Architecture Computing Policies

Network Account Policies

Access to computing resources in the School of Architecture is controlled through the use of Windows user accounts. These accounts are maintained by CITES for every student, staff, and faculty member in the University.

File Server (ARCH-STUDENTS) Policies

Quota

Each Architecture student is allotted a disk space quota of 4 GB, regardless of year in the program. Individual quotas may be increased if the user can make a compelling case for it. In addition, file space is available for class groups upon request.

File Privacy

Although the files in your home directory are not viewable by other Architecture students, the administrators of the School's network have access to all files on the server. From time to time the administrators scan the server for dubious files (.mp3 files, for example), and reserve the right to modify the contents of anybody's home directory.

Restores from Backup

The contents of the student server are backed up nightly, and individual files or directories can often be restored from the backup tapes in case of accidental file deletion. If you have accidentally deleted a file or directory and would like it restored from the backup tape, please contact Arch Computing. Include the name and location of the file in your email. Please note that files can only be restored if they were on the server overnight. Files that were created and deleted on the same day are NOT recoverable.

Semesterly Purge of Files

On the first Friday following the end of Final Exams, the contents of the server will be purged of all files. All files in user home directories, as well as all class folders, will be removed from the server. Student folders will remain, as will their quotas. Students are responsible for backing up their files (to CD, DVD, USB.) prior to this deletion, and may copy files back to the server after the purge happens. This action is necessary so that unused files may be periodically removed from the server enabling us to continue to provide tape backup services.

Computer Lab Policies (314 Architecture & 100 Art Annex)

Access

The lab is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for Architecture students while school is in session, and usually during breaks as well, though we reserve the right to limit access during breaks to facilitate maintenance of the lab. Access is controlled by an electronic lock that is opened by your i-Card. Each year we obtain a list of Architecture students from Admissions and Records and use those numbers to program the lock. Invariably some students are missed: if your i-Card will not open the lock, please visit https://web-s.arch.uiuc.edu/newtbhlocks and add yourself to the lock database.

Files saved in the lab

Please do not save any of your own files to the hard drive of any lab machine. Lab machines are subject to rebuilding without warning at any time, which means that the hard drive is completely erased, along with any user files that had been saved on it. Use your space on the student file server to save your work.

Rendering

For projects to be rendered on lab machines, students may use any station in the computer lab during the weekend starting from 6 PM on Friday until noon the next day. No one shall interfere with such activities while in progress during this period. During the rest of the week (with the exception of scheduled classes), five designated stations (arch-lab-1, arch-lab-2, arch-lab-3, arch-lab-4, and arch-lab-5) will be available for rendering located on the west end of Arch 314. Rendering may be performed on other (than these five) stations at other times than mentioned above, but are subject to disruption should another user need that station while the renderer is not present.

Scheduling for Class Use

The following policies have been adopted by the School's Computer Strategy Committee:
Faculty may schedule the School's computer lab no less than two weeks prior to the event. Once the lab is scheduled in this manner, it is not available to others. Faculty may schedule the lab through a designated calendar maintained by the School's computing staff. Faculty may schedule the lab for no more than ten times a semester for each course. More frequent use of the lab must be approved by the School's Computer Strategy Committee in advance. The School's computing staff shall post the most current lab schedule at a designated Outlook public calendar as well as at the entrance to the lab within a reasonable time. In cases when all computers in the lab will not be used for a scheduled event, other students shall be allowed to enter the lab and use those stations unless the faculty member indicates otherwise at the time of scheduling the lab. In case a request falls outside any of the above guidelines, the Chair of the School's Computer Strategy Committee shall intervene and make a decision. If a decision can not be made in this manner, or if the parties involved are not satisfied with the decision made, they may discuss the matter with the School of Architecture Director.

Printing Policies

Printing Costs

All printing must be paid for in advance; each Architecture student has a printing "account" that is automatically billed every time a printer in the lab is used. You may add money to your account by visiting our online credit card payment system at https://web-s.arch.uiuc.edu/pcs2. The system will credit your account within 3 minutes. If you have insufficient funds for a given print job it will be rejected.

