REMOTE COMPUTER LABS – POLICY & BEST PRACTICES
The Engineering Information Center (EIC) at Florida International University maintains remote computer labs for students enrolled in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) classes. Students taking CEC courses may utilize their MyFIU accounts to access remote labs. EIC establishes these policies to provide a secure, consistent, and effective learning environment while ensuring that CEC resources are used appropriately. This policy document applies only to the labs maintained by the EIC and all users of said facilities. Please note that this document is subject to change and will be reviewed and updated occasionally. Failure to abide by these policies may result in the loss of computing privileges or possible disciplinary action. The Engineering Information Center staffed and managed the EIC academic computer labs directly. Lab users can obtain technical support or pose a general question by submitting a ticket to the EIC help desk. Steven Luis (Steven.Luis@fiu.edu) and Alberto Oria (Alberto.Oria@fiu.edu) oversee all operations of the EIC academic computer labs and are responsible for the staffing and maintenance of the labs.
Save your Work
Create a habit of saving your work to your designated H drive, a network storage space provided by the engineering school. Any work not saved to this drive or saved locally will be at risk of being lost in case of disconnection or system failure. It’s crucial to understand that any work saved locally on the remote computer or left unsaved will be inaccessible and cannot be recovered in the event of a disconnect.
Internet Connection
Ensure you have a stable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth to support remote access without interruptions.
Issues & Concerns
Report any connectivity issues or concerns promptly to the IT support team via EIC’s Help Desk for timely resolution and assistance.
Access & Maintenance Windows
Available remotely 24/7.
EC 2807 maintenance is scheduled every Monday & Thursday, 10:50 PM to 6:00 AM. Failure to save your work will result in data loss.
EC 3278 maintenance is scheduled every Wednesday & Sunday, 10:50 PM to 6:00 AM. Failure to save your work will result in data loss.
Logging Off
All computer lab users must log off after completing their computer sessions. This is to protect your account and our system from mischievous users. Workstations that run Windows are configured to automatically log out users after idle for 15 minutes. Any unsaved work or work that is saved locally WILL BE LOST & CAN NOT BE RECOVERED. Individual users are responsible for keeping their data secure by locking or logging out of lab workstations and saving their data to the network drives (H drive). Users unaware of proper logoff procedures should contact a Lab Assistant for help.
Use of Resources
- HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
All software available on each computer has been tested and licensed for use in the labs. Restrictions are imposed which prohibit the installation of software. If your coursework or research requires a piece of hardware or an application that is not available, you should consult with your instructor. Your instructor can help you assess whether there is an available alternative, and they can work with staff to assess whether and how to meet your hardware or application needs.
- SERVER AND WORKSTATION CONNECTIONS & STORAGE
Upon login, all EIC accounts are connected to a H:\ drive. This is the network “home” directory and is the only location for storing work from CEC lab accounts. Each student has a 4GB quota on the server. If you exceed your quota, additional storage may be granted upon request; please contact the EIC help desk to request more. Please work to keep a “clean house” and delete unneeded documents or files. Please use your H:\ drive, as the primary storage is backed up daily and preserved for three years. Anything saved on the computers will be deleted when you are logged out of the computer. You are urged to keep backups of your work.