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This page contains answers to common questions handled by our support staff, along with some tips
and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as questions. In
addition to this page, you may look at the Department
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) webpage maintained by Dr. Eisenberg.
Note: In these answers we will follow a few shorthand conventions for describing user-interface
procedures. Key combinations will be presented like this: Ctrl+Alt+Delete, which means that you
should press and hold down the Control key, the Alt key, and the Delete key at the same time.
Menu selections will be presented like this: File->Open, which means that you should open the File
menu, and then make the Open selection.
- How do I contact Tech Support?
- How do I report a problem with my computer or the network?
- What Operating Systems and Software do we support?
- What software does the Department maintain licenses for?
- What is the procedure for purchasing new computer equipment?
- When is Tech Support available to help with my problems?
- Who do I contact about problems with the Department website?
- Where do I get an email account?
- How do I know if a Virus is real or a hoax?
- Can the Tech Support Team fix my personal computer?
- Do you have job openings and how do I apply?
- What are the guidelines for
purchasing a new computer?
- Can I load 1 copy of a program on all the computers in my
lab?
- Can we load software on classroom computers setup by OIR?
- What do I do if my printer needs a toner cartridge?
The easiest way to contact the entire Tech Support staff is to email us at
tech@mae.ufl.edu
Your questions and /or requests will be sent to all members of the Tech Support staff. If you'd
like to contact one person in particular, you may use the below listed email
addresses and phone numbers
| Name |
Email |
Phone |
Office |
David Rockey
Sr. Systems and Network Manager
Department IT Security Manager |
drockey@ufl.edu |
392-0927 |
MAE-A 215A |
Vann Chesney
Sr. Systems Programmer
PC Support Team Leader |
chesney@ufl.edu |
392-4942 |
MAE-A 215B |
| Student Assistants |
tech@mae.ufl.edu |
392-1628 |
MAE-A 215 |
| Computer Support Committee |
csc@mae.ufl.edu |
|
| Dr. Gale Nevill |
gnevill@ufl.edu |
392-0889 |
MAE-A 300 |
| Dr. Carl Crane |
ccrane@ufl.edu |
392-9461 |
MAE-B 326 |
| Dr. Ashok Kumar |
akumar@ufl.edu |
392-0816 |
MAE-C 106 |
There are 2 ways to report a problem.
The first way is to send email to tech@mae.ufl.edu
and describe the best you can what problems you are having.
The second way is to log onto http://www.mae.ufl.edu/support
and log in if you have been given a username and password for this. This
is an automated Help Desk system that will allow you to report your
problem. Once we have built a database of solutions, you may also use
this as a way to find solutions to your problems.
As of January 28th, 2003, we support and recommend the following Operating
Systems.
- Windows 98 (for old slower computers only)
- Windows 2000
- Windows XP Professional
- Redhat Linux 7.x and 8.x (PC and Alpha)
- Compaq Tru64 Unix 4.0 and above (Support, no longer recommend)
- Sun Solaris 7.0 and above
- SGI IRIX 6.5 and above
- HP-UX
Note: Sorry, but we do not support computers that boot more than
1 operating system.
Operating systems that we currently do not support
- Windows
3.x
No longer supported by Microsoft
- Windows for
Workgroups
No longer supported by Microsoft
- Windows
95
No longer supported by Microsoft
- Windows
ME
Not a stable OS for our environment
- Windows NT (PC or Alpha Version) No longer
supported by Microsoft
- Linux other than Redhat
- IBM AIX
- VMS
IMPORTANT: If you and/or your group needs root or administrator
access to your computer(s), then you must assume the role as the primary person for
the support of these computers. It is very difficult for us to provide
tech support to find and resolve problems that have been created by you or your students
having full access and permissions to the computer(s).
