Cloud Computing Account Instructions

Everything you need to use your Cloud Computing account, including login instructions and how to manage your computing environment.

Account Instructions

CCSS Cloud computing accounts are associated with your normal Cornell Email Credentials. You can access the shared cloud computing resources through your browser or a local application.

Interested in learning what software is available through a CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions Account? View the list here.

Login Instructions

Please select the platform you are accessing your account through: web browser, Windows, or Mac in the tabs below.
- Web Browser
- Mac
- Windows
- This tab provides instructions to access the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions using a web browser.
  
  Getting started:
  
  Open the latest version of a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge)
  
  Go to following link: https://client.wvd.microsoft.com/arm/webclient/
  
  Sign into Microsoft with your regular Cornell University email and password:
  Cornell email address: Example - jrg363@cornell.edu
  
  Cornell email password: Example - Cornell password
  
  You will be presented with an item under CCSS Cloud Computing:
  
  Double-click item to sign in
  
  You will be displayed the following pop-up window:
  
  Click ‘Allow’ to proceed
  
  Sign in with your regular Cornell University email and password.
  
  Username:
  Cornell email address: Example - jrg363@cornell.edu
  
  Password
  Cornell email password: Example - Cornell password
  
  
  
  The Remote Desktop Web Client looks like this:
  
  BEFORE YOU LEAVE:
  
  Important information about the correct way to ‘Sign Out” of the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions resources as shown in this screenshot.
  
  Sign Out
  
  Need More Support?
  
  View Tutorial Video
  
  Encountering Issues?
  
  Email Us
- This tab provides instructions to access the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions using the ‘Microsoft Remote Desktop’ Mac client.
  
  Getting started:
  
  The first two sections have detailed instructions to install and setup the ‘Remote Desktop’ client application (to be done once). The last section contains instructions to connect to the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions.
  
  Download and install the Microsoft Remote Desktop app.
  
  Initial ‘Microsoft Remote Desktop’ Setup (to be done only once)
  Open ‘Microsoft Remote Desktop’ from Applications ‘Workspaces’ tab
  
  Click Plus icon, ‘Add Workspace’
  
  Next Steps:
  
  Input the following for ‘Email or workspace URL’: https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com
  
  Click ‘Add’
  
  Signing in:
  
  Sign into Microsoft with your regular Cornell University email and password:
  Cornell email address: Example - jrg363@cornell.edu
  
  Cornell email password: Example - Cornell password
  
  You will be presented with an item under CCSS Cloud Computing:
  
  Double-click item to sign in.
  
  Sign in with your regular Cornell University email and password.
  Username: Cornell email address. Ex: jrg363@cornell.edu
  
  Password: Cornell email password. Ex: Cornell password
  
  The Remote Desktop Web Client looks like this:
  
  BEFORE YOU LEAVE:
  
  Important information about the correct way to ‘Sign Out” of the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions resources as shown in this screenshot.
  
  Sign Out
  
  Need More Support?
  
  View Tutorial Video
  
  Encountering Issues?
  
  Email Us
- This tab provides instructions to access the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions using the ‘Remote Desktop’ Windows client.
  
  Getting started:
  
  The first two sections have detailed instructions to install and setup the ‘Remote Desktop’ client application (to be done once). The last section contains instructions to connect to the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions.
  
  Download and Install ‘Remote Desktop’ Windows Client Application:
  Download the ‘Remote Desktop’ client application here
  
  Install the downloaded client application
  
  Click through installation and accept the default settings
  
  Initial ‘Remote Desktop’ Setup (to be done only once)
  Open ‘Remote Desktop’ client application installed from earlier step
  
  Click ‘Subscribe with URL’
  
  Input the following URL.: https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/
  
  Click ‘Next’
  
  Signing in:
  
  Sign into Microsoft with your regular Cornell University email and password:
  Cornell email address: Example - jrg363@cornell.edu
  
  Cornell email password: Example - Cornell password
  
  You will be presented with an item under CCSS Cloud Computing:
  
  Double-click item to sign in
  
  Sign in with your regular Cornell University email and password:
  Username:
  Cornell email address: Example - jrg363@cornell.edu
  
  Password:
  Cornell email password: Example - Cornell password
  
  The Remote Desktop Web Client looks like this:
  
  BEFORE YOU LEAVE:
  
  Important information about the correct way to ‘Sign Out” of the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions resources as shown in this screenshot.
  
  Sign Out
  
  Need More Support?
  
  View Tutorial Video
  
  Encountering Issues?
  
  Email Us

Use the tabs below to discover the storage on your Cloud Computing environment:

Active Project Storage (Z Drive)
Long Term Storage (Formerly CISER)
Transferring Data

This tab provides instructions for accessing the Active Project Storage (Z Drive).

For optimal performance store all your active project data on the Z drive.

