Software Installation Policy

Software installations for campus walk-in computer labs and electronic classrooms

For new software/hardware installations on computers campus wide, the Information Services will need at least a one month lead time to ensure that the software is installed and available.

Software used in the labs must meet the University standards and must be compatible with the version of Windows 2000, XP or Macintosh Operating Systems that are being run in the labs.

New software will be installed by the Information Services staff, and in most cases will be distributed to all workstations in the campus labs and teaching classrooms by ghosting procedures. This plan is designed to substantially improve the reliability rate of computer equipped teaching classrooms and labs.

Pre-planning: We encourage faculty members who need teaching software installed on these computers to consult with us early in their planning process. Please contact Information Services via e-mail, techhelp@sxu.edu, call the Help Desk at (773) 298-3291.

Faculty members should submit requests for new lab software or upgrades to existing packages through the Online Help Desk Request Form. A schedule will be made to provide time to evaluate and review the software, verify licenses, prepare for the installation, install and test the application in all requested labs.

Installation Schedule: Software installation requests must be received by mid-term prior to the semester for which the software is needed. Software and site licenses should be available to the Information Services staff at the time of the request.

General Testing Procedures: General testing for basic functionality and printing is performed on the product after installation is completed.

Once the software is installed in the computer labs, the Information Services Staff will again test for general functionality in a full lab setting. The person or department requesting software installation should be involved in testing the software. This is to ensure that the software is ready to be used for the purposes intended.

License Requirements for Software: You may have software installed in the campus labs if you are a faculty/staff member needing the installation for educational purposes. License verification for the number of installs needed must be presented at the time of the original request.

Since most software is licensed, it is necessary to own the number of licenses that you wish to have available in the computer lab. The number of licenses needed is the maximum number of simultaneous users of the software at once. If you have 100 students, and you purchased a license for 50 students, then only 50 students may use the software at once.

Without prior authorization, software or data files shall not be placed on any fileserver, hard disk, or other University-owned storage medium. Laws of the United States and the State of Illinois must be observed fully. This includes copyright laws as well as laws regarding unauthorized use or modification of computer programs and data stored on computer systems.