IT Resources | NC State OR
IT Resources
Last Updated: 07/29/2024 | All information is accurate and still up-to-date
Need Help?
The OR Helpdesk is here to support you with any tech issues.
Software Resources
NC State University offers a wide variety of software to you for free or at a reduced rate.
First, explore the links below to find the software you need. Then, download the software directly from the provided links.
- NC State College of Engineering Licensed Software – Available Software licensed via COE/OR
- NC State University Licensed Software – Available Software licensed via NC State
- OnTheHUB Discounted Software for OR – Free and/or discounted software available to STEM majors
- Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching – Free access to MS Dev Products and Azure Credits
- ISE Grammarly License Request Form – Request a license to fully-featured Grammarly
Still can’t find the software you need? Complete the Software Request Form or please contact the OR Helpdesk at isehelp@ncsu.edu.
How To’s and Documentation
How-to Remotely Connect to Your Office PC
You can work remotely on your OR-owned campus computer as a student, staff or faculty member.
First, complete the Request Remote PC Access Form to request remote access permission. Then, use Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) when you are off-campus.
Importantly, you must connect to NC State’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access your office machine remotely.
STEP 1: VPN (for off-campus access)
- Go to https://vpn.ncsu.edu and log in using your UNITY ID and password.
- Follow the instructions to install the AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client on your remote computer.
- Once installed, make sure to connect to “vpn.ncsu.edu.”
STEP 2: Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop or “RDP” is used to connect to Windows PCs. Windows operating systems this client is pre-installed as Remote Desktop Connection. Mac users can find this application via the Mac App Store. Windows users can find the app by:
Remote Desktop, or “RDP,” lets you connect to Windows PCs.
First, know that Windows operating systems have this client pre-installed as Remote Desktop Connection. Mac users can find this application on the Mac App Store.
For Windows 10 and 11, type “Remote Desktop Connection” into the search bar labeled “Search the web and Windows” at the bottom of your home page.
A pop-up window will appear on your desktop. Enter [Hostname or IP of PC] and click Connect.
Lastly, a pop-up window will ask for your Unity ID and password. Make sure to use “wolftech\unityID” as the username. Enter them and click OK. Your office PC desktop will appear.
Connecting from Mac
Mac OS does not come with Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol installed. To remotely access your office machine, you need to install RDP yourself.
First, go to RDP’s App Store to download the application. You should follow these steps for remote access.
How-to Connect to your office printer
Every OR networked printer has a hostname related to a North Carolina city or town.
You can find the hostname on a label on the printer as shown in the photo below.
These instructions will show you how to install these printers via the IP/hostnames using the “CityName.ie.ncsu.edu” domain name.
Note: These instructions apply to student-owned computers. OR-owned PCs have access to the print queue by default.
If you use an OR-owned PC and cannot find a printer, contact isehelp@ncsu.edu with your computer’s hostname for assistance.
Connecting from windows
- Using the Start Menu, search “Control Panel” then select Devices and Printers.
- In the Devices and Printers window click on Add a printer.
- Select “The printer that I want isn’t listed”.
- Choose “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings”, then click Next.
- Select Create a new port and choose Standard TCP/IP Port, then click Next.
- Under Hostname or IP address: Type in the hostname followed by “.ie.ncsu.edu”. For example, the host name of this printer is Raleigh, so you would enter “raleigh.ie.ncsu.edu”.
- Windows should find the driver automatically. (Note for Brother branded printers “Brother PS Driver” should be selected.)
- Once it finds the driver, type in the Printer name: (this can be whatever you want to call it), then click Next.
- In the Printer Sharing window, select Do not share this printer, then click Next.
- If, you want this printer to be default, you can choose the Set as the default printer box. It’s good idea to Print a test page, to confirm that it works, then click the Finish button.
- The printer should now show in Devices and Printers, and be selectable when printing from within documents, etc.
Connecting from Mac
If a network printer you want to use isn’t in the list of available printers, you can add it as an IP printer. Make sure you have the most up to date software installed before moving forward.
- Choose Apple Menu > System Preferences, then select Printers & Scanners.
- Click the Add button at the bottom of the printer list, click the IP button, then enter the printer information using the following information as a guide:
- Address: Enter the hostname followed by “.ie.ncsu.edu”. For example, the host name of this printer is Raleigh, so you would enter “raleigh.ie.ncsu.edu”.
- Protocol: Click the Protocol pop-up menu, then choose a printing protocol your printer supports:
- Internet Printing Protocol – IPP: Modern printers and print servers use this protocol.
- Queue: If your printer requires it, enter the queue name for your printer. If you don’t know the queue name, try leaving it blank or see your network administrator.
- Name: Enter a descriptive name for the printer (for example, Color Laser Printer), so you can identify it in the Printer pop-up menu.
- Location: Enter the printer’s location (for example, “outside my office”), so you can identify it in the Printer pop-up menu.
- Use: If this pop-up menu doesn’t display the appropriate software for the printer, choose Select Printer Software, then select your printer in the Printer Software list.
Your printer should now be connected to the printer.
Additional Computing Services
HPC via VCL
VCL provides students and faculty with remote access to Virtual Machines, or “VMs” for a variety of purposes. ISE hosts a collection of HPC VMs is designed to give us a wide range of use cases for HPC needs that are not optimized for NC State’s HPC system.
For documentation on how to use ISE’s HPC resources in VCL, visit ISE VCL Research Computing.
NC State HPC
NC State University High-Performance Computing (HPC) is part of the initiative to provide state of the art support for research and academic computing at NC State. HPC group provides NC State students and faculty with entry and medium level high-performance research and education computing facilities, consulting support and scientific workflow support.
To learn more about HPC or to gain access for your project, go to projects.ncsu.edu/hpc.
STORAGE RESOURCES
NC State University offers a wide variety of data storage resources ranging from:
- Productivity and Office Documents
- Academic, Research, and High-Performance Computing
- General Storage and Backup
To learn more about OIT’s storage resources, go to OIT Storage Resource Summary