When a professor authorizes access for their research group members, you will, by default, be given access to this cloud file storage.

Mapping Your Z Drive:

Sign in to the new CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions System
Open File Explorer by clicking the Windows icon or typing it in the search bar at the bottom of your screen

Screenshot of File Explorer App for Cloud Computing Solutions System

Mapping Your Network Drive

Inside File Explorer, Right-click ‘This PC’ and select 'Map Network Drive'

Screenshot of File Explore with "Map Network Drive" selected

Mapping Folder to Z Drive

Set drive to be 'Z' drive.
Enter one of the paths listed below in 'Folder' to map the drive to your PI's space.
Keep the ‘Reconnect at sign-in' checked so you do not need to do this again.
Click 'Finish' when complete.
Typical nomenclature:
- \\ccss{professor’s_college_acronym}.file.core.windows.net\{Prof_NetID}. Replace <Prof_NetID> with your actual professor’s NetID
- Example: \\ccsscas.file.core.windows.net\pe52

Screenshot of "Network Folder" dropdown in "Map Network Drive" with "Z" selected

List of Available Paths

Use one of the available paths listed to the right.

\\ccssengcis.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccsscas.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccsscals.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccssbpp.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccssche.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccssilr.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccssjcb.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccsscvm.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

\\ccsslaw.file.core.windows.net\<Prof_NetID>

Recommendation For Shared Project Folders

It is recommended to have separate folders for shared projects and individual users

Screenshot of list of file folders in windows

Important Notes

Do not save your data to C drive (Desktop, Documents, Downloads). Data saved here is not recoverable and will limit your user experience.
There is a default limit of 500 GB for each research group. The professor can request additional capacity if needed.
Only store data files you need to be processed (active projects) on the Z drive. There is another long term storage option available through CCSS with larger capacity.
Folder Permissions: The default permission is read/write to the entire group. If you need restricted permissions to specific subfolders, contact CCSS.

This tab provides instructions for accessing the long term archival storage(Formerly CISER, S drive and U drive).

Long term archival data should be stored on the S drive. For active projects store data on Z drive. You should transfer your active project data from S/U drive to Z drive.

If you need an account for long term archival storage, Contact CCSS.

Mapping Your S drive and U drive:

Sign in to the new CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions System
Open File Explorer by clicking the Windows icon or typing it in the search bar at the bottom of your screen

Screenshot of File Explorer App for Cloud Computing Solutions System

Mapping Your Network Drive

Inside File Explorer, Right-click ‘This PC’ and select ‘Map Network Drive'

Screenshot of File Explore with "Map Network Drive" selected

S Drive Instructions

Set drive to be 'S' drive
Check 'Reconnect at sign-in'. Keeping this checked will appear in This PC every time you sign in.
Check 'Connect using different credentials'. Then enter CISER account credentials
\\rschfs2x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\share\{folder_name}

Screenshot of "Map Network Drive Screen" with "S" Drive selected

U Drive Instructions

Set drive to be 'U' drive
Check 'Reconnect at sign-in'. Keeping this checked will appear in This PC every time you sign in.
Check 'Connect using different credentials'. Then enter CISER account credentials
Select the path based on what letter your CISER account begins with:

A-E: \\rschfs1x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\userrs\a-e\netid_RS

F-J: \\rschfs1x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\userrs\f-j\netid_RS

K-Q: \\rschfs1x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\userrs\k-q\netid_RS

R-Z: \\rschfs1x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\userrs\r-z\netid_RS

Example:
- CISER account: jrg363
- \\rschfs1x.ciserrsch.cornell.edu\userrs\f-j\jrg363_RS

Screenshot of "Network Folder" dropdown in "Map Network Drive" with "U" selected

Enter Network Credentials

When signing in, enter username as: ciserrsch\netID_RS
Use your CISER username and password. If needed, set password. When resetting password enter username as netid_RS

Screenshot of login screen for entering network credentials

Notes

Mapping your CISER files can result in the file explorer being sluggish.
Contact CCSS for code to automatically map CISER files upon sign in
Best practice is to transfer active project data from CISER filing system to Z drive.

This tab provides instructions for moving data between Z drive and long term storage.
Robocopy

This is the fastest option for transferring big data.

Sign into CCSS Cloud Computing Resources

Map network drives: Z drive, Long Term Storage

Click Search bar bottom of screen

Type ‘cmd’

Open Command Prompt displayed in results
Use the following syntax to transfer your files:

robocopy <source> <destination> /MT /Z /E

Example copying from long term storage (S drive) to Z drive:

robocopy “S:\consultants\Source\dynare-5.4-win33” “Z:\jrg363\destination” /MT /E /Z

Other Data Transfer Options
- Copy and Paste
- Cloud Storage through browser (Cornell Box, OneDrive)
- Email
- If you need assistance transferring large datasets, Contact CCSS

Session Tips

Use the tabs below for session tips.
- Sign Out vs Disconnect
- Auto Sign out After Code Completes
- Default Downloads Location
- Sign Out. Why is it important?
  
