Geography Department Computer Lab Policies

1. General Rules

Logging on and off:  It is your responsibility to logoff of any workstation. Failure to log off is a security  risk. Repeated failure to log off may result in punative action.

Access: During scheduled class times users are blocked from free access to the lab. We will post a semester schedule of course meeting times on the lab doors and also at http://www.geog.ufl.edu/computing. A CLASS IN SESSION sign will be posted on the door when classes are in session.

Computer care:  Out of respect to the next user, please do not touch the monitors with your fingers or other body parts.  Use the blunt side of a pen (not the writing end) or eraser side of a pencil instead.

Food and drink:  In 3018, food and drink should be placed on the counter near the sink. In 3006, leave food and drink on any table away from the computers.

Pets:  Please leave your pets at home out of respect for others. If you are found with a pet in the lab, you will be asked to leave immediately.

Bicycles:  Do not bring bicycles into the labs.

Backpacks/bookbags:  Be aware of your backpack. Backpacks sometimes get caught on computer cords when moving between rows in the labs and may damage a monitor if you are not careful.

Telephone:  The telephone in the back of the 3018 lab is intended for emergency use. Do not give out the phone number. And definitely DO NOT turn up the ringer volume.  If you must make a call from this phone, please make it as brief and quiet as possible, so that you do not disturb other lab users.

Cell phones:  Please be respectful of others and use your cell phone outside of the labs only. Please turn the ringer off.

Computer use:  We assume that all users have basic Windows file-management skills. If you do not have basic Windows file management skills, invest some time in gaining them!

2. Inhabitants of offices 3018a and 3018b (the offices in the back of the 3018 lab).

They are NOT on call for assistance with course-related use of software. Please attempt to solve your problems and answer your questions by consulting on-line help files, by asking assistance from classmates, or by seeking out your Teaching Assistant.

Do let your lab instructor, if you are in class know if there are mechanical problems with computers, or if software applications will not open. After-hours this can be accomplished by contacting us page or using the link of the Department computing web page at http://www.geog.ufl.edu/computing.

3. Accounts

Use of the computers requires an account with a password. For students registered in geography computer lab courses, a CLAS account and password will be provided to you by the course instructor.  Any student who registers during early registration will be provided an account within the first week of classes. Any student who adds a lab course after the first day of class, may experience a slight delay in the generation of the account. 

Students who are not registered for a geography course, but are sponsored by a faculty member should request an account. To obtain an account, you will be asked to supply: (1) your first and last names, (2) your NEW UF ID NUMBER, (3) your primary email address (4) your department / campus affiliation, (5) your status (undergrad, grad student, faculty, etc., and (6) for what purpose you will use the lab resources (e.g., what course(s) you are taking in the labs or for what faculty member you will be working).

You will be required to change your password the first time you log onto any of the machines. Passwords must be at least 7 characters long. Usernames are case-insensitive, but passwords are case-sensitive.    

You will be allowed an account for use of the computers in the 3018 and 3006 labs if: (1) you are currently taking a course in either lab, or (2) it is the expressed wish of a Department of Geography faculty member.

4. Computer Use

Users of computers in the Department of Geography labs are expected to abide by the policies handed down by the colleage. See http://www.clasnet.ufl.edu/policy/.

Computer use is first-come, first-serve, with the condition that GIS, Remote Sensing, and Computer Cartography applications have priority. If deemed necessary, we will establish the use of sign-up sheets to schedule computer-use times.

In any lab, NEVER move the computer cpu from its cubby hole! NEVER unplug any of the cables from the back of the machines. DO NOT move the monitor for any machine. 

Finally, do not shut down your computer at the end of a session. Other authenticated users may be accessing that computer while you are.  Kindly, just close all programs and log on as a different user.

5. Lab Access

The doors to 3018 and 3006 have card-activated door locks. You must use your Gator1 card to open the door. (This is why we ask for your UF ID NUMBER in the account request form; it is encoded on your Gator1 card.) Follow the instructions on the door above the lock explaining how to use your ID card in the lock - orientation of the Gator1 card is important!

The labs doors are open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday (except when classes are session).
Lab doors will closed by 5:00 pm weekdays and are to remain closed from 5:00 PM until 8:00 AM weekdays. Weekends, doors should remain closed at all times.

During evenings and weekends the doors must remain closed. This allows us to track who is coming into the lab after hours - the door lock keeps a record. Anybody with a recognized Gator1 card can obviously work any time that he or she chooses, but must keep the lab door closed at all times, even if leaving the room for only a few minutes.

6. Printing

We all thought that computers would make a paperless office, but now we are killing more trees for paper than ever. Try to make your work paperless.

Printing in the labs is restricted to those who have paid the lab fee for the semester they are enrolled in a geography lab course.

Please DO NOT recycle paper through the printers.

7. Important Notes on Data Storage and Data Integrity

All users should understand that they are responsible for the integrity of their own data. In other words, make your own backup copies.

Please refer to the Directory Structure page for information on directory structures and data access.

Important Note:  Directories assigned to students registered for geography computer lab courses will be deleted at the end of each semester. It is every student's responsibility to backup data that he or she wishes to keep beyond the semester's end. (If you want to continue to use your directory, you must obtain faculty sponsorship and fill out the new user form.)

Each computer in the lab has a large-capacity hard drive that can be used for very short term data storage for class assignments. These drives are not backed up and will occassionally be rebuilt, meaning that the operating system and other software needs to is reinstalled and all data is deleted.  Also, occasionally entire hard drives die, other users can corrupt your data, and other events can cause your important work to disappear. If you have important data on the hard drive, always assume that they may be lost.

Some computers in the laboratories have internal ZIP drives, all computers have a CD writer/rewriter, so all users doing course work or research will be able to-AND be expected to-back up their own data on their own media.

We strongly suggest that you have at least two back-up copies of all of your data. All media fail sooner or later.

Thus, data on the hard drives should be regarded as volatile. As a matter of fact, the lab management reserves the right to erase any data on the hard drives at any time and without warning, especially if file systems fill up. We will try to accommodate people with advance warning, but cannot guarantee it.

8.  System Drive (C:) Drive Policy

No data or personal files should be stored on the C: drive of any computer. Any class- or research-related data stored on the C: drive will be erased when a system administrator finds it.

Do not download and install software from the Web. The lab computers are meant for use in the context of the Geography courses being taught; they are not yours to modify or customize. So, for example, do not double-click downloaded files that have an .exe extension; this action will execute them and they will be installed on the local machine. This is especially important since computer viruses and worms may be contained by rogue executable files.

9. The homework computers

These computers were permanently located at TUR 3014.

The homework computers are intended for use by geography graduate students, faculty and approved persons. They have installed on them all of the software applications from both labs.