First, some general information that applies to all facets of computer support from CAS computing:

All requests for upgrades, new purchases or out of warranty repairs must be approved by the department Chair before forwarding to CAS Computing for action. This is because the Chair must prioritize all departmental requests and approve any departmental expenditures.

CAS Computing works like a hospital in that problems are sorted by severity and then within each level of severity they are put in a queue. First priority goes to systems that don’t work at all and are required immediately. Second priority goes to non-working or malfunctioning systems that don’t fall into the critical need category. Third priority goes to upgrades or modifications that have critical timelines and fourth priority goes to requests for upgrades or modifications that don’t have a critical timeline. This is not a precise science, the categories overlap and sometimes the passage of time causes requests to move from one category to another. The second and third categories tend to be the most nebulous and interchangeable, influenced by opportunity, staffing and equipment availability. Your understanding and patience is appreciated and also your candid appraisal of the situation regarding a request. Walk in service where a faculty or staff member chooses to appear in one of the CAS Computing support staff’s office and wait to be serviced is discouraged, it only makes the service to the rest of the community suffer.

Diagnosis & Repair

In its role as liaison with the PC Service Center, CAS computing will perform the initial diagnosis of any hardware problems reported by users on systems located on-campus. If warranted, arrangements for repair by the service center will be made on behalf of the user. Diagnostics and repair will only be performed on University owned machines and peripherals. Only hardware supported by the PC Service Center will be accepted for diagnosis and repair. Hardware outside of that supported by the PC Service Center will be diagnosed on a best-effort basis and CAS Computing will assist the owner in finding a vendor to repair the equipment, if possible.

New Purchases

When purchasing new computing equipment departments should consult with CAS Computing to determine a configuration that is appropriate and serviceable. Many times CAS Computing is able to negotiate a more attractive quote from a vendor or can suggest a readily available standard configuration. Before purchasing printers CAS Computing should be consulted to be sure the device is able to participate properly in the College’s LAN based printing environment since peer-to-peer printing is not supported. Systems and equipment purchased without consultation with CAS Computing may be outside of the installation and maintenance capability of the University and therefore become the responsibility of the owner.

Software Installation & Maintenance

CAS Computing will install, upgrade and support only those programs licensed by the University. Licensed software can only be installed on university-owned machines that are located on campus. Off campus university-owned machines must be brought to campus for licensed software installation. Software that is not licensed by the University will be re-installed after the repair or upgrade of an on-campus university-owned system only if the end user’s license for the software is valid and current and the user has retained all installation materials and instructions. This work will be performed on a best-effort basis; if installation fails it is the end user’s responsibility to acquire support from the software vendor. Software that is not compatible with current operating systems will not be supported. It is the user’s responsibility to acquire current versions of software that is not licensed by the University.

University-owned Systems at Home

CAS Computing will support University-owned equipment used at home, provided the equipment is brought to campus for diagnosis and/or repair. University systems used at home will only be configured with University licensed software. When a system is brought in for repair it will be restored to our standard configuration. Any non-University licensed software installed by the user or non-standard configurations will be removed if they present any impediment to bringing the system back to our standard configuration.

Computer Supplies for Systems at Home

A department can choose to provide computer supplies, such as ink cartridges, for University-owned equipment used at home for university-related work. However, the department is not under any obligation to do so.

Privately Owned Equipment

CAS Computing cannot support privately owned equipment whether used on campus or off campus. If a personal machine is brought on campus we will only provide Internet connection information after receiving a written request from the applicable department Chair stating that the University is unable to provide suitable equipment and that the use of the personally owned computer is required for the individual’s job function. The Chair then assumes all liability for the well being of the machine and is responsible for any network disruptions or other problems caused by the system. Personal machines cannot participate in the CASNET LAN environment.

LAN File-sharing & Print-sharing Support

CAS Computing exclusively supports the CASNET LAN environment. This environment provides file and print sharing facilities and is available to all faculty and staff within the College except those in departments that support their own LAN services such as Earth and Atmospheric Science, Computer Science and Geography and Planning. Outside of the CASNET LAN, CAS Computing does not support departmental servers or peer-to-peer file or print sharing. Users who wish to develop their own LAN services do so in a self-supporting mode and are responsible for all operational and security aspects. The CASNET LAN provides a reasonable level of file storage on a departmental basis. Users with exceptional storage or computational needs for research or projects can be accommodated by contributing from their budgets toward the additional hardware required.