Psychology Network- Computer Support

Computing Policies (January 17, 2007)

This document provides policies, information, procedures, and users agreement forms for people using UF Psychology Department Computers and/or UF Psychology Department servers (including use of PsychNet). This document is divided into six sections (each indicated by a centered and boldfaced heading): Hardware and Operating Systems Policy, Account Policies, Types of Software Piracy, UF Psychology Department Software Tracking Procedure, the UF Psychology Department Computer Software Users Agreement, and the Non-UF Computer on PsychNet Users Agreement.

Hardware and Operating Systems Policy

In efforts to keep everyone in the Department informed of some of the common computer policies and standards, we have put together the following policy statement. This policy statement will be updated periodically.

Operating Systems Standards

The Psychology Department information technology (IT) staff consists of Jim Yousse (Director), and Michael LeGrande. The Department’s IT unit currently supports Windows XP Professional. The simplified environment reduces IT staff training and resources.

MacOSs are only minimally supported for use as workstations by the IT staff. With only 3 of 50 faculty members using the MacOS, this decision was made to simplify the Department’s IT environment and reap the associated cost savings. Adding the MacOS to the fully-supported list would require extensive additional training and likely more personnel. Anyone electing to use the MacOS will be largely responsible for their own support. Department IT staff will provide basic network support and only limited other support for the MacOS. The MacOS is permitted to be connected onto the Psychology Department network.

For security reasons, no other operating systems, beyond the above mentioned, are permitted to be connected to the psychology network.

Hardware Standards/Purchase Policy

The Psychology Department’s IT Staff has a limited set of computers recommended for purchase for standard departmental computer systems. The list is limited to reduce the diversity of computers the IT staff will have to support. The machines selected were chosen because of the reputation of the vendor, the vendor's hardware choices in this line of computers, the generous terms of the warranty, the price available to the University, and our direct experience with the company and products. For desktop machines, Gateway’s E-series computers are recommended. For laptops, either Gateway or Dell laptops are recommended.

Limiting the diversity of machines reduces the number drivers that must be kept current and allows the IT staff to apply solutions from one computer to all of the similar machines. Furthermore the IT staff uses disk-imaging tools such as Norton Ghost to reinstall the OS very quickly. These tools are most effective when used with very similar machines.

People may elect to purchase computers not on the supported hardware list, but the best level of IT support and fastest turn-around time on hardware and software repairs are with supported hardware, for the reasons just articulated.

Before any computer purchase is made, a member of our IT staff must review all price quotes. This requirement insures that the right equipment is ordered.

Hardware Upgrades

Anyone interested in hardware upgrades should consult with the Department’s IT staff before making their purchase. Call for 273-2121 or 273-2120, or email psy-admin-l@lists.ufl.edu for assistance. Some hardware upgrades can make the computer on which they are installed so different from its original state the computer may become difficult to support.

Upgrades to monitors, keyboards, speakers, and mice are generally not a problem, because decisions regarding those upgrades are unlikely to affect your hardware or software adversely. On the other hand, IT staff members are likely to have useful advice.

Upgrades to memory (RAM), while they do not negatively affect software, should be selected carefully to match your hardware. Please call us for assistance on any RAM upgrade purchases.

Personal Computers

Personally-owned computers not supported by the IT staff. Personal computers can only be connected to the network via the wireless network.

Account Policies

This section lists the most important, and most misunderstood, rules regarding your PSYCHnet account. Please understand that these rules will help you define what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate use of our services. These rules apply to anyone using a PSYCHnet account.

The Psychology IT computing resources exist to complement the instructional and research missions at UF. Each user is obligated to use the network resources in accordance with Psychology IT policy, Gatorlink’s Policy, and the UF Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The AUP policy is available at http://www.cio.ufl.edu/aupolicy.htm. Gatorlink’s Policy is available at http://www.gatorlink.ufl.edu/policy.html Some of the below policies were taken directly from CLASnet’s policy statement.

