Computing information for new staff
Universal Username (UUN)
When you sign the contract the HR department puts you onto a database, and then a Universal Username (UUN) and password is automatically generated for you. It is a central computer account that is automatically propagated to subsystems such as the email servers. Use your UUN to logon to any "managed desktop", which includes any machine in a public lab area, and also for your email address.
You should receive your UUN and password in a paper letter, which you'll want to keep safe. If you don’t have this then please get in touch with Cedric Macmartin, (Dugald Stewart Building, Room 4.11, Tel: 503965).
When you receive your UUN you'll have an email address of the form:
- UUN@staffmail.ed.ac.uk
This is an IMAP server which has a web address: http://staffmail.ed.ac.uk
You have to enable the account before you can do anything with it. The procedure is described at the University of Edinburgh web login service.
The web interface to send/receive mail has the advantage of portability, but from your desktop you’ll probably prefer to use an IMAP client. For this refer to the Staffmail Configurator.
Usually you won't use the staffmail address directly, but instead use The Edinburgh Mail Directory (eddir) service that maps an address of your choice onto that staffmail address. So you tell everyone you are at, (for example), firstname.surname@ed.ac.uk and then arrange for email sent to that address to be forwarded to your UUN@staffmail.ed.ac.uk address. Once you know your UUN you need to send a request for this to maildir@ed.ac.uk like this:
Please create an eddir entry:
firstname.surname@ed.ac.uk
and point it at:
UUN@staffmail.ed.ac.uk
(insert your UUN)
The "managed desktop"
The University wants everyone to use this. It's a good thing. It means your computer is joined to the University's "domain", (a Microsoft Active Directory). The main benefits are that you logon to a centralised account, (so you can use the same UUN/password at any other managed desktop in the University), and that a range of software is automatically deployed to your computer across the network, (no need to insert the CD or enter license codes). The software includes: MS Office, SPSS, Endnote, SSH, Adobe Acrobat reader, and antivirus software (virus signatures are automatically kept up to date). You can still have administrator rights over your PC, so you can install whatever programs you want over the top, or even put some other operating system onto a separate partition if you want to. If you have a “managed desktop” computer you can opt to get your front-line computing support either primarily from the HSS-support team or primarily from Psychology. In either case the actual procedure is the same, the only difference being the email address you use:
- hss-support@ed.ac.uk for the HSS-support team
- psych.support@ed.ac.uk for Psychology support
There are substantial benefits to using the HSS-support team:
- The team has more members who specialise in front-line support of “commodity” software, (such as your email program, your Internet browser, and your word processor). They can provide a better service.
- The team has closer links with the other support teams and providers of your commodity software, and are in a better position to ensure the software on your desktop computer is maintained and upgraded.
- The team are willing and able to arrange for any hardware support that may be necessary. (For example: if your CD drive fails, if your USB key cannot be accessed, and so forth).
Making full use of the HSS-support team will enable the Psychology computing staff to focus on computing issues specific to Psychology: experimental and statistical programming, data management, open-source and other software appropriate to research and not generally regarded as a “commodity”. If you opt to receive support from the HSS-support team, a member of the team will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time to make any necessary changes to your computer.
Printing
Managed desktops will by default have two network printers:
- mailroom1
- mailroom2
These are the two laser printers located in G10 (the mailroom, just off the main concourse, with the photocopier and the mail slots). We currently do not have a print-charging policy.
Managed desktops also have a printer named "CutePDF Writer". When you print your Word document to this, instead of printing it converts the document to a PDF file on your desktop.
Getting help
Computing support in Psychology is managed by Cedric Macmartin, (Dugald Stewart Building, Room 4.11, Tel: 503965)
Email: psych.support@ed.ac.uk
For graphics and replacement printer cartridges contact Roy Welensky.
Laptop Clinics
Do you have a laptop running Windows or Mac OS X?
There are free laptop clinics open to all students, visitors and staff at the University to provide help with diagnosing and fixing a wide range of software faults as well as general system clean-up and maintenance: