Course Software Requests

Instructional Software Support

It is the mission of CAEN to support and encourage the most efficient and effective use of computers, networking, and information technology in order to improve the quality of teaching and education within the College of Engineering. CAEN is available to assist Engineering faculty interested in exploring how commercial software packages, or those developed at other universities, can be integrated into the classroom. CAEN staff members research various software sources to find solutions that address faculty interests and oversee software installation and implementation.

CAEN can assist in the acquisition of instructional software by providing up to 50 percent cost sharing on both initial purchases as well as ongoing software maintenance for software that is used as part of the regular instructional program of the College of Engineering. The balance of funds, that are not provided by CAEN, need to come from departmental funds, research funds, or individual faculty discretionary funds.

Software cost-sharing requests must be approved by the Director of CAEN, Mark Giuffrida. If funds are not available in the current budget year, approved requests will be given top priority in the next budget year. Final negotiations for software terms and conditions from the vendor should be done in consultation with CAEN staff in order to obtain the most favorable terms for the College of Engineering.

Course Software Submissions

Faculty interested in submitting their own course software for distribution on CAEN servers can fill out a request via CAEN's online software request form. Linux software acquired in conjunction with CAEN will be installed in the /usr/caen/ software directory and will be fully supported by CAEN. Other course software will be installed in the /usr/contrib/ directory. The contributor responsible for supporting the package and will be added to the file /usr/contrib/RESPONSIBILITIES. See our User-Contributed Software page for more information.

All Windows software that is not public domain will be KeyServed. Submissions of all software must be provided in a usable state. CAEN places the software in a folder or directory on a file server and does not modify or reinstall it. The submitter bears the responsibility to ensure that the software is complete and functions properly on a server. Course software for Windows workstations appear in the start menu under Start >> All Programs >> Courseware Applications.

Software Submission Deadlines

Installing application packages required for coursework represents a significant effort by CAEN each year. Our annual schedule allows for core operating systems and software to be installed and tested by May, so that CAEN can have the rest of the summer to configure, test, and distribute software packages to be ready for the following Fall semester. In order for us to adequately plan this work, we need to know, with plenty of lead-time, which packages need to be installed. Early notice is especially required for new packages or updates of existing applications that are to be used in large enrollment or critical courses.

The platforms we work with (Windows & Linux) present their own challenges. Some issues are not directly related to the applications themselves, but rather with ancillary issues such as correctly operating license servers and providing enough disk space to deploy the software. In some cases, installing a package on a single machine is not an adequate predictor of problems that may occur when installing it on a server or setting it up to be pushed out to hundreds of hosts. Also, while a given software package may be configured for use by a specific course, it may not be set up to work for other courses because other modules are required, or different parts of the package that have not been tested are exercised. Many software packages require specific plug-ins or other add-on modules for specific uses and these may not be required by other courses. It is also not uncommon for CAEN to have to install various service packs and other related software modules in order to support a given application package. When system-level files are updated for one application, CAEN staff must also retest previously installed software to make sure they all still work with the updated modules.

Most new software is installed or updated for the Fall semester. There are fewer changes for Winter or Spring/Summer semesters. Hence, CAEN staff must allow themselves as much time as possible when preparing for each Fall semester. CAEN needs this time not only for its own work, but in order to provide as much time as possible for testing by faculty and GSIs before the semester starts. CAEN is unable to exhaustively test each application on its own.

Testing is important because one application may update or replace files and data that are used by other installed applications. When these common files are modified, other applications may need to be retested, in addition to the newly installed application. This presents a problem, especially when software requests are made during the semester.

Deadlines

For the above reasons, CAEN has established the following deadlines for requests to install new software on CAEN computers. Please take these deadlines into consideration when developing a course plan around a software package that CAEN does not already provide:

Courses offered in:	Deadline:
Fall	May 15
Winter	October 15
Spring/Summer	March 1

Even if the version of software you would like to run in a given semester is not available by these dates, you should still advise us of your requirements prior to these dates so CAEN staff will be prepared for the challenge. In some cases, an earlier version of software may be installed as a fall back.

Software Online Request Form

Faculty and course instructors must use the following form to request software for their course:

http://request.umich.edu/caen-software/