Section Four
UNIVERSITY RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS
COMPUTING RESOURCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES
This section includes:
Introduction
Given the fast pace of technological change at Stanford and everywhere else, no matter how up-to-date we attempt to make this overview of the University's computing resources, much specific data will be obsolete by the time of publication. This section is valuable primarily inasmuch as it directs you to sources of current information.
The Computing and Communication (CompComm) pages of the Stanford website are regularly updated to provide an overview and link-index of Stanford's information techology resources. CompComm is located at http://compcomm.stanford.edu/.
Because of the diversity of computing options on campus, it should help you to know the following general information about the University's computing environment:
- You don't have to own a computer at Stanford; public computer clusters are available free to eligible members of the Stanford community.
- E-mail accounts are offered free of charge.
- SUNet, the Stanford University Network, connects over 63,000 servers and individual workstations at Stanford. One of the largest high-speed computer networks anywhere on a university campus, SUNet also provides access to the World Wide Web and off-campus computers via the Internet.
- All on-campus residences have in-room network connections to SUNet and the Internet available in every room.
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Getting Help
To request assistance with computing questions, the easiest place to start is the campus HelpSU online request system (http://helpsu.stanford.edu). You can also call the Stanford IT Help Desk at 650-725-4357 (5-HELP from a Stanford phone). Whether by online request or by phone, your question will be handled by a Stanford IT Help Desk consultant or passed on to another campus service provider. If you don't know where to start, start with HelpSU.
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Resident Computer Coordinator (RCC)
A Resident Computer Coordinator (RCC) lives in each residence. The RCC is responsible for administering in-room connections, and helping students use computers more effectively. For more information about residence-based computing or the RCC program, see the Residential Computing web page (http://rescomp.stanford.edu). If you don't have Internet access, you can identify your RCC by visiting your local computer cluster, calling your local residence office, or calling ResComp at 723-4800.
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In-Room Network Connections
All individual on-campus rooms have high speed Ethernet access. These days most of the graduate student body owns and networks a computer, but, as stated above, you are not expected to own a computer at Stanford.
Consult the In-Room Network Connections section of the Residential Computing home page (http://rescomp.stanford.edu/inrooms/) for details on the type of wiring in your residence, network capabilities, fee policies, instructions, and to register for a connection.
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Connecting to SUNet from Off Campus
The computing resources on SUNet, the campus network, can be accessed from off-campus via two University-provided services -- Stanford DSL or the Stanford Modem Pool -- or via connections from commercial Internet Service Providers.
For information about accessing SUNet from off-campus, please visit the Computing and Communication Network Connections page at http://compcomm.stanford.edu/campus_network.shtml and look for the "Off-campus (Remote) Connections" heading.
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Electronic Mail
One of the most commonly-used computing services at Stanford is electronic mail. A free @Stanford email account is one of the benefits of a regular full service SUNetID. In addition, licensed email software is available free of charge to SUNet ID holders. To find out everything you need to know about email at Stanford, visit http://email.stanford.edu.
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Personal & Group Web Space
Stanford's web services are available free to all members of the Stanford community. These services are part of the main campus computing infrastructure and are handled by a compute server called www.stanford.edu. For information, see http://www.stanford.edu/services/web/.
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Personal Data Storage: AFS at Stanford
AFS (short for Andrew File System) is an online disk storage system employed by universities, research institutions, and similar groups around the world for organizing and maintaining computer data. Stanford students, faculty, and staff get 200MB of disk space in AFS for storing web pages, text files, images, computer programs, email, and other forms of online information. AFS client applications that allow you to acces AFS volume space from your desktop computer are available for Windows and MacOS as part of the Essential Stanford Software package (http://ess.stanford.edu). For information about AFS at Stanford, see http://www.stanford.edu/services/afs/.
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Essential Stanford Software (ESS)
Stanford provides a suite of site-licensed software that will get you up and running with a secure, authenticated connection to SUNet to read mail, browse the web, transfer files, etc. Essential Stanford Software also includes virus and spyware protection tools. The ESS suite is available on CD-ROM from your Resident Computer Coordinator. You also can learn about -- and download -- the software from http://ess.stanford.edu.
Any questions about ESS should be directed to the Stanford IT Help Desk (http://helpsu.stanford.edu).
