News and Current Events08/14/08 | Computer Labs now offer walk-in computing support! The IR Help Desk has moved to the Sonora and Jonsson computer labs! The CAs in both labs will now be able to offer students support for the following problems: The Help Desk will still offer phone support as well as live internet support. 07/23/08 | AV iMac Returns! We are pleased to announce that the AV computer from the MC 3rd floor Media Lab is back in usage! Please come visit it at its new home in the jonsson lab! 08/24/07 | Tips? Suggestions? Let Us Know! Do you have an idea of some hardware, software, or other feature(s) that you think would make the Labs a better place to study or relax? We are always upgrading in an attempt to better suit your requirements, and your input is instrumental in this process. Please send your ideas to Jacob Abraham. 06/20/06 | Problems with PDFs For best results, never print PDF files directly from a web browser. Always save PDFs to the desktop or a personal folder before printing. You can do this by clicking the purple disk icon labeled "Save a Copy" on the Adobe Acrobat Reader toolbar that appears when viewing a PDF file online. Questions? Comments? For questions or comments regarding the Student Microcomputer Labs, contact: McDermott Sonora Lab Computer Assistant Desk 972-883-5379 For questions or comments regarding the website, contact: Mary Effler | mae057000@utdallas.edu For extended info, view the Reservations page.
Account StatusWhat is Your Account Status? Standard If you are enrolled, your account is considered to have a Standard access level. This means that you have access to the Student Microcomputer Labs, apache, infoserv, NetID, Pipeline, and WebCT. Basic If you were enrolled in a previous semester but are not enrolled for the current semester, your account access level would transition to Basic for the current semester. With a Basic account status, you get access to email (IMAP), infoserv, and Pipeline. Access to the Student Microcomputer Labs as well as other labs on campus is restricted under the Basic level. Nothing happens to the data in your home directory or to your UTD emails when in this state. You should retain access to NetID. Dormant If you have not been enrolled for the last Fall and Spring semesters, your account will digress into the Dormant state during the next Fall or Spring semester, whichever comes first. Once an account has moved into this state, you will lose the ability to log into any service on campus. The data in your home directory is still retained at this point. Though your UTD email address will still function, you will not be able to log into your email account. Removed If you have been out of school for a year, your account will become removed. Users' home directories are deleted. It may be possible to recover home directories at this point, but absolutely no guarantee is made. Special Circumstances Newly Admitted If you are admitted for at least one of the next two semesters, you will assume at least a Basic account level, as described above. You may set up a new NetID account. PhD Students PhD students that are not enrolled for the current semester retain Standard access one semester beyond their last enrollment. PhD students that are not enrolled for a second semester assume Basic status. Password Changed Each student is required to change the account’s password once each year; e-mails will be sent to the student’s UTD e-mail account to notify the student ahead of time. If the password is not changed by the specified date, the system will automatically change the password. In addition, account misuse may also result in an immediate password change. Blocked An account is usually blocked by an Information Resources staff member as a result of misbehavior on the part of the user. This is a temporary state that adopts all of the rights and restrictions of the Dormant state. An account can only be unblocked by an IR staff member, usually after corrective measures have been taken. Hours of Operation
HardwareThe following is a list of hardware currently employed the Student Microcomputer Labs. Printers and scanners are available at both the McDermott and Jonsson computer labs.
SoftwareThe following is a list of software currently installed in the Student Microcomputer Labs.
Locations
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| Sonora Lab |  |
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| 1st floor (Basement) of the McDermott Library building (MC) | |||
| Windows Lab | MC 1.314 | ||
| Jonsson Lab | |||
| Second (ground) floor of the Jonsson Building (JO) | |||
| Windows/Mac/UNIX Lab | JO 2.2 | ||
| Midland/Odessa Lab | |||
Third floor of the JO Building (JO) |
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| Windows Lab | JO 3.209/210 | ||
CometPrint
What is CometPrint?
Simply put, CometPrint is the Student Microcomputer Labs' method of organizing and executing student printouts.
Some important things to note are:
- Your Comet Card will be required to release a print job.
- You must have enough UT$ to pay for your printouts before they are printed.
- Printouts will cost 6 cents per sheet.
- There will be NO refunds.
