Currently, this guide focuses on coverage items for the Service Desk while Josh Bourdon is out on family leave.
Don't Want To Read?
Check out the STRATUS Support Overview Video (OneDrive)
(~15 minutes. You can watch it at double speed. I won't judge.)
Logging In
Written Guides
Video Guides
Multiple Environments
Escalations: Who and What
Team Dynamix Forms
Past Procedures/Changes/"Gotcha's"
General Login Troubleshooting
“The STRATUS webpage isn’t loading”
“I can’t log in/My password isn’t working/Reset my HPC account password.”
“My STRATUS page is blank/I don’t have any environments”
Scenario 1: Students not enrolled in a STRATUS course this semester
Scenario 2: Faculty/Staff taking a class as a student and using their employee account
Common Errors
macOS - There is no application set to open the document...
Your computer can't connect to the remote computer because the Connection Broker couldn't validate the settings specified in your RDP file.
This computer can't connect to the remote server. The two computers couldn't connect in the amount of time allotted. Try connecting again.
The connection was denied because the user account is not authorized for remote login
Groups granting access to STRATUS environments exist in labs.ads.gvsu.edu/RCS/Groups.
| Group |
Environment Access |
| EGRStratusFacStaff |
All School of Engineering Environments |
| EGRStratusStudents |
All School of Engineering Environments |
| (EGR)FSAEStratusStudents |
School of Engineering Formula1 SAE Environment |
| BUS470 |
BUS470 VM |
| CISStratusFacStaff |
All School of Computing Environments |
| CISStratusStudents |
All School of Computing Environments |
| GPYStratusFacStaff |
GPY Stratus Environment |
| GPYStratusStudents |
GPY Stratus Environment |
| STAStratusFacStaff |
STA Stratus Environment |
| STAStratusStudents |
STA Stratus Environment |
Incidents related to logging in are the majority of tier one support for STRATUS. Fortunately, most of those issues are resolved by sharing the login/connection guides. Familiarize yourself with these login steps before continuing with the rest of this document.
How to Connect to a STRATUS Remote Desktop Session (Windows and macOS)
Less common of a request, but a guide for connecting from a mobile device or Chromebook is also available:
How to Connect to STRATUS from a Mobile Device or Chromebook
(Also linked in the main, “How to Connect…” guide)
macOS - How to Connect to STRATUS (YouTube)
Windows - How to Connect to STRATUS (YouTube)
In many ways, STRATUS is very similar to WinLab. However, STRATUS contains multiple remote desktop environments (like different lab images/deployments) for different departments and courses. Each environment contains different combinations of applications.
The "Old" STRATUS - Research VMs
There are still a handful of environments that are on the "old" STRATUS (tied to a separate domain from the GVSU office/lab/student domains that uses separate accounts). Generally these are research VMs with the last name of the faculty member leading the research. A list (currently reconstructed from notes and memory as the "old" STRATUS is undergoing a major incident as of 5/30/2022) is available with these VMs and known associated users on OneDrive:
"Old" STRATUS Research VMs (OneDrive)
As of the "major incident"—if a faculty member submits a ticket about STRATUS, double if their name appears as a VM name or as a known user in the sheet linked above. If so, confirm if they're having issues with this environment.
Otherwise, it's safe to assume they're talking about the new STRATUS.
Issues other than logging in, or for next level support: Assign to Matt Hodgman in Team Dynamix
HPC/PCEC Support - Stratus Incident Form
Most of our tickets come in via email (anything from our inbox specifically will automatically get the type of "HPC/PCEC Support"), but if you do take a call about STRATUS, you can use this form.
Some people still call STRATUS “the Blade.” They likely mean STRATUS.
Sometimes students/faculty/staff refer to the various remote desktop environments in STRATUS as “folders.” Outside of a few class specific shared folders, there are not departmental shared folders in STRATUS.
If someone says “I can’t get to the CIS folder in STRATUS,” they likely mean that remote desktop environment.
Starting in the Fall of 2021, STRATUS now uses the same GVSU account used for Banner, Blackboard, Email, etc. Previously, STRATUS had its own accounts at domain—the HPC domain.
There may be some students returning to a STRATUS class for the first time since this transition for the Winter semester. Keep this in mind as most password related requests are likely confusion this account change.
In the Fall of 2021, STRATUS moved from “https://stratus.hpc.gvsu.edu” to “https://stratus.gvsu.edu.” We no longer use the “hpc” subdomain in the url.
Exception: Some non-classroom, research environments in STRATUS are still hosted in the old environment. See the Research Environments section for more information.
