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Common DesktopWhat
is the Common Desktop? The Common Desktop is how we refer to the Operating System (OS) that runs on all Library Staff PCs. Every PC has to have an OS to function in any way, as it is the OS that controls and communicates with the hardware and deals with the software running on the PC. The current OS is Microsoft Windows 98, which replaced the older Windows 95 during the summer of 2001. All normal staff PCs within the library is configured in the same way with the same OS and this what makes them common. If something goes wrong with your PC, you should first check the online documentation available and then alert helpdesk. Since all PCs are configured the same, the Systems department can provide support with an increased response speed. If a PC has a software fault of any kind that we can't rectify quickly, we can simply reinstall the OS and associated software via a set of prewritten scripts, which run automatically. In fact, we recently have been able to allow users to re-install their own machines. However, we try not to do this often as a personal call by a member of support staff will usually solve the problem. Can I install my own software? The Systems Department will not support software that is installed to the Common Desktop without prior authorisation. If you have specialist software that you feel could be of benefit to your work, you should in the first instance contact helpdesk. The software will then be tested to check that it complies with the Common Desktop configuration. Should this be the case, we will then proceed to create a changefile, which will allow installation of the software at the next Maintenance Level. You will always be able to access the same set of icons no matter what staff PC you choose to log in to. However, we are looking at restricting access to certain icons, which lead to software packages only required by a small number people. We are currently looking into this issue and at the moment, software application access is being monitored by an administration package called Soft Track. Soft Track allows us to restrict the number of people who can access an application at any one time. For example, if we have 5 licenses for Macromedia Flash, when the 6th person tries to access it they will be denied. We are frequently asked to make updates to the Common Desktop and we do this via Maintenance Levels. The Maintenance Level is a script which allows us to automatically install software and patches to all the staff PCs upon the user logging in to the PC. Each Maintenance Level is numbered so that scripts appear in sequence. We try to make sure that the Maintenance Level is relatively quick so that it causes the least amount of inconvenience for staff members. |