McCombs School of Business
Computer Labs
McCombs Home : Resources : Computer Labs

Lab Image Process

Software will be installed on the machines in the McCombs computer labs only if it is properly licensed and used in conjunction with courses offered at the McCombs School of Business. To request specific software be included in the Lab COE, please read the process outlined in this document. Supply information about your software, using the form located at the following website.

http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/services/cbacc/labs/installrequest.htm

Definitions:

COE or Common Operating Environment:  a group of software that is supported by the McCombs School of Business Computer Services department for use by school personnel and students.  The COE includes an operating system, an office suite and other software that McCombs faculty and staff deem necessary to be available to all McCombs computer users.  The COE software is also available for McCombs faculty and staff to install on individual work and home computers as an option.

Lab COE:  a group of software, based on the COE, that is installed on every McCombs computer located in a lab area.  The Lab COE is the COE plus any additional software that McCombs faculty and staff deem necessary to be available to all McCombs computer lab users.  The Lab COE is not installed on notebook computers.  McCombs notebook computers have their own COE.

Lab Image:  the Lab COE plus configuration settings specifically tailored for the computer hardware in the McCombs computer labs.  Every computer in the McCombs labs has a Lab Image installed based on its hardware type.   The Lab Image is created on one computer of its type in the Lab Supervisor’s office.  When a Lab Image has been completely created and tested, then it is moved to a server.  The image is then copied to the other lab computers from the server.

Procedure for software installation on McCombs lab computers

  1. Software for the COE will be solicited by James Coombes.
    Visit http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/services/cbacc/coe/ to see which software is included in the current academic year COE.  Each piece of software must be submitted each May to be considered for the next academic year COE.
  2. Software for the Lab COE is solicited by email.   Waylon Bennett, the McCombs employee who creates the Lab Image, can answer any questions you have about the process. 
  3. After you submit a software installation request to Waylon Bennett, you will be contacted in order to secure the software AND to obtain proof of the appropriate number of licenses.  Partial installs are not allowed.  For instance, if you want to install software in the Millennium Lab, you must purchase at least 162 licenses.  Or, if you want software installed in the MOD lab, you must purchase either at least 82 for the whole lab or at least 41 licenses for one half of the lab.
  4. The Lab Image creation process can take up to six weeks to complete.  We want to finish creating the Lab Images as soon as possible so that approximately a month of testing may ensue before classes start. 
  5. The software will be tested by Waylon Bennett and other McCombs Computer Services staff to make sure there are no interoperability issues between the software programs individually or between any of the software programs and our Active Directory Group Policies, other management and automation software, or lab hardware. 
  6. We reserve the right to reject any software that is deemed “not compatible” with our lab machines and operating environment based on our testing phase.  Faculty and staff will be notified when they can test the Lab Image during the creation phase on a single computer in the Lab Supervisors’ offices.  
  7. The Lab Image will be finalized to include all compatible software and configuration settings.  Then the Lab Image will be moved to a server.  The Lab Image will then be copied to all of the lab computers, which might take a week at the most. 
  8. Finally, faculty and staff should test, in the labs, the software functionality that is required of demonstrations and assignments.  It is the instructors’ responsibility to make sure that all necessary software works correctly before an assignment is given to students.  For instance, if you plan on using Microsoft Word for demonstrations or assignments, you need to test the functionality you plan to use.  Please coordinate testing with Waylon Bennett, and your TA, if desired. 
  9. Software change requests will be considered after all other testing has been completed and the Lab Image has been installed on all of the lab computers. This is to insure that we stay on schedule to have the labs functional on the first day of class.

Procedure for Lab COE change request 

The Lab Image is created from scratch once a year due to the length of time it takes to create and test the Lab Image.  Submitting a Lab Image change request causes many problems.  For instance, a Lab Image change request creates additional work for faculty and staff.  A testing process for the Lab Image must be reinitiated anytime a change request alters the Lab Image.  It is very redundant for faculty and staff to retest what has already been proven to work for other Professors' and Lecturers' class demonstrations and assignments.  Constraints during the regular semesters usually make full retesting impossible to complete.  Some of the Lab Image changes in the past have left lab software functionality to chance.  Plus, the time that was spent testing during the Lab Image creation phase was wasted.
 

In general, the Lab Image should not be created from scratch more than once a year.  The Lab Image might be created from scratch more than once a year if a major change would fix many problems.  For instance, if a Microsoft service pack or major security update changes the way the Lab Image functions on lab computers, then new Lab Images from scratch might need to be created.  A new Lab Image from scratch always requires thorough testing by all faculty and staff who use lab computers for teaching purposes.
 

If you must submit a Lab Image change request, you should allow a minimum of a week for the entire testing and installation process to be completed.  If the new software must be installed in the Millennium Lab, the installation process may take two weeks, depending on many factors.  Basically, the installation time will vary based on where the software has to be installed.  Any change requests that require server interaction will increase the time needed to complete the installation.  In conclusion, the students, faculty and staff at McCombs urge you to plan ahead.