IT at UNSW - APPS.UNSW

» Who Should Read this Guide?
» What is APPS.UNSW
» Who can use APPS.UNSW?
» What do I need to use APPS.UNSW?
» NS HE Specific Information
» NS Financials Specific Information
» Download User Guides

Who Should Read this Guide?

This guide applies to users of the NS HE (Higher Education) system and/or NS Financials. If you use both of these systems please read both the HE Specific Information and the NS Financials Specific Information.

What is APPS.UNSW?

APPS.UNSW is a centralised platform to run Windows based applications using Citrix technologies. This system will be used where applications are hosted on a server and require client connectivity. You can access this environment within any web browser. The initial deployment only includes the PeopleSoft NS HE applications, both production and test environments.

This system was implemented as part of the HE (Higher Education) Remediation program of work to maximise the technology platform that many of our administrative systems run on.

Who can use APPS.UNSW?

Staff access APPS.UNSW when they need to access applications that are hosted by this service. At the time of deployment, the following applications can be accessed:

NS HE – Production and Test environments
NS Financials - Production Web and Nvision environments

What do I need to use APPS.UNSW?

There are several prerequisite steps you need to complete before you can use APPS.UNSW:

1. A zPass password

To access APPS.UNSW you need a zPass password. If you have a SOE Desktop or use the CA Service Desk, you will already be using your zPass password.

If you don’t have an SOE desktop and haven’t yet set up a zPass you will need to do this before you can access APPS.UNSW. Refer to the page ‘How to Create your own zPass password’.

Contractors and non-UNSW salaried staff
If you are an internal contractor or other staff member whose salary is paid from a non-UNSW source, and you have an ‘m’ staff number, such as m1234567, you will need to apply for a ‘z’ number before you can access APPS.UNSW. To do this, go to www.it.unsw.edu.au/services/forms/ and download the ‘OSA 2’ form. Send the completed form to the IT Service Centre where an analyst will provide you with a ‘z’ UNSW ID and a UniPass password. You can then create your own zPass by referring to ‘How to Create your own zPass password’.

2. A Citrix client

Any Citrix client version will provide access, however it is recommended you download the latest version as this will give you the full features of APPS.UNSW.

Download the Citrix Client
Note: It is recommended you get your local IT support team to install the Citrix client for you. You can do this by contacting the IT Service Centre. It is also recommended you uninstall any existing Citrix clients.

» Download Citrix Clients

SOE Desktop users: If you raise a request with the Service Centre and are on a Standard Operating Environment (SOE) desktop, the new client will be installed on your machine remotely by central IT, and the old client will be removed in the process.

3. Individual Applications

The applications that are presented to you when you log in to APPS.UNSW, such as the NS HE application, are dependent on settings created by the administration staff.

If you successfully log in but don’t see the applications you require, please contact the IT Service Centre requesting the application(s) you need. You will need to specify if you need test environments as well as production. For example, if you perform user-acceptance testing in NS HE you will need to specify this as well as production.

Additional Information for Linux Users

Root Certificates
The APPS.UNSW system uses a certificate authority that is not included with the standard client. These need to be added to the Linux workstation. Your local IT Linux Administrator will perform the tasks below.

To install a root certificate, copy any new Certificate Authority (root) certificate files to the subdirectory keystore/cacerts in the installation directory ($ICAROOT). To enable the client to use the new certificate, you must restart wfcmgr after adding the certificateUser.

The required certificates are:

Root certificate (DER encoded binary X.509) *

Root certificate (Base-64 encoded X.509) *

* You will require your staff ID and UniPass to download these files.

NS HE Specific Information

Accessing APPS.UNSW

To access APPS.UNSW navigate to apps.unsw.edu.au. You will be presented with a login screen where you will enter your User ID and zPass password. Note that your User ID for all zPass logins is a ‘z’ followed by your staff number, in the form of z1234567. Do not use an ‘s’ prefix.

Accessing the Test environment
To access the test directory, contact the IT Service Centre. When making the request ensure you ask for a zPass reset in the ‘ADTEST’ directory. If you are not specific, you may get your ordinary zPass reset instead.