When Emailing, Be Civil and Courteous to Others

• If someone asks you to stop sending him or her email, then stop sending it. If the person files a complaint, your actions can be considered harassment.
• If you feel you are being harassed, report the incident to your advisor.
• Do not email an excessive number of messages to another user (aka, "mail bomb").
• Do not send a message to a random number of recipients and/or newsgroups (aka, "spamming").
• Do not create a web page that deliberately "crashes" or compromises a remote web browser.
• Do not deliberately cause a denial-of-service attack (aka "ping flood" and/or "smurf attack").
• Remember that any email message can be forged. If you suspect a message may have been forged, you should contact supposed sender and ask for confirmation. If the message is a forgery, save the message and report the incident to the IT unit.
• Please keep anti-virus software up to date on your home computer.
• Please report virus problems to the IT unit.
• Never email a password to anyone for any reason. Email should be treated as a "postcard" which others can read without much difficulty.

Do nothing on the system that may harm another user. Complaints will be investigated. Violations may result in criminal and/or disciplinary action(s), and ignorance is not an excuse.

One Person Per Account

The Department of Psychology has joined the UF Active Directory authentication structure. This means once approved you will use your Gatorlink Username and Password to log into the Psychology networked computers. Do not share your account or password with anyone. Shared accounts are not allowed, as each account must have a single "responsible party."

• Do not give your password to anyone else, even people you trust. If you suspect that someone may have discovered your password, change it immediately.
• You will be held responsible for any destructive or illegal activity performed with your account. Ignorance of this policy is not a valid excuse.
• If you need someone to read/respond to your email while you are unavailable, contact UF Help Desk to set up an email forward to the alternate person's account during the interim.

You May Not Make a Profit with Your Account

You may not be paid, or otherwise profit from your Gatorlink email or PSYCHnet account. Similarly, you cannot help another profit by forwarding emails to/from your account.

• You may not send chain letters.
• You may not send "MAKE MONEY FAST" offers.
• You may not send advertisements.
• You may not run or promote a business using your account.

At best, these messages merely offend or annoy people. However, some of them constitute wire fraud, a criminal offense.

Do Not Forward Virus "Warnings"

Most virus warnings (like "JOIN THE CREW" or "GOOD TIMES") are hoaxes, and we have to spend a lot of time debunking them. The IT unit will inform you of any legitimate virus warnings. If you are still concerned about a particular virus warning, please contact the IT unit instead of forwarding the "warning" to others.

Never Falsify Email or Newsgroup Posts

All messages must correctly identify the sender. Any messages formatted to mislead the recipient into believing your message is from another person can be considered "theft of identity," which is a punishable offense.

Do Not Attempt to Bypass Login Restrictions

Do not try to avoid login procedures or restrictions in order to gain access to computer systems where you aren't allowed. This is "computer cracking", or "hacking", and can result in serious legal consequences.

Running a Server is Not Allowed

A server is a computer providing some service to other client computers via the network. A server's programs process requests from other computers for read and write access to the server's local hard drive or other shared resources (disk, printer, memory, etc). Some examples include, but are not limited to, "peer-to-peer" networking, Windows File-&-Print sharing, remote access, and Windows IIS or PWS. “Peer to peer” include Bearshare, Morpheus, Limewire, Zeropaid, Gnutella, Napster, and the likes.

Connecting Unauthorized Computers to the Network is Not Allowed

All computers connected to the network must be configured and managed by the Psychology the IT unit staff. Never connect or move any computer on the network without permission first. Computers on the wireless network do not fall into this catagory.

Copyright Software

Everyone must honor software copyright laws. Do not install any software that the Department doesn’t have proper licensing for.

Monitor Your Disk Usage

We are asking everyone to be prudent in his or her disk storage usage on the Psychology Department’s file servers. The server storage is designed to hold critical files related to your daily work. Below is a guideline to help us reserve our resources.

• Do not store large sound, graphics, or movie files on the servers, unless they are required for your official UF duties. If these files are related to your UF duties, please contact the Department IT unit and make them aware of your need. It may be more prudent to arrange an alternate storage and backup method for these files.
• Keep your web files small. Please remember that most people using your web pages are viewing them via a modem connection, which is very slow compared to the campus network. Large files on web pages are rarely downloaded by your target audience.
• Do not store software on the network drives/folders. Only documents, data, and email should be stored on the servers. Any software on the server must be licensed through the Department.
• Do not download or hoard unneeded/redundant files onto the server. ZIP drives, CD-R, backup tapes, or other media should hold any materials to which you do not need constant access.

