Helpful information to know

Websites

Student Tickets: http://sta.hampshire.edu

IT Tickets (for Faculty and Staff): http://ittix.hampshire.edu

Logins / where to find passwords

The usual DC username is 'labrats'. The STA password can be found on the bottom of the whiteboard. There are never any spaces in passwords.

IT username on Windows computers is 'Administrator' and on Macs is 'Admin'. Ask Rae or Kate if you run into a password you don't have but should.

Can't make your shift

Post as soon as possible in the Slack channel and ask if someone can cover your shift.

What to do when you get in

1. Login to http://sta.hampshire.edu.
2. Read through ALL of the open tickets.
3. Check the DC email account (in Mail on the iMac) and for any voicemails. Respond to them.
4. Check that all computers in the DC have a ticket and that all tickets have a computer.
   • If any computers are unaccounted for or a ticket doesn't accurately reflect a machine's status, post in the DC Slack channel for information. Include the user's name, the computer model, and the latest comment with a specific question for information.
5. Continue working on as many computers as you can, but only work on as many computers as you can keep updated in the tickets.
   • If you do anything to a computer make sure there is a comment saying what you did
   • If you don't know the next step for a certain machine, make sure you comment in the ticket that you're leaving it for the next person.

When someone brings in a machine:

1. Talk to them about their problem.
2. Ask if the computer is under warranty.
   • If it is and the problem appears to be hardware related, direct them to one of the computer repair shops in the area. Do not attempt to fix hardware problems on a computer covered under warranty. You can take basic steps to diagnose a hardware problem and back up a computer, but do not try to fix it.
3. Have them fill out a blue ticket. Add your own notes if their description excludes things they told you.
4. Take the user's computer (and power adapter, external HDD, accessories etc.). Tell them we will call and/or email them with updates.
5. Input the ticket to the online ticket system, include a note if they leave a power adapter, external HDD, etc. Be detailed and accurate in your comments!
6. Tape the ticket to the computer and use the Dymo label printer to make labels with the user's name and/or ticket number for any power cords, HDDs, adapters etc.
7. If you have ideas and time, begin diagnostics (don't forget to comment the ticket!) and repair. Otherwise, note that you're leaving it for someone else.

How to comment tickets

• Include more information than you may think is necessary.

• Document any scans starting and finishing, whether they found/removed anything. If a scan errors, include the error number/description.

• Include what you did and what you are doing.

• Include any specific settings or programs you used.

• Update the ticket as soon as you do something.

• Before you leave at the end of your shift, make sure you have commented on anything you worked on or accepted.

• Remember, the next person to work on the computer was probably not there with you and will not know what you did, what you determined or what should happen next. You need to let them know all of that information in the tickets.

When Calling Users

To call out from the DC phone, dial 9 then 1 then the area code and phone number.

Always include the following when leaving voicemail messages:

• Your name
• That you are calling from the Computer Diagnostic Center
• the DC number is 413-559-6602 and email is dc@hampshire.edu
• The DC is open Monday thru Thursday 9-5pm and Friday til 2 pm.

HDD formats: What do they mean?

NTFS (New Technology File System)

Developed by Microsoft for the Windows operating system.

Can be opened read-only by Mac file systems.

Most Linux systems (including Ubuntu) have read/write capabilities.

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus)

Developed by Apple for the Macintosh operating system.

Windows systems can open a read-only version via Bootcamp.

Most Linux systems (including Ubuntu) have read/write capabilities for drives under 2 TB.

APFS (Apple File System)

Developed by Apple, released in 2017.

For macOS High Sierra (10.13) and later

Optimized for flash and solid-state drive storage

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

Simple legacy filesystem.

4 GB file size limit without FAT+ extension.

ext4 (Fourth Extended File System)

Journaling file system for Linux. Developed as a successor for ext3 after initially a series of backwards compatible extensions for ext3.

Both Mac and Windows can usually open these read-only.

Others

exFAT

Patented file system developed by Microsoft for flash drives.

Windows systems have full capabilities.

Mac systems since 10.6.5 have read/write/verify/repair capabilities.

There is an open-source Linux kernel module that supports the reading of exFAT, however it can not become an official part of Linux due to the patent status of exFAT.

If you'd like to read about other types of file systems, go visit wikipedia.