Microcomputer Relocation and Set Up Service
Name of Service
Microcomputer Relocation and Set up
Description of Service
OIT offers a relocation and new computer setup service. Clients (faculty
and staff) may request to have new computers set up and/or to have existing
computers relocated. OIT will perform the physical move, the hardware setup,
and the network connections, as well as the backup and the restore process
as defined below.
Even if you schedule the physical move with someone else, it is recommended
that you involve OIT as soon as you decide you will be moving. Moving shared
printer devices may require work from OIT to ensure continued network access.
Setting up new computers or swapping computers among staff may also require work
from OIT to ensure network connectivity. (Such items are dependent on the
to/from locations of the move because of the network subnets that OIT manages.)
OIT will help you identify potential problem areas and help you determine how
to best accomplish the move with the least down time if you involve us in your
coordination efforts.
If you need backup and restore services, current operating system technology
may no longer allow for a simple full backup and restore from one machine to the
next. This means that the newer machine will not be set up to be identical to
the older machine setup. It is the client's responsibility
to arrange for the reinstallation of software applications and/or additional
operating systems on the newer machine, as well as to move and manage their
restored data files to their appropriate location in the new environment.
Availability of Service
Normal business hours (8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Mon - Fri)
These hours enable OIT to access offices and to obtain personal assistance
and/or instruction from the clients, etc. to better perform the task according
to the client's needs.
Special Arrangements
Special arrangements may be negotiated with ERS to schedule work on weekends
or after hours.
Providers of Service
The ERS (Equipment Repair Service) group in Technical Support, Office of
Information Technology (OIT) provides this service on campus. (American
Microelectronics is currently under contract with OIT and is available to
augment this service on a time and material basis at the cost of $45/hour.)
Vehicle of Service
Requests for service should be directed to the Help Desk via normal
Help Desk request
channels:
OIT Help Desk Hours and
Locations
The following details must be provided for a relocation request to be initiated,
to include information about the origin of the newer machine and the destination
for the older machine (FROM / TO information), such as:
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Name(s)
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Bldg/Room(s)
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Machine description and configuration information
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Backup Requested?
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Restore Requested?
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Does the client prefer to be present during service?
To assist you in providing ERS with these details, an ERS Relocation/Setup
Form may be used. This form may be obtained from the Help Desk.
Clients of Service
This service is available for faculty and staff on campus, hereto in this
document referred to as "clients."
Cost of Service
Funding for this service comes out of the standard staffing budget for OIT
Technical Support staff which currently consists of one full time manager,
one full time technician, and four part-time students. However, this service
is only one of their many responsibilities.
Scope of Service
Quantity Issues:
-
Four machines or less --
Requests involving four machines or less can be normally requested through
the Help Desk and will be dispatched to ERS as a regular Help Desk incident.
Requests will be handled in order of priority with other ERS duties. You can
expect an initial cont act from ERS within one week to schedule the service. For
planning purposes, these requests may take up to one day per machine depending
on the exact request (length of backup due to hard drive size, configuration
involved, number of peripherals, etc.) Internet access may take up to 48 hours
to establish after the relocation or set up.
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More than four machines --
Requests involving more than four machines can be also be requested through
the Help Desk but require at least two weeks preparation time to plan the
service.
Priority Issues:
The routine order of priority for this type of request is normally:
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Clients with previous network connections who no longer have access due to
equipment failure
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Clients wanting first time, new access to the network
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Clients currently with access by using an older machine but wanting a new
machine connected.
Requests of an urgent nature will be evaluated according to standard Help
Desk priority and escalation procedures. Please explain your situation to
the Help Desk when you call so that we can determine whether we should shift
our priorities.
Equipment Supported:
Microcomputers Supported
Dos-based, Windows-based or Macintosh platforms
Peripherals Supported
Printing devices, connections to the network (such as wiring closet changes,
bootp registration, etc.), scanning devices, modems, monitors, CD ROM, etc.
However, older peripherals or internals (such as motherboards, hard drives,
internal modems, CD ROM drives) may not work with newer equipment.