If you have questions about these policies, or about PsychNet in general, please contact the Department IT unit staff at 273-2121 or 273-2120, or email psy-admin-l@lists.ufl.edu.

Types of Software Piracy (from UF copyright policy)

The following are examples of common software piracy. For more information please go to www.it.ufl.edu for the University’s official software copyright web site.

Software piracy is defined as any violation of software license agreements. This section discusses some of the more common ways that piracy can occur:

• Copying University-owned software for use on privately-owned computers. In some instances, faculty or staff may use their own computers at a University facility. Unless the department purchases software for use on the privately-owned computer, copying University software for privately-owned computers is a copyright infringement.
• Copying privately-owned software for University or privately-owned computers. Computers owned by faculty and staff may contain software that other faculty and staff would like to use. However, copying the privately-owned software to University computers is a copyright violation, unless the staff member has multiple licenses for their software.
• Distributing copies of single-licensed software for educational or research purposes. Copies of software cannot be legally copied to computers in student laboratories without the appropriate number of licenses. In addition, copies of the software on diskette cannot be legally distributed for academic purposes unless licenses exist for each copy. Even then, those receiving the software on diskette must not copy the diskettes and must return them after they have completed the class or project.
• Copying old versions of software to other computers. Many software licenses allow users to retain old versions of software on their computers when an upgrade is purchased. The only condition is that the old and new versions cannot be used at the same time. Therefore, old versions of the upgraded software cannot be legally copied to another computer.
• Retaining software on computers that are moved to other locations. Departments often install software that they already own on newly-acquired computers. If the software is not removed from the old computers before they are sold or moved to other locations, a copyright infringement occurs.
• Keeping demonstration copies of software that are not purchased. Some software vendors provide working versions of software for demonstration purposes. If this software is not purchased, but is kept on the computer on which it was installed, a copyright infringement has occurred.
• Renting software to faculty and student for the purpose of instruction or research. The "Software Rental Amendments Act" was passed in 1990 to prohibit the rental, leasing, or lending of commercial software without the express permission of the copyright holder. The SPA considers the "storefront software rental operations" to be the biggest threat to publishers'copyrights.
• Renting software purchased at the University's discount rate to outside corporations. Some highly specialized software costs the University a small fraction of what it would cost a business. When the University rents the use of this software to outside businesses without express, written consent of the copyright owner, they have violated the Software Rental Amendments Act.
• Installation of single-use software on local area networks. Without intentional restrictions on the number of simultaneous users of software installed on a local area network, all persons connected to the network can simultaneously use the software.

UF Psychology Department Software Tracking Procedure

• For Departmental purchases, the appropriate fiscal person will supply the IT unit with a copy of the purchase order for all software purchases.
• If someone wishes to install personally owned software on a UF-owned machine, the person must supply the IT unit with a copy of the software’s license agreement. They must highlight the part of the license that insures that the license can be installed legally on a second machine.
• UF-owned computers on the Psychology Department inventory and any computer on the Department network are subject to spot checks and/or software auditing for evaluating compliance with the policy regarding the use of microcomputer software.

UF Psychology Department Computer Software Users Agreement

• The Psychology Department purchases or licenses the use of copies of computer software from a variety of outside companies. The Psychology Department does not own the copyright to this software or its related documentation and, unless authorized by the software developer, does not have the right to reproduce it for use on more than one computer.
• With regard to use of software on local area networks or on multiple machines, all Psychology Department faculty, students, and staff shall use the software only in accordance with the license agreements.
• Psychology Department employees learning of any misuse of software or related documentation within the company shall notify the director of the IT unit within 2 working days.
• According to the US. Copyright Law, illegal reproduction of software can be subject to civil damages of as much as $100,000 per work copied, and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment. The Psychology Department faculty, students, and staff who make, acquire, or use unauthorized copies of computer software shall be disciplined as appropriate under the circumstances. Such discipline may include termination of employment. The Psychology Department does not condone the illegal duplication of software. I am fully aware of the software protection policies (just described) of the Psychology Department computing policies and agree to uphold those policies.