Information about Computers and Information Technology at the College of Design

Fall 2008

BigMama retires, Long Live des-classstore!
The server BigMama, which housed ClassStore and Transfer, has retired. She served the College well for many years! In her place, a new server with increased space, des-classstore, will be used to host classstore and transfer. New procedures will be used to connect to classstore and transfer as part of the College's transition to using Microsoft Active Directory. Users will now use their Unity ID and password to connect to classstore and transfer. We won't use the "Studio" ID and password any longer. Students will only have access to folders of courses for which they are registered. For instructions on connecting to classstore and transfer, and follow the menu above to the HELP section.

Improvements in the IT Lab
All IT Lab and Cluster Macintosh computers are now running on Mac OS 10.5. All IT Lab and Cluster Windows computers continue to run Windows XP, but are now using Microsoft Active Directory instead of Novell to access applications and servers. Login times are now about 30 seconds on the Windows computers instead of 3-5 minutes as in the past. Initial logins for each machine under the new Active Directory environment will take a couple of minutes to set up your profile the first time you log in to a new machine. Every time after that, you will notice decreased login times and increased performance.

Nineteen iMacs running both Mac OS 10.5 and Windows XP have been added in Brooks 203B. Ten dual-boot Mac Pros have been added in Brooks 202. We now have a total of 48 dual-boot Macs in the IT Lab.

Printing Updates
WolfPrint provides the printers in the College of Design IT labs and computer clusters. We now have nearly 30 WolfPrint printers throughout the College of Design. WolfPrint printers use Print Quota and charge on a per page basis. Go to print.ncsu.edu and buy WolfPrint Print Quota online 24/7 using a credit card. Black and White laser printers cost 6¢ per page, color laser printers cost 25¢ per page and 36" wide printers cost $1.60 per square foot.

Printing to WolfPrint printers in the IT Lab and Clusters and personally-owned computers is now available from Mac OS 10.5. Printing from Windows computers uses a different process than in the past. For instructions for adding and using WolfPrint printers on your computer, follow the menu to the HELP section.

Also, a new HP Z3100 44" wide, high-quality, photo printer is now available in the IT Lab, Brooks 203. The price is $5.00 per square foot. It's not on the print quota system yet. Contact Joe McCoy for samples and to use this printer.

HP 1055 Wide-format Printers Price Increased
After nearly 10 years without a price increase, WolfCopy was forced to raise the price for the HP 1055 wide-format printers. The new price is $1.60 per square foot. This is still quite a bargain, as prices at off-campus sources can be $12.00-$20.00 per square foot. Prices for laser printers remain the same, 6¢ for B&W prints and 25¢ for color prints.

Copier Information
WolfCopy provides the copiers across campus. Black and White copiers are available in each College of Design building. A color copier is located in the basement of Brooks Hall. Black and White copies cost 5¢, color copies are 25¢ per page. Copiers use a debit-type card which may be purchased from a machine in the Brooks basement. Users may also use that machine to add value to WolfCopy cards.

Wireless Network Added in Leazar Hall
The campus Nomad (ncsu) wireless network has been expanded into Leazar Hall. Now all three main campus College of Design buildings and adjacent outdoor areas have full wireless coverage.

StudioNet: Wired and Wireless Network Access for College of Design Students
Speaking of StudioNet, all College of Design students taking studio courses are provided high-speed network access for their computers through StudioNet. Wired connections are available in Brooks, Kamphoefner and Leazar Halls using the campus Nomad wired network. Wireless connections are available in Brooks, Kamphoefner and Leazar Halls using the University's Nomad (ncsu) wireless network. Wireless connections are available in the Downtown Design Studio using the 'Design' wireless network.

We recommend signing up and using a wired connection at your desk and using a wireless connection as a convenience other places in the College. Wired connections are significantly faster than wireless connections, especially when printing and transferring large files.

Students wishing to use the wired network must have an RJ-45 ethernet connector in their computer along with a CAT-5 ethernet cable. Students wishing to use the wireless network must have an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless card (also called WiFi or Airport) in their computer. Faculty and staff should contact the College of Design Information Technology Staff for help.

In order to use StudioNet, students should follow the appropriate instructions on the StudioNet information page. There are instructions for wired or wireless connections and for each building in the College of Design complex. Students taking a Design studio may apply for a StudioNet connection anytime during the year.

More information is available on the StudioNet page.

Anti-virus Software Required on All Computers
Computers connected to the campus network (including StudioNet) are required to have up-to-date antivirus software installed and running. NC State makes managed anti-virus software available to all students, faculty, and staff free of charge. Users may put this software on office/studio and home computers that connect to the NC State network. For more information and downloads, go to: http://www.ncsu.edu/antivirus/

Laser Cutter Certification
All users must attend a Laser Cutter Certification session before they will be allowed to use the laser cutters. Two certification sessions have already been scheduled for next week. More will be scheduled during the semester. Use the menu above to go to the Laser Cutter section for information on downloading the Design Laser System software and signing up for a certification session.

Instant Messenger Contact Information
In addition to other contact methods, the IT staff may also be reached via Instant Messaging (IM) at the following AIM addresses:
Bill Bayley: designhelpbill
Joe McCoy: designhelpjonas
Joey Jenkins: designhelpjoey
Tih-Yuan Wang: designhelpwang

Don't have AIM? There are a plethora of Instant Messaging clients out there these days. Here's a short list of IM clients and their supported Operating Systems:
Adium - http://www.adiumx.com/ (Supports Mac OS X)
AOL Instant Messaging (AIM) - http://www.aim.com (Support Windows, and Mac OS X)
Apple iChat - ships with every Apple Macintosh computer and can connect to the AIM network (Supports Mac OS X)
Pidgin - http://www.pidgin.im/ (Supports Windows)
Trillian - http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/ (Supports Windows only for now. Mac OS X version in development)

Users of AIM or iChat will have the advanced ability of video and/or audio chats provided you have the necessary hardware.

Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Warning
Peer-to-Peer file sharing is extremely popular around the world. Programs such as Kazaa, LimeWire, BitTorrent, and others allow users to share files to other computers. However, many times these files are copyrighted music and movie files. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) have stepped up their efforts to curtail the sharing of copyrighted materials. The RIAA has been filing lawsuits against individuals who use their computers to share copyrighted materials. College students are prime targets. There are cases involving NC State students.

In order to comply with federal law, NC State must identify the owner of any computer caught sharing copyrighted material.

Also, many of these file sharing programs open up computers to attacks and viruses. It's safer just to get rid of these programs. The College of Design IT staff cannot take to time to repair your computer from damage caused by these programs.

So, don't risk lawsuits, hacks, and viruses! Get rid of your file sharing programs.

Thanks for reading! Check back often for more Computing NEWS.

If you have any questions, please contact the College Information Technology staff at design_help@ncsu.edu.