Reporting Problems with Whitman Remote Desktop

Owned by Chris Mead
Apr 16, 2020

Troubleshooting issues involving users connecting to a Remote Desktop service is a complex process and many times issues relating to speed can be attributed to the connection between the end-user and the actual service itself. In the case of someone connecting from their home to Whitman Remote Desktop, a user connects from their computers through the following things to get to WRD - their personal wifi/home router, their service modem (fiber or cable), their ISP's routing infrastructure, multiple other ISPs and backbones, SU's ISP, SU's networks, and ultimately the servers that run Whitman Remote Desktop. And that's just hardware - there are layers of security and firewalls that maintain security throughout the connection process.

When you're on campus, you connect directly through SU's network to Whitman Remote Desktop. 

As you can see, connecting from home is a more complicated affair and as such there is more to consider when identifying the cause of an issue.


If you are experiencing difficulty using Whitman Remote Desktop, there are certain pieces of information that are crucial for Whitman IT to be able to adequately identify the root cause of the issue you are experiencing. In addition, it is crucial that you report the problem on your own behalf, and not on behalf of someone else - this helps to simplify the process and get to the root of the issue much more quickly.

Here is a list of what information you can provide in your initial report so that we can respond as quickly as possible to ensure your issue is addressed:

  1. Your NetID
  2. Date and time you were using Whitman Remote Desktop that you experienced the difficulty
  3. Speedtest Results - 
    • go to speedtest.syr.edu in your favorite browser, preferably at the time you experience the problem you're reporting
    • run a speedtest
    • take and save a screenshot of the results 
    • attach that screenshot to your email to wsmhelp@syr.edu
    • in your email, include information about your internet service
      • how many people do you live with
      • how many people were using the internet at the time you experienced the issue
      • what sorts of things they were doing - streaming video, gaming, participating in online classes, etc.
  4. What web browser you used to connect to Whitman Remote Desktop
  5. A detailed description of the problem
    • screenshot of the error message you received, if possible
    • an explanation of what you were trying to do (run a piece of software, save a file, perform a specific task)
    • what appeared to cause the issue (at step X, when i clicked Y, the error occurred)
  6. If this is for a specific class, what class, and who is your instructor?

Compile this information, as much as possible, and email wsmhelp@syr.edu