
• On the virtual machine, paste the clipboard contents by clicking the middle mouse button (or mouse wheel). This works anywhere in DaDesktop where you can type, assuming you’re using the standard Linux DaDesktop virtual machine.
  Mac users: use Command + c to copy and Command + v to paste. Once something is in the DaDesktop clipboard, 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 adjust the clipboard area’s size, 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 new feature displays the username of whoever is controlling the mouse right next to the cursor when multiple users are connected to the same desktop. It’s especially handy in multi-user situations or during training activities where different people take turns controlling the mouse.

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When more than one user is connected, their usernames appear in the bottom centre of the screen.

 

 

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