ACCC Labs FAQ

Last time in The A3C Connection, we listed the ACCC public computing labs and mentioned that many of them are available for reservation. Here's how you can reserve a lab.

Most lab reservations are taken each semester, on a first-come, first-served basis; however, some departments have priority for nearby labs. Once all priority reservations have been made, the labs will be open for general reservations.

When should you reserve a PC lab?

You should reserve a PC lab when your class or UIC-related event requires hands-on participation from those attending the class, seminar, or session.

If you only need a room to demonstrate the use of software or will only occasionally need to use a computer as an instructor, we encourage you to reserve a multimedia classroom through the Office of Classroom Services. There are many lecture halls and classrooms on campus equipped with a podium and a PC (some with Macs also) and most have a network connection to plug in your own laptop.

If you would like to reserve a multimedia classroom for occasional use, please visit http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/ocs/services/

If you need the multimedia classroom for the entire semester, please contact your unit's liaison.

PC lab reservations can be made for one class or on a recurring basis for the entire semester. Due to the high demand for PC labs, ACCC reserves the right to cancel the ongoing reservations for those classes that are not making significant use of the equipment on a regular basis.

Which labs are available for reservation?

The following labs are available for reservation:

On the west side:

BGRC 105B and BGRC 179; both are reserved first-come, first-served.

On the east side:

 

These labs are available first-come, first-served:

CCC 408, SEL 2058, SEL 2249, SEL 2249F, SEL 2263 (Mac), TBH 183.

These labs have priority in reservation by specific departments:

SPHPIB34, AA B120, AA 2312, EPASW L270, BSB 4133.

These labs are for exclusive use for UI-Integrate related training through Spring 2005:

SES 205B, SES 205C.

Is there a charge?

No. Under normal circumstances, i.e. the use of the classroom during regular business hours, there is no charge to reserve the PC labs if the purpose of the reservation is to teach a class. If you are in doubt or if you have a special request, please contact us for more information.

What equipment is available in the labs?

All the labs available for reservation are equipped with an LCD projector, a projection screen, and a dry-erase board. The number of machines and the machine configurations vary. Up-to-date machine configurations can be found on the lab reservation Web page. (See So how do I reserve a lab?.)

What software is installed in the labs?

We have a very large collection of software. The core software is the same in all labs; however, there are few pieces of software, specific to one area, that may only be available in some of the labs. We are in the process of rebuilding the list of software available. Once the list is available, we will add a link to the reservations page so you can check out the software suite.

Can I bring software with me and install it before class?

No. The machines are securely configured to prevent software from being installed and programs or files from being deleted, so software installations will likely fail.

How do I get special software installed in the labs?

If the software that you need to use is not available in the labs, you may provide us with a full, legal copy of the software for us to install. We will need the media and proof of licensing. Please note that we will need one license per student/user who will use the software.

The lab image is very large and includes many many pieces of software. Because there are so many applications installed, it is possible that conflicts will arise when a new application is installed. We also have a number of different machine configurations. Installing a new piece of software means installing it in each different machine configuration image, testing it, and deploying the updated image to each machine configuration. This also means significant amount of downtime for the image to be downloaded.

Please plan ahead! Provide us with any software that you want installed at least four weeks before the start of the semester, when we are in the process of updating all the images. Image change requests made midsemester take longer and cause frustration. You are also responsible for testing to make sure that the software that we install works as you expect it; you should do so at least 48 hours before you are scheduled to use the room.

What are the lab rules?

You must have a UIC netid and valid ACCC common password to log on to the machines in the ACCC personal computer labs.

There are absolutely no food or drinks allowed in the labs. This rule applies to everyone, including instructors.

You have to make significant use of the equipment on a regular basis to keep your ongoing reservation.

Can I print?

Most of the labs available for reservation also have a printer in the room. You have to be able to log in to the machine (see above) to print.

How do I save my work?

Save your work often! Murphy's law applies in the labs. You have a few options of ways to save your work:

1. All Windows machines have a floppy drive and a 100 MB Zip drive; many have a CD ROM writer.
   
   
2. On Macs, burn your files to a CD-R. (In many Mac labs, there are machines with DVD-R or CD-RW drives.)
   
   
3. On all Windows machines, you have access to your own 10 MB hard drive, which you can save your work on. The drive will be labeled H:\. Because the data on the H:\ drive resides on a server and is tied to your account, it will be available every time you log in, regardless of what lab you are in or which machine you use in the lab. You can't access your H:\ drive from the lab Macs yet, but you will be able to soon.
   
   
4. Bring in your personal USB or FireWire drive.

Who can reserve the room?

Any faculty member, staff, or teaching assistant working with a faculty member can make a lab reservation request. Undergraduate students are not allowed to make reservation requests unless the request is sponsored by a faculty member.

How do I know if a lab is available for reservation when I need it?

We keep the calendar for each lab online. You can find them on the reservations Web page. If you look at the ALL labs link, you will see all the calendars together, which can help you find an open lab on a particular date.

When can I make my reservations?

We accept reservation requests one semester in advance. We process the reservation requests at the end of the previous semester, at which time we will notify you the status of your request.

The reservation is for a talk that will have non-UIC people attending. Is that OK?

Attendees must have a UIC netid and valid ACCC common password to log in to the machines. If you will have non-UIC people attending, request that guest access be enabled in the lab for the duration of your class. Instructions on how guests can log in are available on the PC lab reservation Web page. Please note that guests are not allowed to print.

So, how do I reserve a lab?

Please visit the PC lab reservations page at http://www.accc.uic.edu/pclabs/roomres.html and fill out the reservation request form.

Please note that labs are only available for reservation during the hours that the lab is open. The lab hours are available through a link on the reservations Web page.

Comments are welcome; please send them
to Cynthia Rodriguez, cynthiar@uic.edu