Agriculture Computer Support

Accessibility


Need Help?

Please contact the NDSU Help Desk @ 701.231.8685 Option 1

Computer Order Form

Please use our computer order form to request equipment that is NOT a part of the annual Extension equipment orders or the county cost-share program.

Software Request Form

Please use our software request form to place software orders ONLY if you do not have a departmental software contact.  You can find out who your software contact is via the NDSU Departmental Software Contact list.

Computer Information

Search our computer records for support information on your computer.

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Computer Support Guidelines

Last Updated November 2018

This document defines the steps necessary to provide timely and efficient service to our College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources; N.D. Agricultural Experiment Station; and NDSU Extension Service faculty and staff colleagues on campus and across the state.


Requesting Assistance

The NDSU Help Desk (701-231-8685 or ndsu.helpdesk@ndsu.edu) is your first point of contact for assistance. They can attempt to resolve the issue over the phone. If they are unable to, they will generate a ticket that will be sent to the Ag Communication Computer Services (ACCS) technicians for additional support. This way your request can be tracked and updated as work progresses. This helps prevent you from getting lost in the system.
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Hardware Support

  • PCs
    Considering industry standards of 3 to 4 years on enterprise-level equipment, costs and failure rates, the recommended (baseline) computers (see hardware baseline) ordered by Ag Comm can be reasonably supported for up to 5 years on notebooks and 6 years on desktops. Non-recommended (non-baseline) systems that are purchased elsewhere can range wildly in terms of component quality or processing capability, and length and type of warranty, and can be much more difficult to troubleshoot and repair. Due to these concerns, we offer limited support on these systems for up to 4 years on notebooks and 5 years on desktops. All equipment must be NDSU or county owned.
  • Tablets / Smartphones
    We will attempt to provide assistance connecting to NDSU email and wireless with smartphones and tablets. Due to variations in operating system and hardware design, we are unable to provide advanced hardware or software support for these devices. For devices purchased through a wireless carrier (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon), you may need to contact their local office or storefront for issues we are unable to resolve. Equipment must be NDSU or county owned or personally owned with an agreement for partial reimbursement for business use.
  • Virtual Environments / Operating Systems
    Due to various technical concerns and the fact that our software setup (also referred to as an image) doesn’t work well with them (or at all), we do not provide support for any virtual environment. This includes VMware, VirtualBox, Parallels, QEMU, Hyper-V, Fusion and Boot Camp.
  • Specialty / Large equipment
    We do not support equipment other than computers and common accessories. We are unable to support any type of specialty equipment including lab equipment, large office copier/printer systems, video conferencing systems, or anything else where a service contract is available through the vendor.
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Software Support

  • NDSU-licensed software : We will install and troubleshoot the current version and, when possible, one version back of any NDSU-licensed software included on our software baseline.  This improves efficiencies by eliminating outdated software and ensures our customers are using software that receives full bug fixes and security updates.
  • Other software: We do not provide support for non-NDSU-licensed software including installation and/or troubleshooting. We also are unable to provide advice on legality or suitability of any third-party software. The installation of non-NDSU-supported software needs to be vetted through NDSU IT Security and/or approved by your immediate supervisor in accordance with North Dakota Law and NDUS/NDSU policy to address potential legal issues with the End User License Agreement (EULA).
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Computer requirements

Any system supported – full or limited – MUST:

  • Have a supported version of Windows installed by ACCS – to ensure standardization and correct operation within our computing environment
  • Always be running approved software and security updates
  • Have an ACCS administrator account
  • Be connected to NDSU Active Directory and run all assigned Group Policies (on-campus only)
  • Run the SCCM client (on-campus only)
  • Utilize the ACCS computer naming convention (on campus systems start with AG or PS, off campus start with EXT, REC or NDFS)

Computer owners are responsible for their own data. While we make efforts to avoid data loss, ACCS is not responsible for data loss on a system being repaired or recovered. We will be happy to consult with individuals or departments on back-up methods to prevent loss in the event of a computer failure. We do not provide or sell back-up services or software.

Departments / Individuals are responsible for staying in compliance with all software licensing, NDUS / NDSU computing policies, NDSU Acceptable Use Policies and applicable laws.
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Service Levels 

Full Support (Recommended Computers):

  • Provided to baseline-recommended computers
  • Recommended computers are guaranteed to work with our Windows images
  • Technical support life is 5 years on notebooks and 6 years on desktops
  • Agreement with vendor for overnight replacement on most parts
  • Full hardware support and replacement within the warranty (4 years on recommended computers); offices pay for parts after warranty but when computer is still supported
  • Standard technical support (NDSU software, imaging, troubleshooting, etc.) for support life of computer


Limited Support (Non-recommended Computers):

  • Requires computer to be able to take our Windows image – any system that cannot be imaged cannot be supported.
  • No hardware support – The partnership with our current PC vendor, identified on the hardware baseline, provides us with the ability to efficiently replace most parts for our baseline computer models under warranty. However, we do not have arrangements for non-recommended systems, including other HP models. In these cases, anyone with hardware issues will need to work directly with the store they purchased it from, the computer manufacturer or an outside vendor to get warranty support. We often recommend visiting with the NDSU Bookstore or the store where the computer was purchased (e.g. Best Buy).
  • Reduced support life – 4 years on notebooks and 5 years on desktops
  • Standard technical support (NDSU software, imaging, troubleshooting, etc.) for support life of computer


Unsupported (we will not work on these):

  • Computers that will not work with our Windows image or have not been imaged by us
  • Computers running alternative operating systems including, but not limited to, Apple (MacOS) and Linux
  • Computers that attempt to boot to more than one operating system (dual boot) or are running virtual machine software
  • Any type of lab equipment (In some cases, we may be able to offer limited support for computers connected to lab equipment with the understanding there is the potential for issues caused by our support settings or software.)
  • Large office copier / printer systems
  • Video conferencing systems
  • Other equipment that is not listed on the hardware baseline page
  • Computers not owned by NDSU (i.e. personally owned computers)
  • Computers that have been assembled in a do-it-yourself (DIY) manner
  • Computers that are purchased with/for lab equipment
  • Computers that no longer fall within the supportable age range defined in Hardware Support.


Other

  • We can provide assistance connecting to email and wireless for tablets, phones, etc.
  • We can provide a one-time unsupported image to systems that need a Windows operating system but have elected to not be supported (the computer must meet our hardware requirements and be able to operate with our base image) – no support for the computer is implied
  • We do not encourage or support folder sharing on individual computers.  A number of secure sharing and storage options are currently in place on campus for this purpose.  To securely transfer large files, there is also the secure file transfer option.
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