Originally published 26 May 2004

From the next academic term the student community will benefit from faster, more efficient computers in the student open access work areas across campus.

Commencing this summer, IT Services is set to embark on an extensive project which will see a major update of the IT Services work areas.

As part of this update 228 of the existing machines will be replaced with new flat screen all-in-one PC’s. The standard operating system on these will be Windows XP and the standard office suite will be Office XP (Linux work areas will be unaffected).

In addition to the 228 Pentium 4 2.8GHz machines and access to Office XP there will be front-facing USB ports to support the use by students of a variety of peripherals, including Flash Hard Drives and improved reliability through frequent remote refresh of the machine’s configuration.

The delivered applications will remain the same as those currently provided with the exception of Office 97. A programme of testing will be launched to establish compatibility and a testing lab will be opened to allow members of staff who have applications that are required for teaching to come along and try them in the new environment.

A major undertaking such as this is not immune to hiccups and it is highly likely that there will be disruption and limited access to the work areas over the summer vacation period. If use of the work areas is required over this period for teaching or conference use it is necessary to arrange a booking as soon as possible to ensure availability.

Issues may also arise that could result in a setback of full completion of the upgrade by the beginning of the new term. It is expected that any inconvenience caused will be offset by the provision of a set of new facilities that will be of significant benefit to the student community.

Something to look forward to.