Computer Accounts on ECF

This document summarizes ECF's revised policy on computer accounts, how they are provided and how they are to be used by students and staff. Some aspects of this policy represent no change to the current policy, are marked as such (NO CHANGE), and are provided here for completeness. Other aspects represent a change from past practice and are marked as NEW POLICY.

The changes are primarily for the accounts provided to graduate students. This proposal sets out three new types of graduate student accounts that are more clearly aligned with the different way graduate students make use of ECF than was the case with the previous account system. The changes to the way 'research' accounts are charged out more accurately reflects the hidden costs of computer accounts such as tape backups, systems administration time and software licensing. The proposed front-end charge scheme also reduces the increasing administrative load associated with the current back-end charge system. Note that this charging scheme also applies to professors using 'research' accounts.

The new policy for non-academic staff simply reflects the current way that administrative staff use ECF.

Undergraduate Students (NO CHANGE)

Every undergraduate student is entitled to an ECF UNIX/WINDOWS computer account. The majority of undergraduate accounts are created, in a batch, for first year students using information from the Registrar's office. Undergraduate students will keep these accounts until they leave the Faculty. Undergraduate students registering late or joining the Faculty after first year must have their account created manually by going to the ECF office (Engineering Annex, Room 206).

Graduate Students (NEW POLICY)

'grad' accounts

All graduate students are entitled to a resource-limited UNIX account for email, web browsing and internet access. The account will not have access to ECF's compute server (skule) or to WINDOWS-based ECF machines and will be limited in cpu time and diskspace. Graduate student accounts are not created automatically. All graduate students requesting an ECF account must go to the ECF office with their student card to have an account created for them manually.

'course or T.A.' accounts

Graduate students taking or tutoring courses that require the use of ECF will have access to full resource accounts for the period of the course. Instructors must apply for 'course' accounts on behalf of the students enrolled in their course. Instructors may do this by emailing Phil Poulos at phil@ecf.utoronto.ca with the following information:

course name and number

resources required (UNIX or WINDOWS, software, etc.)

full name and student number of every student requiring a 'course' account

Grad course/TA accounts are terminated when the course ends, usually at end of term.

Grad students can use the 'getname' procedure to determine their login name and initial password.

'research' accounts

Graduate students requiring the use of ECF for their research may obtain a 'research' account. These accounts will cost $1200/year, payable when the account is created at the beginning of each year (e.g. September 1), or $100/month for accounts required for less than one year. Accounts closed before year-end will receive a refund for unused months at the rate of $100/month. 'Research' accounts will be allotted a reasonable amount of disk space and cpu time, access to available software, tape backups, etc. Users of these accounts must accept that there may be times when resources are unavailable for service, upgrading, or in use for course testing. Refunds will not be given for these periods of unavailability. ECF-WINDOWS 'research' accounts are separate from ECF-UNIX 'research' accounts and cost $1200/year each. Applications for research accounts may be obtained from the ECF office.

Faculty Members (NO CHANGE)

Every professor is entitled to a 'prof' account for email and teaching purposes. To set up a 'prof' account, professors are asked to go in person to the ECF Office EA212. This teaching account may be used for email exchange with students, testing software for a course, etc. ECF also supplies a shared disk space area for each course. This space can be used by the professor to hold files that the students need for their assignments and projects. This shared space exists outside the 'prof' account so that professors never have to leave their account open for student access. Professors wishing to use ECF for research purposes are asked to obtain a 'research' account (see above).

Non-academic Staff (NEW POLICY)

Every non-academic staff member is entitled to an 'admin' account for email purposes at no charge. The 'admin' account does not have access to ECF's compute server (skule) or to WINDOWS-based ECF machines and will have very limited disk space as it is assumed that all email will be downloaded to their local office personal computer.