From a Windows Computer
When you decide to print a file or document, please use Print Preview to make sure that you are printing what you want. Always go to File, and then select Print instead of using the print icon in the menu bar, as this will give you more control over the output. When you click OK, a Pharos pop-up window will appear with fields for you to enter your NetID and a job description. From there, your print job is held in a print queue awaiting release.
From a Macintosh Computer
From an iMac, use the Print command as you normally would. Rather than entering a NetID and job description at your computer, you will instead enter "student" at a CometPrint Release Station.
At the CometPrint Release Station
Once you have printed your file or document from the computer, it will be held in a CometPrint queue for four hours. You must visit the CometPrint Release Station within that time or the print job will be automatically deleted. Swipe your Comet Card through the card reader to start the process, log in using your NetID (iMac users must enter "student" rather that their NetID), then select the print jobs you wish to be printed. With the information you typed in the Pharos pop-up window, you will be able to identify your print jobs. You must have enough UT$ on your Comet Card to pay for the printouts before they will be printed. Be sure to check the number of pages of each print job. This will help determine if you are getting what you wanted. This is also very important, as there will be no refunds!
No Refunds!
You are fully responsible for what you print. This means that we cannot be held liable for web pages that print blank sheets, PDF slides that do not appear, Microsoft Word documents on which you forgot to change the margins, documents that printed more pages than you wanted, etc. We are responsible for toner streaks on printouts, paper jams, and other hardware-related malfunctions. After print jobs are paid for at the CometPrint Release Station, we will have thirty minutes to reprint them in the event of printer problems. This will be the only form of compensation.
UT$
At the start of the summer semester of 2007, UTD merged E-Bucks and UT-Dollars into one account, UT$. For the Labs, the updated UT$ payment method is now used to pay for print jobs. UT$ can be added to your Comet Card at the Info Depot in the Student Union or at the kiosk on the 2nd floor of the McDermott Library.
What Else Should I Know?
Remember to carry your Comet Card with you at all times and remember to have enough UT$ to pay for your printouts. The only person that can release your print job at the CometPrint Release Station is you!
Plan ahead! The CometPrint system may take longer than expected, especially if you do not have enough UT$ on your Comet Card. You may not have enough time to get a printout right before your class begins.
Reservations
Questions? Comments?
For questions or comments regarding the Student Microcomputer Labs, contact:
McDermott Sonora Lab Computer Assistant Desk | 972-883-5379
Jonsson Lab Computer Assistant Desk | 972-883-2448
Jacob Abraham | 972-883-2389 | jabraham@utdallas.edu
Don Davis | 972-883-6176 | dondav@utdallas.edu
Mike Karich 972-883-4721 | mjk052000@utdallas.edu
Regarding the Website, contact:
Mary Effler | 214-208-2949 | mae057000@utdallas.edu
Regarding Lab reservations for instructors, contact:
Jacob Abraham | 972-883-2389 | jabraham@utdallas.edu
Don Davis | 972-883-6176 | dondav@utdallas.edu
Lab Phone Numbers:
McDermott Sonora Lab | 972-883-5379
Jonsson Lab | 972-883-2448
Policies for Use of the Student Microcomputer Labs
These policies apply to the use of all facilities operated by Academic Computing and User Support (ACUS), a division of Information Resources (IR). They are intended to facilitate the use of the labs in the best interests of all users.
Account Policies
The labs are available for use by currently registered UTD students, by current faculty at UTD, and by research and teaching assistants authorized by a faculty member through completion of an Information Resources Computer Account Request Form.
New students may request a UTD computer account at any of the Labs from the first class day of the semester in which they are enrolled onward.
A validated UTD Comet Card must be presented in order to request a UTD computer account. No other form of ID will be accepted.
Only the holder of the UTD computer account may use the provided facilities or network resources. Access of your account by others (students, faculty and staff included) is prohibited and may result in revocation of your account.
Students are held responsible for any destructive or illegal activity done by those to whom they give access to their accounts. You may also be held responsible if the activity occurred without your knowledge or consent. If you think someone may have discovered or guessed your password, change it immediately.
Students who are not enrolled during the summer semester will not be allowed to use the Student Microcomputer Labs. However, those students will retain access to Infoserv over the summer semester. Infoserv currently allows students to access e-mail and allows FTP access to files in their home directories.