In the event that a systematic problem causes your print job to fail, you can send an email to arch-printing@illinois.edu.

Print System Outages

In addition, there may be some cases were the system fails to charge you for printing, due to an outage, server error, or other problem. In such a situation, you are still responsible for the cost of your printing and should report the problem immediately to the network support team. You will be charged when the system comes back online or the error is discovered.

Print Priority

Any person caught raising the priority of their print jobs in the queue will receive a warning. Upon the second offense, the offender will be denied printing privileges for a period of not less than 2 weeks. This period may be extended at the discretion of the School's Network Administrators or those whom they designate. Lab Technicians reserve the right to cancel plots for any reason they deem necessary, including excessive print time or large file size.

Bringing Personal Computers

You are welcome to bring in your own machine if you would like to use it in your studio. To gain access to the campus network, you must first submit the Application for Student Network Connectivity. Please note that the School of Architecture is in no way responsible for the physical safety of your machine. It is recommended that you do not leave your machine unsupervised. If you do have to leave studio, your machine should be physically secured to your workspace. In addition, by bringing your machine into studio you give the School's network administrators the right to access your machine to troubleshoot problems or investigate possible abuse of the network.

To print to School of Architecture printers from your personal computer, you must have access to the campus network by following the instructions above. After you have completed this step, follow the directions listed at http://www.arch.illinois.edu/computing/faq/#13

We strongly urge you to only use legal copies of software on your personal machine. The School provides licensed versions of major software products on all lab machines. Educational versions of most products are available at a reduced cost through the University of Illinois Software Webstore or Illini Flash Drive located in the Illini Union. Free one-year educational versions of Autodesk products can be download at Autodesk's Student Community website. If you are interested in us providing a product on lab machines that we do not currently offer, contact arch-computing@illinois.edu or the Computer Strategies Committee. Illegal "cracked" versions of software can harbor viruses or otherwise damage your computer's operating system.

Equipment Checkout Policies

The following policies for the use and checkout of equipment have been adopted by the School's Computer Strategy Committee:

Students may schedule the equipment for their use any time that the equipment is available. Faculty may schedule the equipment no less than two weeks prior to the event. Once any equipment is scheduled in this manner, it is not available to others. Faculty and students may schedule any equipment available to them through the designated web page maintained by the School's computing staff (https://web-s.arch.uiuc.edu/trs).

Equipment previously scheduled as indicated above shall be picked up from Barbara Prahl in room 6E of Architecture building (b-prahl@illinois.edu). The hours are 7:30 AM to 11:30 and 12:30 to 4:00 PM. Equipment should be picked up no earlier than two hours before a booking and should be returned within two hours after the event ends.

Projectors and notebook computers may be checked out by anyone for up to five hours per day. Digital cameras may be checked out by anyone for up to twenty-four hours. Any checked out equipment must be physically brought back to room 6E before the check out can be extended or new booking of the same equipment done by the same person. Specifically, check out of equipment already taken out may not be extended using the TRS web site or over the telephone.

Anyone not returning checked out equipment by the end of their reservation period will be assessed an initial penalty of $20 per incident plus a fee of two dollars per hour for each hour until the equipment is returned to the staff in 6E. Additionally, the person will lose the privilege of checking out any School equipment until all such late fees are collected. Technical support and instructions on use of the equipment will be available through the computing staff as indicated at the scheduling web page.

In case of close proximity of two bookings, the two users shall make arrangements for transfer of the equipment between them and the eventual timely return of the equipment. The staff in 6E shall be informed of such arrangements.

Only one digital camera may be scheduled by the faculty at any given time.

Faculty may schedule any equipment for no more than ten times a semester for each course. More frequent use of any equipment would have to be approved by the School's Computer Strategy Committee in advance.

Electronic Door Lock Access

There are a number of doors throughout the School which students open using their i-Cards. These doors are all running on a centralized system that updates the locks. If you cannot access a room you are authorized to use, please fill out the appropriate information at
https://web-s.arch.uiuc.edu/newtbhlocks.