Department Policy on User-Installed Software and Hardware

Guidelines and Principles

The primary principle is that faculty, staff and students should not install software on or make hardware modifications to on-campus departmental computers without first consulting with the SRL professional staff. This policy may be enforced in part by how operating systems are implemented on departmental computers. For example, Windows 2000 platforms will have special administrative accounts for making these kinds of modifications. In general, these administrative accounts will be used by the SRL staff to perform tasks such as program installation or operating system reconfiguration.

Specifically, in the Windows 2000 environment, there will be user accounts as before, fully enabled to use a machine's installed capabilities. In order to promote the computer's stability and reliability, these accounts offer limited capability to modify the operating system. Except for the situations outlined below, users will not generally have access to the special administrative accounts which provide greater capabilities for modifying the operating system. In many circumstances, the most efficient solution will be for SRL staff to make any needed modifications. Even if users are granted access, they should still consult with the SRL professional staff before making any modifications.

Access to the special administrative accounts may be granted to faculty, staff and students after consulting with the SRL professional staff using the following principles:

       •      Faculty may directly request such access or services

       •      Staff may request such access or services with prior approval from their supervisor

       •      Graduate students may request such access or services with prior approval from their adviser

Background and Rationale

There are several issues which provide the rationale for this policy. First is a concern with maintaining the highest level of system performance and stability for users on departmental computers. The installation of some software can lead inadvertently to a decline in system performance or more serious problems such as existing software not working. A professional installation of software and hardware runs fewer risks of problems and unforeseen consequences. These are of particular concern on computers shared among multiple users (such as those in the departmental labs). In general, we seek to reduce the need for SRL staff to engage in time-consuming trouble-shooting and corrective procedures.

In addition, some software packages introduce potentially harmful or undesirable side-effects which create risks to the network environment (e.g., providing hackers or other outsiders with undesired access to departmental resources). It is because a given innocent act may have consequences for other users that the policy requires prior consultation before any software is installed.

Finally, this policy also provides a mechanism for keeping the department in compliance with software licensing requirements.