Student Resources

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The College of Engineering has many computing resources for students. Whether you need help accessing your filespace, connecting to the VPN or accessing software, we are here to help! Below you will find information and links to get assistance for many of the services that the Computer-Aided Engineering Center has to offer.

Buying a laptop
Backing up data
CAE computer labs
Software
VPN
DUO
Printing
Knowledge Base
Contact the CAE Help Desk

Buying a laptop

If you are new to the College of Engineering, or just in the market for a new computer, we have some advice. You can find system requirements and helpful tips here: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/32851

Keep in mind that the College of Engineering requires use of a Windows computer. Macs are not supported (even when running Windows) and you may be required to install and use software that is only available for Windows. Chromebooks are not an acceptable platform for the College of Engineering.

Backing up your data

Keeping your data safe from loss and easily accessible is an important aspect of your studies. Laptops get lost or stolen and drives fail. There are several ways to make sure that your work is backed up.

The University of Wisconsin offers cloud service options for students, faculty and staff as well as information on how to backup your computer offline. You can read what DoIT has to offer here: https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=20504#onlinebackup

In addition, CAE offers College of Engineering undergraduates 25GB of filespace that is automatically tied to the CAE lab computers as well as XenApp (see below for more information on XenApp). This is a very convenient way to store your data. To see what filespace can do for you, please check here: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/8526

CAE computer labs

CAE offers a number of computer labs where you can go to study and do your coursework. For a list of available labs, follow this link: https://www.cae.wisc.edu/labs/

Software

You will need to use a host of software during your time in the College of Engineering. For the most part, you can find everything you need on the CAE lab computers. You can also run many software titles remotely or download them directly on your laptop. In addition to the CAE labs, here are some of the many ways to find software for instruction:

  • XenApp (https://remote.engr.wisc.edu) is a software service that enables remote access to CAE software that is licensed for remote use. There is no need to install the software package on your computer or use special connection methods like VPN. You can find more information here: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/28565
  • The Campus Software Library is a service run by DoIT, but there are some engineering specific software titles that are available to students in the CoE. Here you will find productivity software as well as Windows OS and more. Learn more about the CSL here: https://it.wisc.edu/services/software/
  • Azure for Teaching is another perk that comes with being a student in the College of Engineering is access to Azure Dev Tools for Teaching. Here you can find downloads for Windows as well as Visio and more. You will need to sign in with your Wisc email. This is a good place to start: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/52431
  • CAE maintains a large number of software titles for instruction. Software on CAE lab computers are there by request from instructors and departments. Students cannot install software on CAE lab computers. However, many titles can be downloaded onto your laptop. The CAE Software page has information about software, and where to find it (Windows, Linux, XenApp, or personal installation). https://www.cae.wisc.edu/software/

VPN

As undergraduates, your account has access to WiscVPN and the Engineering License VPN. You may need to activate your VPN access. This article will help you with the activation https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/page.php?id=23424

DUO

In order to improve your account security, the College of Engineering has implemented DUO for many student resources. This is separate from campus DUO, but works in the same way. Once you set it up, it works almost seamlessly with campus DUO. For an overview of CAE DUO, check this out: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/110616

Printing

The CAE labs have printers, and in some cases, plotters available for student use. Unfortunately, CAE does not maintain a scanner. All you need to know about printing at CAE can be found here: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/27894

Knowledge Base

CAE has a Knowledge Base instance that is searchable by keywords, and may answer many of the questions that you have. You can find the CAE KB here: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/

Help Desk

The CAE Help Desk is located in the Wendt Library on the first floor. It is located on the corner of Randall and West Dayton St., across from Union South. Note that the help desk is staffed by students, and there may be gaps where no one is immediately available. For more information and hours of operation, see this Knowledge Base article: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/31702