Venue: BT1.08
Present: Jim Briggs (Chair), Steve Broadbent, Ed Kopinski, Dean Ledger, Alison White
Apologies: Les Black
| Agenda | Notes | Action | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Actions carried forward |
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Rolling software budget |
Reported to be approx. £30k. Main items: Maple; Microsaint; MATLAB EK to send list to JSB |
EK | Ongoing |
Laptop ports |
5 modem sockets are available on Mercantile floor 5. There is also a wireless transmitter on floor 5. ISO (Chris Boorman through Frank Margrave) is looking for 20 Technology faculty students to participate in a pilot. JSB contacted Frank about this. Frank said a pilot under way involving "cosmology students". JSB to follow up. |
JSB | Done - no further action |
New users: automatic set up of L: drive directory and Faculty web server accounts |
EK had requested that the helpdesk notify the appropriate site support team when a new user account was created. EK agreed to draw up a "procedure" for registering new users. |
EK |
EK reports that he did this, but that some details haven't yet been resolved. |
Lab information on web |
SB, DL, EK agreed to set up/update the web pages for the Mercantile, Lion Gate and Anglesea labs respectively, and notify JSB of the URLs. This would include hardware configurations and software installed. EK had talked to Craig Browning about doing the Anglesea pages. Ongoing. Aim to complete before start of spring term. |
SB |
SB done |
| It was noted that Tom Manns was also trying to solve the information problem from the timetable point of view. JSB agreed to liaise with him on that. | JSB | Tom is happy to let us do the work and he will rely on our web pages. | |
Printers |
A brief discussion of whether it was better to put a network-enabled printer in each of the bigger rooms in Burnaby Terrace rather than 3 or 4 directly-connected printers. EK agreed to send JSB a price list of common printer options. |
EK | Done |
Multimedia support in Mercantile House |
There is an issue that currently Merc support staff have no access to ISCA staff acounts. EK to discuss with site support team to resolve. |
EK | Done. Will be resolved in a few weeks. |
Security in Mercantile House |
SB also agreed to contact Estates and do a security audit with them. This would include a lockable cupboard in M2.4 for equipment. JSB agreed to arrange authorisation for the work to be done. |
JSB |
JSB referred to Roger Beresford. Done |
It was reported that the padlocks that had been bought to secure equipment had been a failure - students had been able to work out the combinations on the locks. SB and DL agreed to continue to look for a solution. |
SB DL |
Kensington locks are being ordered for flat screens. | |
| It was agreed to review the key arrangements for the classrooms and specialist labs. | Flag to ECAM | Ongoing | |
Outstanding requests/orders: software |
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Multimedia software (e.g. Maya, Combustion, SoftImage) |
DL reported that this software ordered to support the Digital Media course (among others) had been delivered, but was to be installed in Eldon Building. The status of this was unknown. It was noted that some of this software was similar in function to 3D Studio Max. It was suggested that as part of the development of the CAM Computing strategy, a review be undertaken of what multimedia software should be supported. |
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MS Project |
George Allan had requested that more licences for MS Project be obtained. It was reported that Project is already covered by our Microsoft Campus Agreement so we can put it on as many machines as we wish. However, there is currently a technical problem in that it appears not to work with the latest version of the Novell client. Consequently we can currently only run it in places where the Novell client has not been updated - at the moment that is just Merc 4.4. SB to raise with Julian Lintell-Smith. |
SB |
Fixed. Project 2000 now available everywhere. Staff who want copies for their laptop should be able to borrow a CD from the library. |
WinProlog & flex |
JSB to check whether anyone is using flex. If we drop it from the maintenance agreement we can save approximately £250 per year. | JSB | JSB emailed all staff. No positive responses received. |
Outstanding requests/orders: hardware |
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CD/RW problems in Lion Gate |
Solved in the short-term by replacing CDRW media (Sony for NiceDay), which the CAM Admin Office will sell to students. The medium-term fix is to ensure that students know which media to use, and to get Faculty Stores to stock the appropriate type. The long-term fix is to replace the drives. JSB to talk to Cheryl Johnson regarding Faculty Stores. |
JSB | Done |
Display screen in BT reception |
It was agreed to set up an additional student information display screen in the reception room in Burnaby Terrace, using an old PC from stock. The aim is to get it up by next term. JSB and SB agreed to pursue this. |
JSB SB |
Ongoing |
Major projects |
None | ||
Operational problems |
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Stand alone mode for lecture room PCs |
Roger Beresford had told JSB of an earlier agreement that PCs driving projectors in lecture theatres and classrooms should be workable in stand alone mode if the network was down. EK agreed to investigate this. |
EK | Positive response from Julian Lintell-Smith. LAN team investigating a global solution; local site support teams can implement local setups where necessary. |
Any other business |
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Helpdesk job numbers |
It was reported that the ISO Helpdesk did not always provide a job number. EK agreed to discuss with Chris Boorman. |
EK | Done. |
Date of next meeting |
Friday 17th January in BT1.08 (JSB's office) | Eventually took place on 7th February. |