Name: Dormnet
Brief description: Dormnet service provides connectivity from the student's dorm room to the campus networked resources and to the Internet; use of dedicated dorm-based networked laser printers; use of a suite of campus-standard network access and information access tools provided to the customer; and custom documentation regarding installation and use of the service.
Eligible customers: Undergraduate and graduate students who live in University on-campus dormitories (including the Graduate College) and who own qualifying computers are eligible for Dormnet service
Applicable charges: A subscription fee pertains - $75 for the 1996-97 academic year; for Summer 1997, normal Tigernet charges.
Hours of service or availability: Network services are available round the clock during the academic year, except for scheduled maintenance outages and unavoidable unscheduled outages; the same for Summer (June-August) service. Dormnet service is unavailable for one day following the end of the academic calendar and prior to Fall Registration, for hostmaster database maintenance.
Documentation also is available as above, via World-Wide Web delivery.
With regard to installation, self-installation materials are available in paper and electronic form. A one-week fee-waived installation period is offered during September; a 1 hour labor charge (at the current rate) pertains for CIT installation at other times of the 1996-97 academic year.
Requests for service go to: [provide URL]
Problems should be reported to: the CIT Help Desk.
Compliments or complaints: should be reported to:
Performance standards: Performance standards for the Dormnet service are directly linked to the various performance standards for the services that comprise Dormnet. For example,
- network uptime standards
- Help Desk respond time standard
- Dormnet Field Support respond time standard
- Hardware Support software installation service standard
Some specific items:
Requests for Dormnet software installation support are completed by end of the next business day 90% of the time.
During periods of October wait time could grow to as much as the second business day after the day the computer was dropped off.
Response to wide spread Dormnet infrastructure problems during normal and out of business hour periods are consistent with support provided to Tigernet customers (q.v.).
Response to isolated or single user Dormnet connectivity problems will be made during normal university business hours only and will occur by end of next business day following referral of call from CIT's Help Desk/Software Field Support operation) 90% of the time (with additional resources, it might be possible to respond within one business day 95% of the time).
During the period from September 15 through October 15, the wait time could be as long as three business days after initial referral (with additional resources, wait time during this period could be shortened to as much as two business days after initial referral).
Billing: One-time charge via student billing, applied during the billing month in which subscription is entered; first academic year billing is done September 21.
Refunds: reviewed for cause by Bruce Finnie; approved refunds processed the 21st of each month.
[NOTE: Information regarding Dormnet-ready installation, etc. is covered under the "desktop acquisition/deployment" section]
CIT will: Provide assistance. More specifically:
General help via telephone, walk-in, and e-mail consulting is available during CIT Help Desk hours, q.v.
Extended consulting, on-site (i.e., in the dormitory room) is performed by field consultants, by appointment only.
Hardware repair is available during normal service hours (q.v.):
Network problems may be reported to the CIT Help Desk round the clock.
Dormnet problems screened by Help Desk and Student field consultants which are determined to be Hardware in nature are directed to CIT's Hardware Support Operation for follow-up.
Network Infrastructure problems are resolved free of charge to student subscribers, however, problems attributed to user error or computer related may be resolved and chargeable at standard time and materials rates.
Assistance on loading and configuration of Dormnet software (walk-in to 171 Broadmead only after annual September fee waived walk-in period at 87 Prospect) is chargeable at a predetermined announced fee.
Measures of success: CIT is regularly and consistently (100%) meeting the defined performance standards.
Goals for improvement: Continue to improve communications to students regarding procedure for getting up and running on Dormnet. A great improvement this year was the 3 step guide, but even that could be made clearer (in hindsight).
Also needed is out a way to get the customers information without their having to read---since most of them don't.
Continue to simplify the installation procedure for the supported
platforms. Doing so takes some burden off the Help Desk at the start of the
year.
Improve (simplify) the mechanisms for software distribution. Doing so takes some burden off the Help Desk at the start of the year.
Detail of CIT responsibilities and staff members responsible:
establish computer hardware and software requirements (Systems; Dormnet Task Force)
prepare upcoming Summer Brochure (Coordinator; Task Force)
prepare future year Dormnet Brochure (Coordinator; Task Force)
hire Dormnet student consultants for summer and next academic year (Help Desk)
develop advertisements about future year Dormnet service (Coordinator; Task
Force)
contact Res. Colleges about end of current year Dormnet (Coordinator)
publish Announcement about end of current year Dormnet (Coordinator)
retrieve loaned Dormnet cables, hubs (small number), transceivers from
subscribers (Coordinator; Hardware Support)
preparation of communications regarding Dormnet service for incoming
classes including letters for
a) Admissions office (Coordinator)
b) Graduate College housing (Coordinator)
c) returning students (Coordinator)
d) MDC Back-to-School mailing (MDC staff; Coordinator)
selection of MDC Dormnet-Ready bundles (MDC staff)
turn off current year Dormnet (Networking)
disable current year Novell Accounts on STUDENT (Systems)
move student data for Summer Dormnet into Hostmaster (Systems; Networking)
startup Summer Dormnet (Networking; Systems)
preparation of self-installation documentation (Systems; IA; Coordinator;
Help Desk; Publications group)
preparation of software sets/installers for supported platforms (Systems;
Coordinator)
hire Dormnet temporary staff (Coordinator)
contact Registrars Office regarding registration events (Coordinator)
arrange to rent OA Vans for Dormnet Shuttle (Coordinator)
testing of ethernet cards for new platforms (ATA; Networking; Hardware Support)
prepare masters for any disk or CD-ROM duplications (Coordinator; Systems)
arrange Van Driver training (Coordinator; Hardware Support)
publish self-installation documentation (Coordinator; Publications group)
prepare materials for registration/Dormnet Pickup Desks (Coordinator;
temporary staff)
preparation of Dormnet-Ready set up area in machine room (Hardware Support)
ordering of RAM, ethernet cards, network cables (Hardware Support)
preparation of Dormnet-Ready computers prior to Labor Day (Desktop Support
staff)
turn off Summer Dormnet (Networking)
disable Summer Dormnet Novell Accounts (Systems)
enable Novell Accounts for new academic year Dormnet (Systems)
hostmaster maintenance prior to the start of academic year (1 day; Networking)
preparation of on-line registration (web-based) process (Coordinator; Networking)
turn on new academic year Dormnet (Networking)
maintenance of web based oracle database report (Gary Burns)
set up Dormnet Pick-up Desks (Coordinator; Hardware Support)
distribute materials and cables at Freshman registration (Coordinator; Help
Desk staff)
distribute materials at Returning student registration (Coordinator; Ruth Prigge)
open Dormnet Pickup Desk in basement 87 Prospect (Coordinator; temporary staff)
distribute materials at GC Porter's Lodge (Coordinator; GC Porter's Lodge staff)
attend GC orientation meeting (Coordinator)
begin van service (Coordinator; temporary staff)
fee-waived period software installations (1 week; ATA staff; Desktop Support
staff)
ongoing Dormnet-Ready computer processing (NRI staff; Coordinator)
move Dormnet Desk to 171 (Hardware Support)
Parent's Day presentation (Coordinator)
FTEs: [Includes several IS sections and other CIT people]
* FTE: between 10 and 12 from April through October;
2.5 from November through March
Other: 3.78 FTE temporary employees for six-week start-up
Keywords: Dormnet, student computing, residential computing, MDC Dormnet-ready, dorm connectivity, student network access, student Internet access, computers in rooms