Illinois AnyWare, Using Illinois AnyWare

This article offers a summary of how to connect and use the Illinois AnyWare Desktops.

Connecting to AnyWare

Illinois AnyWare can be reached through the Citrix Workspace application, or through any modern web browser.

Detailed instructions for both methods can be found here: Illinois AnyWare, How to Connect

AnyWare Desktops

DesktopsWebstore Purchased Applications

Undergraduate student accounts are given access to the General Purpose Desktop and the Graphics Enabled Desktop.

Some departments, such as ACES, Gies, or Engineering, may offer additional desktop options, as well as some software purchased from the WebStore.

  • General Purpose Desktop is intended for applications that do not require significant graphics processing, such as the Microsoft Office suite, R, or SPSS.
  • Graphics Enabled Desktop is given additional accelerated graphics support, and is intended to be used for rendering-intensive software such as the Adobe suite and ArcGIS.
    If you are not intending to use software like this in your session, please select the General Purpose Desktop instead to conserve hosting resources.

After selecting a desktop, the session will launch, with your account already logged in.

Managing Files

Both the General Purpose and Graphics Enabled Desktop(s) are Windows environments with OneDrive integration. The Citrix Workspace software is also able to share your computer's local filesystem with the desktop.

Information about using OneDrive inside of Illinois AnyWare can be found here: Illinois AnyWare Desktops - Saving, Uploading, and Downloading Files with OneDrive

Further information about file management with AnyWare can be found here: Illinois AnyWare Desktops - Uploading and Downloading Files

Ending Desktop Sessions

Your session will remain open as long as you are actively using your desktop. Your session will disconnect if there is no input for 2 hours, and fully sign out and end if you do not reconnect in the next 10 minutes.

If you are finished using the desktop session and have saved your work, either to your local computer or OneDrive, please sign out of the session. Instructions for ensuring your desktop session is correctly ended can be found here: Illinois AnyWare, Logoff / Disconnect Session

Support

If a department-specific AnyWare desktop or software does not appear, contact your department's IT group. For problems with software purchased from the WebStore, contact them by email at WebStore@illinois.edu.

For any other trouble with Illinois AnyWare, reach out to the Technology Services Help Desk by email at consult@illinois.edu or by phone at 217-244-7000.