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Obtaining Computer Software
The ITSS Software Licensing office acts as a clearinghouse of information for all software available on campus. The Software Licensing website provides information on what is licensed for campus and how to obtain it, what software is available for use on campus computer clusters (e.g., Leland systems, Meyer/residential computer clusters), and, if the software is not available on campus, how it can be obtained. See http://www.stanford.edu/services/softwarelic/ and http://software.stanford.edu.
For information about Stanford's software copying policy, see http://adminguide.stanford.edu/62.pdf (pdf file).
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Purchasing Computer Hardware
Stanford has partnerships with Dell and Apple to provide Stanford students with significant discounts on PC (http://purchasedell.stanford.edu/) and Mac (http://purchaseapple.stanford.edu/) hardware purchases. (Both of these links are Stanford access only.)
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Stanford Bookstore Computer Store
Stanford students can purchase some computer products at a discount from Stanford Bookstore's Computer Store (http://www.stanfordbookstore.com/), which carries Apple, Dell, Toshiba, Compaq, IBM, SGI, and Sun systems. To learn more about the Computer Store, drop by the Stanford Bookstore or call 725-6116.
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Public Computer Clusters
Members of the Stanford community can use the public clusters of desktop computers or workstations on campus free of charge. The equipment in these clusters changes regularly, and the usage policies for each cluster are determined by the organization that operates it. For an overview of all public clusters, see http://academiccomputing.stanford.edu/clusters/.
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Stanford Unix: Sweet Hall Clusters
Anyone with a Regular or Sponsored SUNet ID can use the Stanford Unix Clusters in Sweet Hall. For information, see http://www.stanford.edu/services/cluster/.
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Stanford Unix: Pubsw Software
The pubsw software tree contains over 500 free and site-licensed software packages installed in AFS for multiple different versions of Unix and available to any machine at Stanford running a supported version of Unix and mounting AFS. This is also the software tree used by all the Sweet Hall cluster machines. For information, see http://www.stanford.edu/services/pubsw/.
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Computerized Classrooms and Computer Labs
Computers and other instructional technologies have been making their way into a number of Stanford classrooms. "Technology Enhanced Classrooms" that faculty use for course-related instruction are often equipped with both computers and computer-based projection systems. For more information about such classrooms, see http://registrar.stanford.edu/faculty/classrooms/enhanced_classrooms.htm.
Several computer labs - such as the Academic Technology Lab (http://academiccomputing.stanford.edu/atl/) and Multimedia Studio (http://academiccomputing.stanford.edu/clusters/studio_index.html) in Meyer Library - are available to students or instructors who wish to use multimedia and other electronic materials in their courses.
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Online Information Resources
Library Collections
The Stanford University Libraries provide access to hundreds of online catalogs and databases at http://library.stanford.edu/catdb/index.html. Selected online resources are restricted to individuals with a current SUNet ID or individuals within a particular School. See the Libraries' website (http://library.stanford.edu/) for more information on the wealth of academic information resources available to you at Stanford.
Socrates
Socrates, the Stanford Libraries' online catalog, is available on the web at http://socrates.stanford.edu or from the "Socrates (SU Catalog)" button on most SULAIR web pages. Socrates allows you to search the full catalog record, including publisher, place of publication, and content notes. Links from the author and subject fields make finding related materials easy.
Other Library Resources
Other collections and resources include the Humanities Digital Information Service (http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/hdis) and the Social Sciences Data Service (http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/ssds/).
See the Libraries' web site (http://library.stanford.edu/) for more information on the wealth of academic information resources available to you at Stanford.
Software consulting
Software consultants provide support in the use of the most popular quantitative (statistical) software, SPSS, Stata and SAS, and qualitative software, NVivo and ATLAS.ti. Consultants provide assistance and information for researchers who are at various stages in their projects. Some of the most common topics include: choosing the right software for your research project, getting started with a particular software package, resources for learning and teaching statistical and qualitative analysis software, survey design and tips for data entry, solutions to common software problems, data management, and data reshaping and conversion.
Usenet Newsgroups
Newsgroups local to this area have su (Stanford University) and ba (Bay Area) at the beginning of their names. The su newsgroups are used by student, staff, and faculty organizations to exchange information and opinions about university-related and many other matters. For information and tools, see http://www.stanford.edu/services/usenet/.
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