Onboarding
INTRO
Although both JHU and Whiting School have their own central IT teams, our Computer Science Department is fairly specialized (Computer Science and Information Technology go hand-in-hand), and so, our department has its own IT team!
We are the CS IT Support Group. We are available each week, Monday through Friday, from 8:30am to 5pm. And we are easily reachable by email at support@cs.jhu.edu (the preferred method of reaching anyone on the CS IT Support Group team.) We are a friendly, customer-focused team and will be happy to assist you.
CS IT primarily focuses on computing services in three areas:
- 1) The educational mission of the department (computing resources for coursework, including its computing lab Linux systems.)
- 2) The day-to-day operations of the department (IT support for the CS Office's administrative computers.)
- 3) Providing CS infrastructure-based services (email, web space, networking, printing)
But, What About Research IT Needs?
You'll notice that "research" isn't mentioned in the three computing service areas above that the CS IT Support Group directly supports. While we do provide space, power and networking in the CS Server Room for those hosting research servers, the CS IT Support Group does not offer the following services regarding computers used for research:
- CS IT does not administer research systems. CS research systems are typically self-maintained, or you may reach out to the Whiting School of Engineering's WSE IT team as they may be able to assist you with administering your servers.
- CS IT does not purchase research equipment. Although we might offer you some advice on the equipment you plan to purchase, especially in regards to how it relates to utilizing our server room resources, CS faculty and researchers generally spec out their own equipment, and then purchase it with assistance from the CS office. Again, (WSE IT might be able to help spec out your servers as well.)
Where to find information about our CS IT Services:
CS IT Support Wiki Documentation
One of the key features of services the CS IT team offers you is an online wiki-based documentation set, outlining all the technical services we offer... from user accounts, to email, from networking, to setting up your own webpage, and so much more, the CS IT Support Wiki is the one-stop-shop for how-to IT information at CS. Whether you're CS Faculty, student, researcher, or staff, the CS IT Support Wiki is a valuable resource. To access the CS IT Support Wiki, please visit:
- https://support.cs.jhu.edu]
- (simply putting support.cs.jhu.edu in your browser bar should work too!)
Take a moment to browse the "support wiki" and become familiar with its layout. Check out the list of categories off the main page. The support wiki also has a search bar, in case you are uable to find what you're looking for within a category. If you've searched and you still cannot find quite what you're looking for, or you need further explanation, please do not hesitate to send us an email.
CS IT's Official Scope Of Services
With JHU, WSE, and CS offering so many varied types of IT services, how can you tell exactly which services the CS IT Support Group offers? We provide a comprehensive page on our Scope of Services:
CS IT Scope of Services page
Our Scope of Services page consists of details regarding our team and specifics on the IT services we offer. And, for those services we do not offer, we try to point you to alternative teams, etc, that may provide those services. Also note that most of the services the CS IT Support Group supports are located in Malone Hall. Other buildings may have their own systems administrators or might be administered by the WSE IT group.
Common Questions Asked By Those New To The CS Dept.
Here are some common questions (and answers!) for those who are new to the CS Department, with links to our support wiki articles to help provide answers...
[How do I get IT-related help?]
[What computers does the department make available?]
As a member of the CS dept, what Email options are available to me?
What CS Linux systems are available for me to access?
How do I get an account on the CS Linux systems?
I have my own office desktop computer. How can I connect it to Malone Hall's ethernet-base network?
How can I connect my laptop to WiFi in Malone Hall?
How do I connect to the JHU VPN so that I can access JHU resources when off campus?
How can I create a CS-hosted web page?
What options are there to create a virtual machine for coursework?
How do I get an account on the CS lab Linux systems?
What if I think a CS IT service seems to be down? First, check the CS IT Notices page for the current state of our systems, and if an outage isn't reported there, please email support@cs.jhu.edu with as much detail as possible.
Does CS IT purchase equipment or supplies for me? No. CS IT can provide you with an Ethernet cable for a wallport connection. Otherwise, you will need to speak to someone in the CS main office (Malone Hall 160) regarding your purchasing need. (If you're purchasing Dell equipment, they might refer you to Future Tech, JHU's preferred supplier of Dell equipment, to help you spec and purchase your equipment.)
Do you support my own office or personal computer or smart phone? No, CS IT Support only maintains its own infrastructure servers, student lab Linux systems, and the CS Dept's administrative computers.
Do you support Macs? No, CS IT Support does not support macs. For mac support, please contact WSE IT for advice.