The CAT has been busy throughout the Summer, making some substantial changes to our computer infrastructure. These changes may affect both onsite and remote users. Here are some highlights:
Use of Autodesk products (Autocad, Autocad Electrical, Civil 3D, etc) now needs a special Autodesk account.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA) is now available to protect your MCECS computer account.
Access to Microsoft software via Azure Devtools for Education has changed.
For people who access Linux systems graphically, the default desktop has changed (to Xfce).
The default behavior of our addpkg system for Linux users has changed.
Two new servers (phobos/deimos) running Rocky 9 Linux are being tested for ECE classwork. The old Centos7 ECE servers (mo/auto) are still there but have been blocked from accessing the Internet.
Standalone Adobe Acrobat Pro is gone from MCECS computer labs.
Keep reading for details. This message is long and can also be found on the CAT website front page news section for later perusal:
The front page of the CAT website includes a “Back to Campus Toolkit” section where you will find links to the following guides and more:
How to activate your MCECS account or reset your password if you’ve forgotten it
How to get 24x7 card access to FAB/EB and many popular computer labs in MCECS
How to rent a locker in MCECS
Locker management is now handled by the CAT
Information about printing in MCECS computer labs
Personal laptop users can use a system called Mobility Print that provides an easy way to set up printing to a curated list of popular printers
How to set up a VPN to access various internal resources
How to remotely run graphical programs from Linux systems
Using RDP - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/rdp-to-linux-xrdp/
Using VNC - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/vnc-in-mcecs/
Using X forwarding - https://cat.pdx.edu/platforms/linux/remote-access/remote-x/
Watch out for email scams
MCECS accounts can now be protected with multifactor authentication (MFA). Our system uses Time-Based One Time Passcodes (TOTP) which can be set up in many commonly used authenticator apps.
For details, read this announcement and follow through to the detailed instructions link:
https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/28/protect-your-mcecs-account-with-multifactor-authentication-mfa/
For a list of onsite computer labs, see:
You can look at the current computer lab reservation schedules at:
Note the lab rules for Food and Drink in MCECS general computer labs - store food on designated tables, only sealed drink containers are allowed at workstations.
Departmental labs may have more restrictive policies.
The Windows Remote Lab:
Available to all MCECS users.
Computer count slightly reduced to reflect the drop in remote lab usage with more onsite classes and increased onsite lab use.
Remote lab computers have all the software available in the general lab Windows systems.
The MME MCAE lab still supports some remotely accessible Windows systems. Use of this lab is restricted to MME students.
Access the remote labs using the Intranet remote lab page:
Instructions on how to use a Remote Desktop program (client) to graphically connect to remote Windows (or Linux) Systems:
Use of Autodesk software (such as Autocad and Civil 3D) now requires an Autodesk account and access permission
Software in Windows Labs - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/windows-labs/
Windows labs (including the remote lab) are running Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2
Currently known Windows 11 caveats in our environment:
The sign out button is now harder to find
Moving the centered start menu to the left won’t stick after logging out
Getting to the software list requires clicking on the “all apps” selection in the start menu
Access to the Microsoft Azure Devtools for Education resources has changed
Software in Linux Labs - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/linux-labs/
Ubuntu systems are running the latest LTS release - 24.04 (Noble)
Python 2 has been completely deprecated
We have set up Plasma (KDE) as the default desktop for sit-down workstation users. Gnome Shell can still be selected if needed
Xrdp services have been installed on all primary end-user Ubuntu, Centos 7, and Rocky 9 systems - providing an easier path to getting a remote graphical desktop.
The default remote access desktop for VNC and Xrdp users has changed to Xfce
ECE Linux systems are moving to a new Linux version - Rocky 9. There are two new servers (phobos and deimos). The old Centos based servers (mo and auto) are still around until we get all the third party vendor tools successfully migrated to Rocky 9.
Mo and auto have been blocked from accessing the Internet - https://cat.pdx.edu/2025/09/03/mo-and-auto-lose-access-to-internet/
The default behavior of the addpkg system used for selecting non-standard Linux software installs has changed
Standalone Adobe Acrobat Pro is gone from MCECS computer labs.
Software for users to install on personal systems - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/software/users/
For information on connecting your computer to campus Wi-Fi - https://www.pdx.edu/technology/wireless-network
For adding a computer to the wired MCECS network - https://cat.pdx.edu/services/network/adding-computer/
Student workers and volunteers of the CAT were instrumental in the preparation of these systems for the Fall 2025 rollout and generated much of the documentation you are reading. If you are interested in joining the CAT, visit our Braindump Website:
https://braindump.cat.pdx.edu/
If you have any questions, please contact the CAT at:
Email - support@cat.pdx.edu
Chat - https://support.cat.pdx.edu/
In Person - FAB 82
Phone - 503-725-5420