Selection and Support of Computing Equipment
The following policy concerns the selection and support of computing equipment at Trinity. The policy summarizes the Computing Center's role in the acquisition of computing equipment, computer software and any stipulations guiding the installation of computing equipment on the college's network. It is particularly relevant for those who have obtained funding for the purchase of computing equipment, and intend to use this equipment on Trinity's network.
Why a Policy?
As the demand for computing technology increases in academic and administrative departments on campus, each year the total number of computer workstations grows. There are over 1000 college-owned, and Computing Center maintained computers at Trinity. These machines range from desktops to laptops and run various operating systems including MacOS, Windows and UNIX. All of this equipment is networked and must be functioning at all times. In order to keep up with maintenance and service issues, the Computing Center staff must be familiar with specific computer configurations, have ready access to spare parts, and fully understand specific features or idiosyncrasies of particular machines. Managing the College's investments in computing hardware and software requires an extensive infrastructure and a staff familiar with the computing equipment in use on campus.
Without a policy governing the acquisition of new equipment, managing the resources and delivering responsive support services has become extremely difficult.
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What We Offer:
Most equipment placed on campus is selected by the Computing Center. The computers purchased are regularly reassessed and reconfigured to meet the needs of the Trinity community. This ensures that the equipment will function properly on the campus network, run the standard supported applications, keep up with the latest trends in computing, and last a minimum of 4 years.
The Computing Center staff is responsible for ordering, configuring and installing this equipment. Once located in an office or lab, we maintain the hardware, standard software, and network access. Should there be any problems with these, we will see to any repairs. In addition, we provide regular upgrades to supported software as necessary.
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There are Two Categories of Equipment:
All machines on the campus fall into one of two categories: office or lab. Office equipment is installed within an individual office and is placed there for the support of the staff or faculty member using the equipment. Lab machines are installed for more general use. Most of these machines are in the various computer labs throughout the campus. These facilities contain multiple machines for students and an instructor so that the class leader can demonstrate use of the computer and have the students follow along on their own equipment. Other labs include faculty labs where research is conducted or areas where machines are installed for student use only (i.e. the IDP lounge and the Writing Center).
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Office Equipment:
The College intends to provide every faculty and staff member with a computer appropriate for their responsibilities. In general, all machines will have full access to the College's network (which also provides access to the Internet) and will also be equipped with the College's suite of supported application software. Members of the faculty are encouraged to discuss any perceived inadequacies in their computing hardware with their Academic Computing Resource Specialist. Staff members are encouraged to discuss issues with their computing hardware by contacting the Help Desk at x2100.
Once the needs of the faculty or staff member are discussed, the appropriate equipment is ordered, and an installation date is set. The Computing Center often has a backlog of over two months for planned installs (delays vary depending on the time of year). Given the volume of machines installed during the summer months and immediately before any new semester, it is extremely difficult to install computers for new employees with only a few weeks, or days, notice. Please plan accordingly.
Note: Department chairs should make requests in the SPRING for new hires arriving in the FALL. Backlogs by late summer are quite long. New staff positions that require computing equipment should be notified to the Help Desk DURING THE SEARCH PROCESS in order to ensure the equipment is purchased and configured in time for the staff member's arrival. Email accounts for new faculty and staff are generated two weeks after all the necessary paperwork has been completed at Human Resources. The Computing Center can provide email accounts once this process is completed by Human Resources.
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Computers and Printers:
Equipment purchased for individual faculty and staff should be discussed and selected with the help of the Computing Center staff to ensure that the desired hardware will operate on our network, and that it can be appropriately supported by the College's technicians. For most printing needs, the access to high quality laser printing through departmental networked printers the College provides is more than adequate. In all cases, if network access is expected for the computing equipment, (either local access or access to the Internet), this guideline must be met.
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Software:
In general, software other than that purchased by the College through its site licenses will not be supported on college-owned machines. Note that this policy applies to "supported software" that was acquired through channels other than the Computing Center. Support for other packages must be arranged with the Computing Center prior to purchase or installation.
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Lab Equipment:
All equipment purchased for labs must be discussed and selected with the help of the Computing Center. Once a faculty member begins to plan for a new lab, their Academic Computing Resource Specialist should be contacted. In cases where a faculty member is including a lab in a grant proposal, the Resource Specialist should be informed while the grant is still being written. Grant proposals should include funding for future service and upgrades of the computing equipment. It's very common for new releases of software and operating systems to have greater hardware requirements than their predecessors.
Since the Computing Center also attempts to coordinate electrical, security and other non-computing infrastructure planning, it is essential that we understand how the room will be used. The faculty member, along with the members of the Computing Center will decide together on a schedule for building a lab. The amount of time necessary to complete a lab varies depending on the time of year and the current state of the room.
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Facilities Concerns:
Furniture and room requirements need to be addressed for any location being considered for lab use. Since most rooms on campus were not designed with a computer lab in mind, network cabling and electrical upgrades are frequently necessary. While B&G deals with the electrical issues, we coordinate efforts with them to provide the most expedient service. We also have guidelines for selecting furniture that allows for reasonable space for the items on the table surface and below, and appropriate facilities for managing cables. This varies depending on the type of equipment being ordered.
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Security:
Compu-gard cases are installed in many computer labs to protect the computers from damage and theft. These security devices completely encase the CPU and adhere to a secure surface. They drastically cut down on the amount of damage received by the computers because the units are not easily jarred or damaged when installed with cases. Monitors are also secured to the case with a cable. In some circumstances, individuals may also want to consider using LightGuard. In this scheme, a cable is securely attached to all of the CPUs and monitors in a room that will sound an alarm if cut. Because it provides immediate notification to Campus Safety, this can be particularly useful in some areas.
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Support for Personal Equipment:
The Computing Center can recommend companies and businesses in the area that can provide services for any personally owned computer hardware; the College will not provide support for personal machines.
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Conclusion:
We believe the strategies outlined in this document are the best way to ensure that your lab and personal computing needs will be well met by the College. Deviations from these strategies cause delays in delivery of new computing hardware, and can also significantly increase the amount of time required to repair machines that experience problems. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Help Desk at 2100 or your Academic Computing Resource Specialist.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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