OIT
Computer Lab Updates
By Walt Pasquini
This summer, OIT made some changes
to its services in the OIT Computer Labs. The labs in A.V. Williams
and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Library were closed due
to low usage. Additionally, Linux PC services in the OIT Computer
Labs were phased out. If you need to use UNIX, you can still do so
on the labs’ Macintosh computers.
These changes have allowed us to consolidate
services and focus resources on the facilities that students use the
most. The remaining OIT Computer Labs in McKeldin Library, Regents
Drive Parking Garage (PG2), Worcester Hall, and the Computer and Space
Sciences Building continue to offer both Windows and Macintosh workstations,
numerous software programs, and printing capabilities.
If you’d like to print in the OIT Computer
Labs, the Pay-for-Print system allows you to pay for your prints using
your Terrapin Express account. To activate or add money to your Terrapin
Express account, visit http://dining.umd.edu/terrapin/activate.
Once you have money in a Terrapin Express account, you’ll
only need your Directory ID and password to print from computers in
the OIT labs.
Please visit www.oit.umd.edu/wheretogo
for information on university computer labs and www.oit.umd.edu/print
for more info on the Pay-for-Print system. 
Computer questions?
Phone, network, wireless,
or voice mail problems?
Call the OIT Help Desk!
301.405.1400 (or just 51400 from an on-campus phone)
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The Word is Out!
By
Tyece Wilkins and
Megan Speakes
The word is out about the Terrapin Technology Store,
the physical location that supports the ACT computer discount
program and the university’s other IT discount programs.
This summer was particularly busy as hundreds of students
and their parents visited the store while on campus for orientation
programs. To better accommodate this level of traffic, the store
temporarily relocated to the Patuxent Building. Between June
1 and August 1, 2009, university community members purchased
1,300 IT products and saved more than $81,000. That’s
a lot of sales and savings in a two-month period!
“We had ten times more space to set
up our demonstration units,” said Barbara Bullock, manager
of the Terrapin Technology Store. The store’s temporary
location also allowed the store to increase the amount of stock
on hand and provided space for more registers.
For the academic year, the store is back in its regular
location on the Ground Floor of the Stamp Student Union. Stop
by to take advantage of the discounted prices and extended warranties
available on Apple and Dell computers. The store also has selected
software available at discount prices and offers a convenient
location to get new IT accessories, such as iPods and iTunes
gift cards.
For more information on the Terrapin Technology Store
or the ACT Program, visit www.oit.umd.edu/techstore
or www.act.umd.edu.
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OIT is creating a Network Operations Center (NOC)
to proactively monitor the university computer network. The NOC is
currently under construction and should be fully functional during
the fall 2009 semester. The NOC’s primary function will be to
monitor critical network components such as routers and Ethernet switches
to detect failures and degraded performance and to perform initial
troubleshooting to determine the reason for any abnormalities.
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The new NOC will be the first
formal NOC structure within OIT with display monitors and a commercial
network management system. As the NOC expands in the future, it will
take on additional monitoring and network services management responsibilities.
Even after the NOC is fully functional, there will be no change in
the way you contact OIT for service — you should continue to
contact the OIT Help Desk for all service-related inquiries and issues.
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