Beams Division Desktop Support Policy
Revised 25 June 2002
Requests
Users whose work requires a new or upgraded personal computer (PC) must submit a Purchase Order and an Abbreviated Implementation Plan (AIP) to the Beams Division Desktop Support Group. The Desktop Support Group will maintain a standard AIP template that will meet the needs of most users. The AIP must be approved by the appropriate Department Head or Project Leader.
Requests for new PC’s will be expected to follow the following guidelines unless an exception is requested and justified in the AIP.
1. The hardware and software configuration must be one included in the standard “bulk order” (see supported systems below).
2. The request must be for a single “personal” computer. If a machine is also needed for home use, a portable is the preferred solution.
3. Proposal for disposition of equipment being replaced (if any).
4. Addition hardware or software beyond the standard bulk order should be requested on a separate Purchase Order.
Department Heads may, with the concurrence of the Desktop Support Group, authorize individuals to take older PC’s to use at home provided that they are used primarily to support the mission of the laboratory and not for personal use.
Final approval of AIP’s will be made according to the procedures established by the Controls Department Head. The AIP’s will be reviewed for conformity to this policy with the understanding that individual Department Heads and Project Leaders are in the best position to evaluate the technical requirements of the work done in their departments. Any unresolved policy questions will be referred to the Head of the Beams Division.
Procurement
The Beams Division supports a quarterly procurement plan for desktop PCs. Units are ordered at the beginning of each quarter; the amount based on maintaining a yearly quota. Current long-term budget planning calls for the replacement of 20% of the PC’s each year. When received, PC’s are setup according to the BD Domain rollout procedure and held for release to Local Administrators for user’s whose AIP has been approved.
Supported Platforms and Software
The Head of the Controls Department, with the concurrence of the Head of the Beams Division, is responsible for defining which systems are considered standard. Maintenance of non-standard platforms is the responsibility of individual users or their respective departments or project teams unless otherwise specified by the Head of the Beams Division.
The current list of supported systems may be found at http://www-bdnew.fnal.gov/network/supported_platforms.htm.
Legacy Distribution
All machines that are no longer needed by the previous owner will be turned in to the Local Administrator for reassignment or retirement. Department Heads and Local Administrators may replace old machines with new to ensure that higher speed machines are given to employees who need the computing power. Any machines that are no longer needed by the Department or are designated as “end of life” (EOL) are to be returned to the Desktop Support Group for reassignment within the Beams Division. EOL (end of life) is applied to machines and Operating Systems that cannot be supported. Examples are Windows 3.11, Win95, MacOS 7.6, Intel 486, and Mac 680x0.
Surplus machines are sent to storage according to the attached "Guidelines for Decommissioning PCs". This ensures that the machines are donated to qualifying organizations.
BD personnel should not acquire PCs through surplus. Old platforms are to remain EOL.
Desktop Support Personnel
It is BD policy that users running standard systems will be fully serviced in their computing and network needs.
In the process of procurement, Department Heads, Project Leaders, and users should weigh any technical advantages of non-standard systems versus the added burden of system maintenance. Department Heads, Project Leaders, and users should understand that their responsibility includes compliance with security requirements and compatibility with network protocols, and that any system not in compliance will be disconnected from the network. Users are strongly urged to consult with the Controls Department concerning technical choices and maintenance of all computing equipment.
Beams Division desktop support personnel consists of Users, the Computing Division Help Desk, Local Administrators and Domain Administrators. The responsibilities of each group is outlined below:
Domain Administrators
The Beams Division Desktop Support Group provides Domain Administrators who follow the Computing Division’s PC manager policy on platforms and security. The Domain Administrators are responsible for the servers, printers, routers, switches, IP address assignment, Network cable plant, network interface cards, security patches, antivirus software, application licensing, and backups.
All Beams Division PCs are delivered to a central location where the Domain Administrators set up the operating system according to an established systematic roll out procedure. The machines will then be available to the Local Administrator who dispenses the units within that department. Domain Administrators assist Local Administrators with any problems that the Local Administrator cannot solve. The Domain Administrators meet regularly with the Local Administrators to discuss division desktop concerns.
Local Administrators
Each Department shall have access to a Local Administrator for their desktop machines. Local Administrators are appointed by the relevant Department Head or Project Leader and will be the primary contact for desktop users. User concerns are to be reported to the Computing Division Help Desk. In most cases problems will be referred to Local Administrators who may, in turn, refer problems to Domain Administrators. Local Administrators meet regularly with Domain Administrators and follow the guidance and procedures established by the Domain Administrators. Local Administrators are responsible for the administrator privileges on the desktops in their group. A current list of the local administrators is located at http://www-bdnew.fnal.gov/network/localadmins.htm.
Computing Division Help Desk
Users with problems should first contact the Computing Division Help Desk at http://csdserver1.fnal.gov/HelpDesk/cd/.
If the user has computer problems that don't allow them the access the web page, they can
contact the Help Desk at x2345. The Help Desk will assign the problem to the
appropriate support personnel. For minor
problems, the user may contact the local administrator directly (if he or she is agreeable
to that), but it is desirable to enter problems with the Help Desk in order to facilitate
problem tracking and follow up.
Users
Users will follow the Lab policy on use of computers and abide by the guidelines in the BD user setup for the desktop machines assigned to them. Users report problems to the Computing Division Help Desk and work with their Local Administrator when they have problems that they cannot solve themselves. Users must store data files on the central file server to enable automated backups.