The test environment is accessed via testapps.unsw.edu.au. Use this link to access the NS HE test environments. Log in to the Test environment using the login details sent to you by the IT Service Desk when you requested your ADTEST reset (above).

Using the APPS.UNSW Interface

When you successfully log in, the system will present you with the applications you have access to. Click the application you wish to access. Please note, you are still required to enter your normal login and password for each application. For example, if you are access NS HE you will need to log in to that app using your NS HE username and password.

Password Manager
Upon first login, you will need to populate your HE username & password into the system. The system will then inject this username/password into the HE application when needed. When you first log in, the system will present a ‘Citrix Password Manager Registration’ window. From here you can enter and confirm your NS HE credentials – this is a once off process.

The Password Agent is located at the bottom right of your HE Production desktop.

For more detailed information, download the UNSWApps_guide for the HE User.docx located in the Help section below.

NSS HE Report Distribution
The HE Report Distribution is now a service accessible via myUNSW. If you regularly generate reports with either Crystal or SPF output, it is recommended you access report distribution via APPS.UNSW because it contains all the required viewers.

To do this, click ‘Start’ from the APPS.UNSW desktop and select myUNSW. Login with your normal MyUNSW User ID and Password. The report distribution can be accessed from the following locations:

Staff

My Staff Profile tab > My Staff Services channel
Academic Admin tab > Student & Academic Admin channel

Internal Contractors

Home tab > Utilities channel

Note: you can access HE Report Distribution via a browser on your local machine but you must have the appropriate software to open each report.

There is a quick reference guide available for the Report Distribution service – see the Help section below.

NSS Production - Backwards Compatibility
After installing the new Citrix client you may come across a situation where you need to access the NS HE production system using the old Citrix environment. This is likely to be during the early deployment stages if you haven’t got the production application within APPS.UNSW.

If you are a Standard HE user, save the following link to your desktop (Right click > Save Target As) – Standard HE user
If you are a Hospital HE user, save the following link to your desktop (Right click > Save Target As) – Hospital HE user

This will place an .ica file on your desktop. To access NS Production just double click this icon and log on using your normal NSS User ID and password.

NS Financials Specific Information

Accessing APPS.UNSW

Accessing APPS.UNSW for NS Financials will depend upon whether you are using an IT Standard Operating Environment (SOE) computer.

Accessing APPS.UNSW from a SOE Computer
To access APPS.UNSW navigate to apps.unsw.edu.au. You will be presented with a login screen where you will enter your User ID and zPass password. Note that your User ID for all zPass logins is a 'z' followed by your staff number, in the form of z1234567. Do not use an 's' prefix.

Accessing APPS.UNSW from Other Computers
To access APPS.UNSW navigate to apps.unsw.edu.au. You will be presented with a login screen where you will enter your User ID and zPass password. Note that your User ID for all zPass logins is a 'z' followed by your staff number, in the form of z1234567. Do not use an 's' prefix.

Using the APPS.UNSW Interface

When you successfully log in, the system will present you with the applications you have access to. Click the application you wish to access. Once you have setup Password Manager (see below) you will not have to logon to NS Financials or nVision.

Password Manager
Upon first login, you will need to populate your 'z' id & 'zPass' into the system. The system will then inject this username/password into the NS Financials or nVision application when needed. When you first log in, the system will present a 'Citrix Password Manager Registration' window. From here you can enter and confirm your NS Financials or nVision credentials – this is a once off process.

The Password Agent is located at the bottom right of your desktop.

For more detailed information, download the appropriate APPS.UNSW guide for the NS Financials User located in the Help section below.

Download User Guides

The following user guides are available to download.

Guides for Users
APPS.UNSW Guide for HE SOE Desktop Users [pdf]
APPS.UNSW Guide for HE Non SOE Desktop Users [pdf]
APPS.UNSW Guide for NS Financials SOE Desktop Users [pdf]
APPS.UNSW Guide for NS Financials Non SOE Desktop Users [pdf]

Guides for IT Support Staff
APPS.UNSW Guide for IT staff [pdf]
XenApp Plugin for Hosted Apps - Guide for Window's Administrators [pdf]

HE Report Distribution Guides
myUNSW Report Distribution Guide - For Users [pdf]
myUNSW Report Distribution Guide - For Administrators [pdf]