Also, according to our new Network Interface Cards Policy, ERS no longer
normally installs network interface cards (NICs) since OIT has determined that
it is more cost effective overall to have them pre-installed for new machines.
(OIT will no longer maintain a NIC inventory. If we are required to install a
NIC, there will be an extended time period for us to continue to do so.)
Software Applications Supported
It is the client's responsibility to arrange for the reinstallation of
their own software applications.
Operating Systems Supported
Computers come pre-installed with an operating system. It is the client's
responsibility to arrange to have additional operating systems
installed. ERS is able to support the relocations and set ups for these
platforms:
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System 8.x Macintosh
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Windows 95 (Limited; see sections marked below as ***)
*** As OIT tests and documents issues surrounding the Windows 95 platform,
there are considerations to be made when relocating or setting up a computer
with Windows 95. Please see the section below on
backups and restores in relationship to Windows 95 relocations and set
ups.
Backups and Restores:
Backups
Only tape backup service is offered. Full backups, minus the network
directory and the operating system, are performed.
| Process for Normal Tape Backup and Restore: |
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All data on the old hard drive, minus the network directory and the operating
system, is backed up.
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The old data is restored to the new hard drive under a directory called
"OLDDATA".
-
It is the client's responsibility to move data out of the "OLDDATA" directory to
its final location on the new hard drive.
|
We cannot guarantee that data files that are managed by data compression
utilities on the old hard drive will fit and/or work properly in the backup
process.
*** Currently we have ordered tape drives that
support long file names, so that we can provide a backup/restoration service for
Windows 95 machines. Until we receive these drives, we recommend that clients
connect the old and new computers together with a cable and use the Direct Cable
Connection software included in Windows 95. Online documentation for Direct
Cable Connection is included with Windows 95. Both machines
must
have Windows 95 and the Direct Cable Connection software installed. We recommend
that the client purchase a LapLink cable for this process.
It is the client's responsibility to transfer the files between machines.
Restores
The entire tape backup is restored to a special directory (usually named
OLDDATA) on the hard drive in the new machine. Under this directory is the
entire subdirectory and file structure from the tape. The tape contains all
files/subdirectories on the original machine except the system-specific
directories and files such as the DOS directory.
It is the client's responsibility to move the data files to their
desired location on the new hard drive. Clients will need to arrange to have
their software applications and/or additional operating systems reinstalled;
neither are guaranteed to work just from the restore process.
We cannot guarantee that data files that were managed by data compression
utilities and are attempted to be restored to the new hard drive will fit and/or
work properly in or after the restore process.
Complexity:
Depending on the complexity of the hardware or software configuration on a
particular machine and the time it would require to perform the requested
service, it may be necessary to refer the client to alternative avenues of
service (e.g. AME, documentation on, etc.) due to the lack of available
staff resources in ERS.
These alternative sources may include going to outside vendors for
consultation and/or OIT providing the recommended approach for the client to
follow.
Quality of Service
OIT tracks client requests through the Help Desk tracking system. When a
request has been completed, client surveys are generated and sent in order
to collect information from the user community to determine how well we meet
our client's expectations for service.
When we receive constructive criticism about a particular request, we will
investigate the information provided on the incident report, talk to the
consultant in charge of the request, and evaluate how to improve the service.
Adaptability of Service
This service level agreement is a working document and will be periodically
evaluated and updated to meet client expectations and/or to reflect changes
in staffing resources.
Current Process Improvement Recommendation:
Currently, OIT has only enough tape backup machines for the ERS staff to
perform these backup and restore activities. We are investigating the
possibility of implementing a tape backup loaner program that would allow for a
customer to keep the tape back up device long enough to restore their files to
the new environment themselves in a more personally structured manner. We will
investigate how many of these machines might be needed for the loaner pool, how
much budget may be available to purchase them, and what process may be needed to
manage the loaner program. We will also consider guidelines on who, where and
how to purchase the tapes. OIT recommends that departments whose future needs
require extensive use of a tape back machine consider purchasing one directly
versus depending on the availability of a future loaner pool which may be
limited.
This page maintained by the
OIT Help Desk Staff
Last Modified: Wednesday, 21-May-01 (ama)
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