Skip to content

Computer Labs - Requesting Software

Introduction

Computer Lab Management routinely evaluates and installs software for instructional use in our computer labs. All software installations are subject to all procedures and restrictions listed on this page. We highly recommend that you read this entire document before submitting a software installation request so that you are aware of what we can and cannot do.

Requirements

Computer Lab Management will always work with instructors to meet their software needs. However, instructors must meet the following requirements or we will be unable to accommodate their software requests.

  • Must be a faculty or staff member currently teaching or scheduled to teach in the computer labs.
  • Software must have been purchased and the terms of the software licensing allow installation in university owned and managed computer labs. Please see our Licensing section.
  • Requests must be made by the requested due dates located in the Installation Dates section in order to be installed by the corresponding imaging dates.
  • Software must be compatible with our systems. See Compatibility below.

Standard and Class Software

We divide the software installed in the computer labs into two categories, standard and class software.

  • Standard: Software that can be found on all computer labs computers. This software is considered to be of general use and necessary for all instructional work. Standard software is determined by the computer lab managers and generally stays the same from semester to semester. Requests for standard software can be submitted to the computer lab managers and we will evaluate the need for that software. Standard software includes programs like web browsers, media burner programs, and Microsoft Office.
  • Class: Software that is specifically requested by instructors for use in scheduled classes. This software changes from semester to semester. Class software currently installed in our computer labs is NOT guaranteed to be available for the next semester. Computer lab managers determine what software to install each semester based on instructor requests. Class software may not be installed in all computer labs if there are a limited number of licenses available.

Licensing

All software intending to be installed in our labs must first be vetted and approved by Purchasing and the OIT Software Team. They will verify that licensing is valid, abides by federal and state laws as well as UC policies, can be installed in a computer lab classroom environment, and ensure that the technical aspects of licensing are provided. We will not install any software that is not approved by Purchasing and the OIT Software Team. Below we have provided information on some of the more common types of licensing schemes used by software companies and how the licenses work in our computer lab environment.

  • Commercial Software: Any software to which a fee must be paid either for licenses or copies of the program.
  • Freeware: Software that is available for installation without a cost. This type of software may or not be able to be installed in the labs depending on whether or not it meets certain criteria as set by the vendor for its use. Two types of freeware are discussed below.
    • Limited: Limited freeware is any freeware that comes with restrictions as to its use or where it can be installed. Many of these types of freeware prohibit commercial use, and some prohibit installation on government owned computers, which includes the computers in our labs. Beta versions, demos, and trials also fall into this category. Our team can verify if installation in our labs and use of the software for instruction is permitted by the company that owns the software.

    • Open-Source: Open-source software is software released under a specific type of licensing rules that generally allow free use over a wide range of uses. While it is likely that software falling under the open-source umbrella can be installed in our labs, our team will verify that software is truly open-source before we install it.

Installation Dates

Software installations take time and require us to close the computers labs, making them inaccessible for open-access use. Due to this, we have set several hard dates when it is most feasible to install software. Please keep these dates in mind as we will be unable to install software for classes on any other dates. We highly recommend that you request software installations as soon as possible in order to allow sufficient time to verify licenses, order the program if necessary, check for compatibility, and testing to ensure the software works the way you need it to. Software requests made by the request date will only be included in the corresponding imaging date if all purchasing and licensing is completed by the Installers and Licenses Due Date.

 

Summer Software Request Deadline

REQUESTS DUE DATE INSTALLATION AND IMAGING DATE
May 1 May 15

 

Fall Software Request Deadline

REQUESTS DUE DATE LATE REQUESTS DUE DATE INSTALLERS AND LICENSES DUE DATE
May 18 June 8 June 29

Compatibility

Software installed in our computer labs must be compatible with the hardware, operating system, and configuration of our stations. The software cannot interfere with other programs, require unsupported privileges, or present a threat to our production environments. We will make every effort to overcome issues, but in some cases must refuse software installation if we cannot. Some of the most common issues that cause software to be incompatible are:

  • it is a beta, demo, or trial version
  • it interferes with use of already installed software
  • it violates laws or university policies (like copyright laws and our acceptable use policies)
  • it requires out-of-date versions of another application (such as will only run on older versions of Java)
  • concurrent usage of the program cannot be limited
  • it is version that is unsupported on our operating systems

Contact Information for Software Requests

If you have read all of the above and feel you meet the requirements: Request Service