R and Python

R and Python Products Recommended on Campus

R and Python are common programming languages, used across a variety of academic disciplines throughout campus. Posit is a company (formerly known as RStudio) that offers a wide variety of products designed to work with R and other programming languages. The most commonly used Posit products on campus are the RStudio Desktop, Posit Workbench and Posit Connect.

RStudio Desktop

The RStudio Desktop is an integrated development environment (IDE) for R and Python. It includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, and tools for plotting, history, debugging, and workspace management. RStudio Desktop is available to download for free and runs on desktop computers (Windows, Mac, and Linux). We have this installed on many lab computers. It can also be installed on any faculty, staff or student computer by downloading it from this link.

Posit Workbench

Posit Workbench is a server-based installation of the R IDE. Our installation of Posit Workbench can be accessed from this link (https://rstudioworkbench.wlu.edu) and our license covers usage of Workbench by faculty and students at WLU for teaching purposes. We have configured our system so that you can work with either R or Python (using Jupyter Notebooks). Workbench provides all the features available in the RStudio Desktop platform and has many additional advantages as a server installation. By using Workbench for your class, you can ensure that all your students have access to the same version of R (or Python), and the same packages. We can set up a shared location on the server for your data files to be accessed, making large datasets easier to work with. Students and faculty can also share projects, making group collaboration a much easier process.

Posit Connect

Posit Connect is a system designed to allow you to easily share the final products you've developed in R or Python. You can deploy everything you create in R & Python, including interactive applications (Shiny), documents, notebooks, and dashboards. This system allows you to share your content with the entire world, select users or keep it private. You can even add collaborators to publish content updates and manage the settings for a given deployment. Our installation of Posit Connect can be accessed at the following URL (https://rstudioconnect.wlu.edu).

Obtaining Accounts for Workbench and Connect

Workbench

To use Workbench, ITS will need to create a home directory on our server for your account.

Individual faculty and students that would like an account can contact the ITS Helpdesk at: help@wlu.edu

Faculty members that would like an entire class to have access to Workbench, can contact The ITS Helpdesk with a list of students in their class.

Once your home directory has been created, you'll be able to login to Workbench with your WLU credentials using this link: (https://rstudioworkbench.wlu.edu)

Connect

Any faculty or student can create a Connect user account by logging in to the following URL (https://rstudioconnect.wlu.edu) with your WLU credentials. The default role assigned to users during this creation process is as a Viewer. You'll be able to look at any content that has been shared with you on Connect, but you will not be able to publish your own content. If you'd like to have the ability to publish your own content, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at help@wlu.edu to request your role be changed to publisher.

Requesting Additional Packages

We can install and configure R and Python packages globally on both our Posit Workbench and Connect servers. If you know that more than a single user will be using a particular package, we'd encourage you to contact us so that we can install it for the entire system. We already have many packages installed on these platforms, so check the system first to see if your package is already available. If not, you can contact the ITS Helpdesk at help@wlu.edu with a list of packages you'd like to add. Advanced notice is appreciated for these requests, and we will install them as quickly as possible for you. It is also possible for you to install your own packages, but this method is typically not recommended since packages installed to your local library will count against your personal storage quota.

Requesting Shared Storage

Are you a faculty member working with large datasets with your students? Do you want students to have a centralized location to access sample files for your class? Or, do your students and you need a collaborative space to save and access files? We can create a custom storage location for you on our server. The specific needs for each use case can vary greatly, so we recommend that you contact the Helpdesk at help@wlu.edu for a consultation on how we can best configure our storage to meet your goals.

Storage Quotas and Resource Limits

Storage Quotas

Each home directory for Workbench has a default 2GB storage quota. If you require additional storage space for your work, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at help@wlu.edu to discuss your requirements. We will work for you to determine the best solution for your needs.

Resource Limits

Our Workbench server is a resource shared between a large number of classes, with many different student and faculty user accounts. To best utilize the finite resources available on our system, we have implemented a tiered approach in allocating resources. Our system is currently configured with standard users, powerusers and super powerusers roles. The resources allocated to each role are as follows:

Standard User:

Limited to 5 open sessions
Open sessions will be suspended after 60 minutes of idle time
Sessions will be forcefully closed after 24 hours
Maximum processes across all sessions = 800
Total Memory allocation across all sessions = 2GB

Powerusers:

Limited to 10 open sessions
No suspension of idle sessions
No forced closure of sessions
No maximum processes across sessions
Total Memory allocation across all sessions = 4GB

Superpowerusers:

No limit for open sessions
No suspension of idle sessions
No forced closure of sessions
No maximum processes across sessions
Total Memory allocation across all sessions = 8GB

If you believe that you or the students in your class need additional resources for their classwork, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at help@wlu.edu to determine if it might be possible to assign you or your students to a higher role.

Account Removal

When you graduate or leave WLU your WLU account will become inactive, and you will no longer be able to log in to resources like Workbench and Connect. This means you will:

• No longer have the ability to use our Workbench or Connect servers.
• No longer have access to any of your files saved in your Workbench home directory or content you've published to Connect.

Managing Content Prior to Leaving WLU

Workbench

If you have content saved in your home directory or a shared location that you would like to retain, we recommend downloading it and saving it to an alternate location that you will continue to have access to after leaving WLU.

Connect

If you have content published on our Connect server, please either delete or transfer ownership of your content prior to leaving WLU. Once your WLU account is no longer active you will not be able to modify, update, delete, or transfer ownership of your content. Content that is no longer needed should be deleted. Content that needs to remain public and maintained should be transferred to another account.

General

Unclaimed content that is not assigned to a current WLU account may be deleted. Downloading or transferring ownership ensures that your content will not be deleted and that it can be maintained or updated as needed. If you need assistance with managing your content at any time, you can contact the ITS Helpdesk at help@wlu.edu.