  When you have completed your calculation, you should Sign Out, so the resource is available to someone else. This will stop charges accumulating for your account and help ensure optimized use of the Cloud resources for all Social Science researchers at Cornell.
  
  Note: Just closing the ‘Remote Desktop’ client or the web browser will not sign you out of the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions resources. Please follow the steps below to correctly sign out.
  
  Steps for Signing Out
  
  Open Start Menu
  
  Click on the Profile icon of your name on the left
  
  Select ‘Sign out’ 
  
  Make sure to include commands that will save your results as your program progresses.
  
  Use these commands at the bottom of your code to automatically sign you out after your program is finished.
  
  Disconnecting
  
  When you are running your calculations on the server, you may remain active on the server or disconnect and come back later to check the status of your calculations. While disconnected, your calculation/application/code will continue to run on the server.
  
  Closing the ‘Remote Desktop’ client or the web browser will disconnect your session, not sign you out. The next time you sign in, you will pick up where you left off.  
  
  Due to the nature of Cloud Computing, if you are active or disconnected, you are consuming a ‘seat.’ So, if you are not running a calculation, it is effectively wasting resources. Please Sign Out (see above) if you have completed your calculations to optimize the use of resources and keep costs down for everyone.
- How to Auto Sign out After Code Completes
  
  Add the code below to the bottom of your script files to automatically sign out of of the CCSS Cloud Computing Resources once your code finishes.
  
  R
  
  #Generate results
  
  #Save results
  
  #Use code below at bottom of R script to automatically sign out
  
  system("shutdown -l")
  
  Stata
  
  *Generate results
  
  *Save results
  
  *Use code below at bottom of Stata script to automatically sign out
  
  shell shutdown -l
  
  Python/Anaconda
  
  %Generate results
  
  %Save results
  
  %Use code below at bottom of Python/Anaconda script to automatically sign out
  
  import os
  
  os.system("shutdown -l")
  
  SAS
  
  *Generate results;
  
  *Save results;
  
  *Use code below at bottom of SAS script to automatically sign out;
  
  X shutdown -l;
  
  MATLAB
  
  %Generate results
  
  %Save results
  
  %Use code below at bottom of MATLAB script to automatically sign out
  
  system("shutdown -l")
- Change Default Downloads Location
  
  Getting Started:
  
  Sign into CCSS Cloud computing Resources
  
  Select blue Windows icon next to search bar at the bottom of your screen
  
  Open Microsoft Edge by selecting app
  
  Sign into your cloud storage account
  
  Selecting Downloads:
  
  Select 'Downloads" from menu options
  
  Changing default downloads location to Z drive:
  
  Change default downloads location to Z drive
  
  Download files

Account Instructions

Login Instructions

This tab provides instructions to access the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions using a web browser.

Getting started:

You will be presented with an item under CCSS Cloud Computing:

You will be displayed the following pop-up window:

Sign in with your regular Cornell University email and password.

The Remote Desktop Web Client looks like this:

BEFORE YOU LEAVE:

Need More Support?

Encountering Issues?

This tab provides instructions to access the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions using the ‘Microsoft Remote Desktop’ Mac client.

​​​​Getting started:

Next Steps:​​​

Signing in:

You will be presented with an item under CCSS Cloud Computing:

The Remote Desktop Web Client looks like this:

BEFORE YOU LEAVE:

Need More Support?

Encountering Issues?

This tab provides instructions to access the CCSS Cloud Computing Solutions using the ‘Remote Desktop’ Windows client.

Getting started:

Signing in:

You will be presented with an item under CCSS Cloud Computing:

The Remote Desktop Web Client looks like this:

BEFORE YOU LEAVE:

Need More Support?

Encountering Issues?

Storage

This tab provides instructions for accessing the Active Project Storage (Z Drive).

Mapping Your Z Drive:

Mapping Your Network Drive

Mapping Folder to Z Drive

List of Available Paths

Recommendation For Shared Project Folders

Important Notes

This tab provides instructions for accessing the long term archival storage(Formerly CISER, S drive and U drive).

Mapping Your S drive and U drive:

Mapping Your Network Drive

S Drive Instructions

U Drive Instructions

Enter Network Credentials

Notes

This tab provides instructions for moving data between Z drive and long term storage.

Robocopy

Use the following syntax to transfer your files:

Other Data Transfer Options

Session Tips

Sign Out. Why is it important?

Steps for Signing Out

Disconnecting

How to Auto Sign out After Code Completes

R

Stata

Python/Anaconda

SAS

MATLAB

Change Default Downloads Location

Getting Started:

Selecting Downloads:

Changing default downloads location to Z drive:

Getting started:

Next Steps: