Amazon AppStream allows faculty & students access to SPSS and Stata for academic use only. AppStream can be used from any computer with a compatible web browser.

 

BC Apps (Application Server) will be retired on May 31, 2025. Please use Amazon AppStream to access SPSS and Stata software.

 

For questions about Amazon AppStream access, contact the Help Center at help.center@bc.edu or 617-552-HELP (4357).

Accessing Amazon AppStream

To access Amazon AppStream:

  1. Using one of the supported browsers, go to: bc.edu/app-stream
  2. On the BC Single Sign On (SSO) login page, enter your BC Credentials (the username and password you use for Agora Portal) and complete BC 2-Step Verification.
  3. Click Continue with browser.
    Note: BC does not support the AppStream client app.
  4. Click the desired application.

bc.edu/app-stream

Amazon AppStream is supported on computers on the following web browsers only:

  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari
  • Microsoft Edge
     

Note: Amazon AppStream is not supported on mobile devices or the AppStream client app.

 

Working with Files on AppStream

You can only store files used with AppStream in these cloud-based services:

  • Google Drive
  • Microsoft OneDrive
     

Setting up Google Drive or OneDrive on AppStream

To configure Google Drive or OneDrive to use with AppStream:

  1. In AppStream, open the app you want to use.
  2. On the top menu, click My Files.
  3. Click Add Storage.
  4. Sign in to your BC Google Drive or BC OneDrive account.
  5. Follow the online prompts to give AppStream access.
    When opening or saving files through AppStream, you can browse to your files by clicking This PC, then OneDrive or Google Drive.

Best practices for personal file storage

If you have a large number of files in Google Drive or OneDrive, it may take several minutes to sync your files and folders. To speed up this process:

  • Create a folder in the root of your Google Drive or OneDrive called "AppStream" & put all files you need for AppStream in this folder. Also, save all output to this folder.
  • Organize your files into folders
     

Copying & Pasting

When using AppStream, sometimes you cannot use Command-C to copy or Command-V to paste text. Instead, you can use the secondary menu to copy & paste text.

To copy text:

  • From the Edit menu, select Copy. 
  • Control-click (or right-click) the item you selected, then select Copy from the shortcut menu.
     

To paste text:

  • From the Edit menu, select Paste. 
  • Control-click (or right-click) the item you selected, then select Paste from the shortcut menu.
     

Removing Google Drive or OneDrive Access From AppStream

When you no longer want AppStream to have permission to access your Google Drive or OneDrive account (for example, when you no longer have any classes that need AppStream), you can remove its access.

To remove access to Google Drive from AppStream:

  1. Sign in to your BC Google Account at: https://myaccount.google.com 
  2. On the left navigation, click Security.
  3. In the section “Your connections to third-party apps & services,“ click Amazon AppStream 2.0.
  4. Click “Delete all connections you have with Amazon AppStream 2.0” and when prompted, confirm.
    This will not affect or delete any files stored in your Google Drive. It only removes AppStream’s access to them.

https://myaccount.google.com

To remove access to OneDrive from AppStream:

  1. Sign in to your BC Microsoft Account at: https://myaccount.microsoft.com
  2. On the left navigation, click My Apps.
  3. Click the three dots on the Amazon AppStream 2.0 tile, then click Manage your Application.
  4. Click Revoke Consent.
    This will not affect or delete any files stored in your OneDrive. It only removes AppStream’s access to them.

https://myaccount.microsoft.com

Frequently Asked Questions (Amazon AppStream)

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Accessing BC Apps Using the Light Version

BC Apps will be retired on May 31, 2025. Please use Amazon AppStream to access SPSS and Stata software.

Watch a short video to learn how to access BC Apps using the Light Version & also how to map access to the AppsStorage space (L: drive on Windows). Or, you can follow the written instructions below.

To access BC Apps using the Light Version:

  1. Using Chrome or Firefox, go to https://bcapps.bc.edu and sign in with your BC username (in lowercase letters only - no capitals) & your BC password. When prompted, complete BC 2-Step Verification.

  2. If you had previously used BC Apps with the Citrix Receiver: In the top right corner of your screen, click the arrow next to your name, and click Change Citrix Receiver.

  3. On the Citrix Workspace page, click "Use light version" (see figure below).
    Click Use light version
     
  4. To view the available applications, click APPS.

  5. Select the application you want to open.
    The app opens in a separate tab and you may begin working. Note: When you click to open a second app, a window will pop up and disappear. The second app will appear in the same tab as the first app.

  6. If you get a message saying there is no storage space available, log out & log back in again.
     

The first time you open an application in BC Apps, the process to initialize your designated AppsStorage space occurs. You will see a message window indicating your account is being initialized. Click OK. If you get a message saying there is no storage space available, log out & log back in again.
   

Working With Files in BCApps

For the best possible performance, ITS strongly recommends you save your files to AppsStorage when using BC Apps. Your AppsStorage space will display as the L: Drive within BCApps on Windows computers.

Working With AppsStorage (L: Drive)

AppsStorage is a secure drive dedicated to supporting BC Apps. Once you access AppsStorage, you will have access to any files you have saved there.