STRATUS and the HPC domain had its own separate network storage: the W-Drive. While that data is still around for users who had an old HPC account for STRATUS in their HPC-Data Folder on the desktop, folks are now encouraged to use that same Private-Data folder that’s found on other Windows labs on campus.
Before the Fall 2021 Semester, STRATUS used to make use of roaming profiles—a feature that allowed your entire home folder (the items on your desktop, in your downloads, various application preferences, etc) sync to and from a storage location on login and logout. STRATUS no longer uses this feature, and items not saved to the Private-Data folder are likely to be lost on logout.
Solution/Troubleshooting: If you’re able to access the page (try from external cellular connection too if you can), it’s likely the URL was entered in by hand without “https://”
Sample Ticket: TDX 297905
Response Template: HPC/PCEC Support > STRATUS URL by-hand and login link
Check if they’re getting there from a link or typing it in their browser manually. STRATUS does not redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS, and some browsers may not automatically make the change either. So if you just type in “stratus.gvsu.edu” instead of “https://stratus.gvsu.edu” you may not get redirected.
Solution: (Generally) Remind them of account changes in STRATUS. Otherwise, follow password reset procedure if appropriate for the situation.
Response Template:: HPC/PCEC Support > Password - Use GVSU Account
Most likely, they’re trying to use their old HPC account or those procedures (including the domain (“hpcusername” or “username@hpc” is a giveaway for this)
Now that we’re on the same domain, we’ve had very few requests where an individual’s password needed to be changed. Based on last semester’s startup, most of the time when someone feels they “forgot” their STRATUS password, they just weren’t aware that logins have changed to GVSU accounts, and sending the login guide resolved their issue.
Alternatively: "The connection was denied because the user account is not authorized for remote login" error when attempting to connect with an RDP file.
Just about every person with a GVSU account can log into the STRATUS page, they just might not have any environments assigned to them. These environments are assigned by piggybacking off a daily script from the Enterprise Architecture team that puts accounts into active directory groups based on their course enrollment. Typically, this falls into two scenarios:
Solution: Generally, send a reminder of the changes. Assign any contested requests to Matt Hodgman.
Response Template: HPC/PCEC Support > Not in a course using STRATUS, CIS Linux Labs or RStudio
Now that we’re relying on the script from Enterprise Architecture, removal from these STRATUS access groups is much faster. Students who had used STRATUS before the Fall 2021 semester who were used to having access in a “gap” semester between having a STRATUS course will now no longer have access until they’re in a STRATUS course again.
Double check that the user is a member of one of the Active Directory Groups for Access. (See AD Groups for Access section for more info).
There are exceptions (lab assistants, senior projects, etc.) Assign any contested requests to Matt Hodgman.
Example ticket - Faculty/Staff taking a class as a student
Solution: Identify and have them use their student account. Follow password reset procedure if appropriate for the situation.
Response Template: HPC/PCEC Support > Access Issue - Faculty/Staff enrolled in a class as Student (please fill in the blanks/parentheses)
The data that runs the daily account assignment script is based off of student accounts. Since the course data isn’t tied to the faculty account, they won’t see any environments. Sometimes faculty/staff aren’t aware of this student account, and will need help resetting that password.
Solution: (Likely a personal computer) Have them install the Microsoft Remote Desktop app from the Mac App Store.
Response Template: Response Template: HPC/PCEC Support > STRATUS on macOS - Microsoft Remote Desktop not Installed
Solution: follow the login guide instructions and download a new RDP file for your environment.
Response Template: HPC/PCEC Support > STRATUS - Expired RDP File
Since we made changes to STRATUS to move it over to the GVSU domain, any old RDP connection files from before the fall 2021 semester won’t work. All an individual needs to do is go to the STRATUS website and download a new RDP file for their intended environment.
Solution: Contact Matt Hodgman.
This error popped up recently when a drive in one of our servers failed. If it were to pop up again, it’s likely that a similar event preventing connections to a subset of STRATUS virtual machines may have occurred. Please notify Matt Hodgman immediately, preferably by phone/Teams.
Solution: Generally, send a reminder of the changes. Assign any contested requests to Matt Hodgman.
Response Template: HPC/PCEC Support > Not in a course using STRATUS, CIS Linux Labs or RStudio
Similar to the “My STRATUS page is blank/I don’t have any environments” scenario, this is what happens for those same people if they try to connect with a downloaded RDP file. The same causes apply—perhaps they're using their faculty/staff account when they should be using their student account
Since they already have an RDP file, this scenario is more likely between semesters where the script for assigning access has already moved to the next semester, but students may still be finishing up last-minute/incomplete assignments.
There are exceptions (lab assistants, senior projects, etc.) Assign any contested requests to Matt Hodgman.