Computer Support
One of PRL's most visible services is the provision of computers and computer-related support. The Political Analysis Lab (PAL) in Room 2037 gives graduate students access to nine state of the art personal computers with the latest statistical, internet, and productivity software. In addition to the computers in PAL, PRL maintains the department's Local Area Network which consists of well over 100 PCs distributed throughout the department's faculty, staff, and graduate student offices. It also maintains network servers, a mail server, and the departmental web server. In addition to seeing the department through Y2K without any problem, PRL recently upgraded the network servers and PCs from Banyan Vines to Novell Network, and the mail server from Banyan to IMAP-compliant Lotus Domino. PRL staff are always on call to help with computer related problems and have recently embarked on a schedule of proactive consulting sessions with individual faculty members to suggest technological methods to improve productivity and efficiency. These individual sessions are conducted in addition to regularly scheduled seminars on a variety of productivity solutions.
Hardware and Software Support questions should be directed to Bill Miller (System Administrator).
Frequently Asked Computer Questions:
Setting up Email with the New Server (Updated Winter 2006)
Connecting to OSU via a Proxy Server
Software
Examples of site-Licensed software available for download from OSU's
University Technology Services:
- Acrobat Reader
- Eudora Pro V4.1
- Ghost Utilities
- Netscape
- SPSS
- Virus Scan
- Information about the Buckeye Bundle, a group of Microsoft productivity products
Hardware
Other Department Resources
- scanner
- video editing system
- laptops for borrowing
- digital camera
- video camera
- VCR
