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General Software
The Workstation and Microcomputer Facilities provides commonly used
software including the latest word processing, spreadsheet/data analysis,
and networking/internet connectivity tools. This software has high
priority in cases of trouble-shooting and allocation of staff resources.
For a current list of supported software, please refer to
W&MF Facility Software.
Instructors who use this general software for their classroom curriculum are responsible for testing the software in advance to see if the software meets their instructional needs. Please refer to the timelines below for the required testing schedule.
Instructional Software
If the general software does not meet instructional computing needs,
instructors may provide specialized or other software three weeks in
advance of the reservation date. All instructional software must work
within the confines of the current facility software and hardware
environment and does not receive technical support from facility staff.
Shareware and Beta Software
Requests for shareware or publicly available software are treated like
requests for all other types of commercial software. Licenses must be
provided for all such software used. Proof of registration and payment
of fees are required before it can be considered for installation on the
server. Evaluation copies of software will not be placed on the file
server to be used on an evaluation or trial basis. Shareware will be
granted instructional supported software status in rare cases at the
discretion of W&MF staff. Beta or development releases of software will
not be allowed on the file servers and will not be supported by W&MF
staff; exceptions are made at the discretion of facilities staff. Any
software found on the file server without explicit written permission
from W&MF staff will be removed and access privileges will be
revoked.
Freeware and public domain software can be installed (with permission) without licensing. W&MF must be presented with documentation that states freeware or public domain status before installation occurs.
In cases of self-developed or non-commercial software, facility staff will not be responsible for software functionality. Instructors are responsible for contacting the developers directly for technical support. Exceptions to these guidelines are at the discretion of W&MF staff.
Local Installs
In some cases, software cannot be installed onto the server because of
networking or other technical environment issues. In these cases, an
instructor can request permission to install the software directly onto
each client machine as long as the software does not require the user to have administrative rights. Each case is reviewed and granted permission at the
discretion of W&MF staff. The software will be unsupported and
functionality is solely the responsibility of the instructor. W&MF staff
will neither assist in installation nor support. Instructors may request
additional scheduled time before the class period to install such
software. All software requests should be made via the on-line Computer
Facility Use Agreement form.
All changes which have been made for local installs will be removed at log-out. Multi-session classes will need to reinstall software after logging in at the beginning of each class period. W&MF is not responsible for any loss of data, time, or resources caused directly or indirectly by use of such software.
Minimum 3 weeks prior to the first class meeting
Software evaluation begins. All software media and licensing must
be received.
Minimum 2 weeks prior to the first class meeting
Software support status will be determined. Instructors must begin
testing of all associated instructional software on-site in the instructional
facility.
Minimum 1 weeks prior to the first class meeting
Instructional software will be finalized (installation and configuration are
standardized).
The instructor is responsible for testing all requested software on-site at the at least 5 working days prior to the first scheduled class; this includes testing of all general supported software. The test must simulate the actual classroom environment, testing all aspects of the requested software. Any problems found during this testing period will be addressed by the facilities technical staff to find solutions, although a resolution is not guaranteed. You will have priority during this time.
If software is received less than 3 weeks prior to the first class meeting, software will automatically be given non-supported status. Thus, all software functionality will be the responsibility of the instructor. W&MF staff cannot guarantee the installation of the software on to the file server. Assistance with local installation and troubleshooting will not be provided. Support status will not be granted until 3 weeks from receipt of the software.
Problems that occur during a class for untested software will be addressed within 10 working days.
If you need assistance or have questions about this policy, please contact the Instructional Scheduler: Nicole Sattler, reserve@berkeley.edu or (510) 643-6248.