For a list of the software we have licenses for, see the Department
Software webpage. Keep in mind that we can install software but may
not know how to use the software. Because of this, if a problem is
encountered after we install the software, someone from your group who can
describe and recreate to error condition should contact that software vendor
for help. If the solution includes making changes in the system or the
way the software was loaded, please keep us in the loop with email describing
what needs to be done.
If you need help learning to use software such as Microsoft Office, Word
Perfect Office or any other program, please check into other resources such as
the Faculty Support Center or purchasing a book from a bookstore. We do
not have the personnel to teach people who to use software.
In an attempt to make things as easy as possible when setting up a new
computer or reloading the operating system on a current computer, the
Department maintains several license for software for both the PC and Unix
platforms. There is a list located on the Department
Software webpage.
When purchasing new computer related equipment, you should get the
necessary quotes from the vendor(s) of your choice. If you are dealing
with Dell computers, you should send a copy of the E-Quote. If you are
dealing with other vendors, a complete list of the desired configuration and a
quote from the vendor should be included so we can compare as closely as possible. Once you
have all the necessary information, forward that to David Rockey in Aero 215A
for review. The paperwork will be reviewed and then we will forward it to
Teresa for processing.
The general rule of thumb is that Tech support is provided from 8:00AM to
5:00PM on a daily basis excluding holidays. This may vary from time to
time based on the current semester schedule, times when school is out or on
break, etc. On occasion, we are available during hours other than
the listed times via the Internet and will try to address your problems
if they are an emergency.
Here is the regular schedule for the current Tech Support people.
| |
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday
|
Thursday |
Friday |
| David |
Start |
7:30AM |
7:30AM |
7:30AM |
7:30AM |
7:30AM |
| |
End |
4:30PM |
4:30PM |
4:30PM |
4:30PM |
4:30PM |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Vann |
Start |
7:00AM |
7:00AM |
7:00AM |
7:00AM |
7:00AM |
| |
End |
3:30PM |
3:30PM |
3:30PM |
3:30PM |
3:30PM |
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Similar to contacting Tech Support, all requests related to the Department
webpages or web server should be sent to webmaster@mae.ufl.edu.
This address will send a copy of your request or question to all people
associated with the upkeep of the webpage and the web server.
All email accounts are available through Gatorlink.
The Department does not provide email accounts on department computers.
Gatorlink provides a variety of services like dial-up networking, email, web
based email, wireless Internet access and much more.
The following webpages are good sources of information regarding virus
hoaxes.
http://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
Either site will provide information about virus hoaxes. Please check
these list before you forward any email about a virus that you may have
received.
NO! The Tech Support Team supports Department owned computers only. They
do not support personally owned computers belonging to faculty, staff or
students. If you need support for a personally owned computer, you
should contact the Tech Support people where you purchased your computer.
NO!! When you purchase a copy of a program, you receive
1 license to use that software on 1 computer unless otherwise specified.
Loading 1 copy of a program on multiple computers is a violation of the US
Copyright Laws.
Generally speaking, the answer to this problem is NO. We do not have
the resources in personnel and software licenses to load software on these
computers.
Many of the classrooms on campus have computers in them locked in a podium
/ case that have been setup by OIR (Office of Instructional Resources).
These computers have software loaded that restricts the loading of any new or
additional programs without the proper authorization and access codes.
Also, if we do load software on these computers, the next time the computer is
rebooted (OIR schedules this every night), the software that we loaded will be
removed from the computer.
Also, in cases where the Department has to purchase licenses for each
computer that the software is loaded on, this could end up costing the
Department a lot of money.
As a solution, we highly recommend that you carry a laptop computer
with you to the classroom. You will also need a long video
(VGA) cable to connect the computer to the projection system in the
classroom. This way you can carry all your work with you when you are
teaching. In addition, we also recommend that you get a wireless network
card so that you can connect to the Internet if you need it.
Toner cartridges are available in MAE-A 231 or MAE-B 237. You need to
know the model of the printer. Since we recycle old toner cartridges,
please take your old cartridge with you when you go to get a new one.
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