by Hanz Makmur – Jan 25, 2017
All these VMs will run in a private network, which means they are only accessible within Rutgers University or the host VMs. To access it from outside RUNET, please utilize the university VPN.
These VMs are divided into three categories as follows:
1. Virtual machine for individual students.
- All our iLab/Faculty Ubuntu 22.04 Linux machines can run user-configured virtual machines using the KVM and VMPlayer app installed on every machine. This user-created VM should be used for academic purposes and only temporarily. Note: VMPlayer will no longer be supported as of July 2025.
- This type of VM is only accessible from the host it runs on.
- Due to disk space limitation, users should use nonquota-based storage like /freespace/local or /filer/tmp1, or larger quota disk like /common/users/, /common/home to store the virtual machine. Please note that /freespace/local and /filer/tmp1 are wiped every semester and are NOT backed up.
- Virtual Machines can also be run free for personal use as of May 13, 2024. VMPlayer Fusion Pro for MacOS and VMWare Workstation Pro for WindowsOS are available for download from the VMWare website. You will need a customer account at support.broadcom.com to access downloads.
- We recommend that users use containers like Dockers or Singularity for specialized requirements like machine learning. Running Docker on CS machines is supported for non-root users.
2. Virtual machines for class use.
- Some classes, like CS352: Internet Technology or CS553: Designs of Internet Services, need special VMs to support educational material taught in class because public machines are not equipped to handle it. These types of VMs are usually limited in resources ( mostly 2 cores, 8GB of memory, and 10GB of disk space or using the user’s own home directory.).
- Student VMs for specific Classes like CS352 can be controlled by the students. The controller address depends on the server where the VM resides. See your class note for location of the VMs. For example, if your VM resides in:
- rlab5.cs, access it via: https://rlab5.cs.rutgers.edu/vmmanager
- rlab6.cs, access it via: https://rlab6.cs.rutgers.edu/vmmanager
- We recommend users use containers like Dockers or Singularity for specialized requirements like machine learning. Running Docker on CS machines is supported for non-root users.
- If a specialized VM is needed, the master copy of the VM should be set up and prepared by the faculty/TAs of the class containing all the necessary software and configuration for the class. Once the VM is ready, it should be submitted to LCSR to be run on our KVM-based VM servers.
- In cases where faculty needs help with a generic VM setup for a class, LCSR can provide a generic VM that can be changed to meet your class needs.
- Please note that class VMs should requested a few weeks before the start of the semester so proper arrangement and testing can be done to avoid problems during the semester. These VMs are also turned off and may be deleted at the end of the semester. Please notify us if these VMs should last longer.
3. Virtual Machines for graduate students’ academic work
- Some graduate students may need to experiment with virtual machines that last longer than a semester to complete their academic work. We can run a VM with limited resources for these students that can last for the user’s academic work at Rutgers University.
- Generally, this VM is used for experiments and not as the sole computing resource for your graduate work. It will be limited to 4 cores, 16GB of memory, and 25 GB of disk space. In cases where you need help with a generic VM setup, LCSR can provide a generic VM that can be changed to meet your class needs.
- We recommend users use containers like Dockers or Singularity for specialized requirements like machine learning. Running Docker on CS machines is supported for the non-root user
- This type of VM is only accessible from inside RUNET and not from the Internet. To access it from outside RUNET, please utilize the university VPN.
For help with our systems or immediate assistance, visit LCSR Operator at CoRE 235 or call 848-445-2443. Otherwise, see CS HelpDesk. Don’t forget to include your NetID along with descriptions of your problem.