  1. Log in to BC Apps using the Light version (see instructions above). 
  2. The first time you open an application in BC Apps, the process to initialize your designated AppsStorage (L: Drive) space occurs. 
  3. You will see a message indicating your account is being initialized. Click OK. 
  4. If you get a message saying there is no storage space available, log out & log back in again.
     

Notes:

  • When working within any of the applications on BC Apps, your files will be saved to the L: drive (AppsStorage) by default.
  • When you are logged into BC Apps, the L: drive appears as if it is a local drive.
  • You may access the L: drive to open or save files from within any of the applications.
  • You have the ability to access files stored on your local computer. However, to make sure you are getting the best performance results, using AppsStorage is strongly recommended.

 

Working from off-campus? To access AppsStorage from off-campus, you must use VPN.

Accessing AppsStorage (L: Drive) Outside of BC Apps

AppStorage can also be accessed independently of BC Apps, which will allow you to easily download/store files to be used within BC Apps (example: an SPSS syntax or data file). You may also want to move files from AppsStorage to another location or USB drive, etc.

Mapping a Drive to AppsStorage (L: Drive)

You may create a shortcut (or "map" access) to the AppsStorage space (L: drive) on your computer so that it is easily accessed. You must open an application in BC Apps first, before mapping the drive.

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Working With Local Files

BC Apps applications are running on servers in the data center; accessing data on your local (own) computer will cause performance to be significantly degraded.

Although using AppsStorage (L: drive) is strongly recommended, you may access and save files on your own computer from within the BC Apps Server.

To open a locally stored file:

  1. From the File menu of the application you are using, click Open.
  2. Click the plus sign (+) next to Local Disk (C: on BC – USERID).
  3. Click Users.
  4. Click your BC Username.
  5. Navigate to the folder on your computer in which you have saved the file, and double-click to open it.

Remember, performance will be better if you save files to the L: drive (AppsStorage). Once you have opened the file, use Save As to save it to the L: drive.

Accessing Files From a USB Drive for Applications Used on BC Apps

Although using AppsStorage (L: drive) is strongly recommended, you may access and save files on a USB drive (thumb drive, external hard drive, USB card reader, etc.) by following these steps:

  1. Be sure you’ve connected the USB drive to your computer before logging in to BC Apps.
  2. From the File menu of the application you are using, click Open.
  3. Navigate to the USB drive - for example, Removable Disk (E: on BC – USERID)
  4. Navigate to the folder on your computer in which you have saved the file, and double-click to open it.

Remember, performance will be better if you save files to the L: drive (AppsStorage). Once you have opened the file, use Save As to save it to the L: drive.

Restoring Files From AppsStorage (L: Drive)

If you have accidentally deleted or changed files, you may be able to restore them from AppsStorage (L: drive) by following the steps below:

  1. Access your AppsStorage space (L: Drive) or mapped drive. You must be on the BC network or connected via VPN.

    Windows 10: Click Start and in the Search field, type \\appsstorage.bc.edu\YourUserName.

    Mac: From the Finder, click Go > Connect to Server, and type smb://appsstorage.bc.edu/YourUserName. Enter your username and BC password.

  2. A folder displays called ~snapshot. (Windows: You may need to adjust your view options to display Windows hidden files. See instructions below.)
  3. Double-click the folder to open it.
  4. Subfolders will display. The names of the folders indicate when the data included in the snapshot was taken (hourly, nightly, or weekly, followed by the version).

    Hourly - The most recent snapshots, from the past 24 hours, done at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
    Nightly - Taken Monday through Saturday.
    Weekly - Taken every Sunday.
    Versions - The newest versions are the ones appended with “.0” and the older the version, the higher the number. Following this logic, the newest snapshot would be hourly.0, created within the last four hours, and the oldest could be weekly.2, which would be about a month old. You are not likely to find any snapshots older than one month.

  5. Open the folder of the time frame from which you believe the data you are looking for was saved.

  6. Once you find files or folders that you want to recover, you can copy them to their previous location or to a new location. Just be careful about overwriting data if you do copy it to its original location.
 

Displaying Windows Hidden Files

  1. From the Options menu, select Folder and Search Options.
  2. Click the View tab.
  3. In the Hidden files and folders section, select Show hidden files and folders.
  4. Click OK.

File Storage Quota

  • Faculty, graduate students, and staff can save up to 10 GB of data on AppsStorage (L: Drive).
  • Undergraduate students can save up to 1 GB of data on AppsStorage (L: Drive).
     

If your quota is close to being reached, you will receive an email notifying you, and should delete some files or save them on your computer.

Viewing Your AppsStorage Information

If you think you may be nearing your quota, you can view how much space you have used and have remaining before creating new files. Follow these steps:

  1. Map a drive on your local computer to AppsStorage.
  2. After mapping the drive, it will display on your computer just as any other drive does.
  • Windows: Click Start, then Computer. Right-click the mapped AppsStorage drive, then choose Properties to view the used and free space in the drive.
  • Mac: In Finder, right-click the mapped AppsStorage drive, then choose Get Info to view the used and free space in the drive.


View AppsStorage Information From Within an Application

You can also view your available and used AppsStorage space if you are logged into BC Apps and using an application.

Windows

  1. When saving or opening a file, your AppsStorage drive will display on the left.
  2. Right-click the drive, then choose Properties to view the used and free space in the drive.

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