Graduating students will retain access to all their computer accounts up until, but not including, the first class day of the semester following graduation. Likewise, after that date, they will no longer be able to use the Student Microcomputer Labs.
Facilities can be used only for instructional, research, and academic support activities directly associated with and administered through the University of Texas at Dallas.
Lab Mechanics
The Labs are supervised at all times by Computer Lab Assistants (CAs) who have the responsibility to ensure the security and smooth operation of the Labs in the best interest of all users.
No food, drink or tobacco products are allowed in the Labs. Open containers should be stored away or disposed of before entering the Labs.
For their protection, children are not allowed in the Labs.
Students are responsible for all charges made to their UTD accounts.
Neither Information Resources nor the Student Microcomputer Labs are responsible for personal items left in the Labs.
Users are not allowed to install software or games of their own except in the rooms in which this is acceptable (ask a CA for the location of these rooms, as it may change). Even then, certain programs may be deemed unacceptable and may not installed on the Lab machines. Any students using software not already installed on the Lab machines will have lower priority than students using the labs for instructional, research, or academic support activities.
When demand for machines exceeds the number available, use may be restricted.
ACUS may offer training and provide consulting on hardware and system software operations to the extent that a user can gain access to a given application package or programming language.
Instruction, training, and assistance in the use of a particular application or programming language are the responsibility of the instructor or TA for a given course. Computer Lab Assistants are not required to aid students in the mechanics of these programs.
Hardware problems or suspected software bugs should be reported to a CA.
No materials or equipment may leave the Labs under any circumstances without the written permission of an IR staff member. CAs, TAs, RAs, and faculty are not authorized to permit materials or equipment to leave the Labs.
Administration Policies
To comply with Copyright and License Agreements and to protect University property, the systems may be remotely monitored on a random basis to ensure against illegal duplication of system software, application programs and/or data files that have not specifically been placed into a public area for the purpose of duplication. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against anyone found in the act of unauthorized duplication or using the resources of the Labs in a malicious manner.
Information Resources and Academic Computing and User Support reserve the right to refuse use of these facilities to any person or any group if it is in the best interests of the University or other users to do so.
The facilities are open to all UTD students, faculty, and staff irrespective of school affiliation. The policies specified here apply to all users.
Staff
| Lab Manager | Assistant Lab Manager | |||
| Jacob Abraham | Mike Karich | |||
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972-883-2389 |
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972-883-4721 |
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| Computer Assistants | ||||
| Sanger Doane | Carl Spurgers | |||
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Undergraduate
Arts and Technology
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Undergraduate Electrical Engineering
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| Mary Effler | Monish Modi | |||
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Undergraduate
Arts and Technology |
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Undergraduate
Software Engineering & Computer Science |
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| Jennifer Jeng | Jasia Ahsan |
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Undergraduate
Biology |
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Undergraduate
Electrical Engineering |
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| Rafa Mobarak |
Phillip Johnston | |||
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Undergraduate
Biology |
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Undergraduate Computer Science
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| Jose Torres |
Joshua Rendon |
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Undergraduate Statistics |
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Undergraduate
Computer Engineering
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| Devika Malhotra |
Skylar Rudin | |||
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Undergraduate
Business Administration
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Undergraduate Arts and Technology
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| Isaac Strohl |
Quincy Obioha | |||
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Undergraduate Computer Science |
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Undergraduate Electrical Engineering |
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| Michael Webber |
Jonathan Jeng | |||
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Undergraduate Accounting and Information Management Systems |
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Undergraduate
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| Cade Smelser |
Garrett Linscombe | |||
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Undergraduate Arts and Technology |
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Undergraduate Computer Science |
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| James Brad Porter |
Hanan Abdulahi | |||
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Undergraduate Software Engineering |
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Graduate Computer Engineering |
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UNIX
Introduction to UNIX contains step-by-step instructions for using the UNIX Operating System on University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) UNIX Servers, such as apache and infoserv. The UNIX FAQ provides answers to questions about the UNIX system that new users frequently have. UNIX Commands is an alphabetical list of many commands found on the Unix servers: apache, jupiter, and inca.