• General Lab Use
• Working with Applications and E-mail
• Saving Files and User Settings
• Printing in a Unity Lab
• Troubleshooting Common Problems

General Lab Use

Locations
OIT provides Windows XP workstations in all of its Unity computer labs.  In addition, many college and departmental computer labs are based on Unity lab software.

Availability
Workstations and the other resources in Unity labs are open to all NC State students, faculty and staff who have active Unity accounts.

Logging In
To log in, you will need your Unity ID and your Unity password.

Using the Workstation
When you log in on a Windows XP workstation, a Novell Applications Launcher (NAL) window will appear, with icons for many programs.  You can open programs from here, or you can use one of the icons on the Desktop to work with your files.  Additionally, some programs can be accessed from the Start Menu, in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Logging Off
To log off, use the Logoff icon on the desktop or in the Start menu.  It is extremely important that you log off when you are finished at the workstation.  If you don't, anyone can come along behind you and have full access to your account and your computing resources, including all of your files.  It is your responsibility to keep your account secure.  Please see Safe Computing at NC State for more information.

Working with Applications and E-mail

Application Programs
Applications are available in the NAL window, which opens after you log in.  If the NAL is closed, you can restart it by double clicking on the Application Window desktop icon.

Running an Application
To run an application, double-click its icon in the NAL window.  If the workstation has never run a particular application before, the program will download and install on the machine, which may take several minutes.  If you cannot find an icon, make sure your folders are not collapsed.  Try clicking [ALL] in the upper left corner of the NAL window and maximize the window.

Checking E-mail
As a student, you can access your NC State Unity e-mail via a Web browser and Webmail (http://webmail.ncsu.edu). In the Unity labs, a shortcut is provided in the NAL.  For more information on Webmail, see the Webmail tutorial.

E-mail Programs Available
OIT provides Mozilla Thunderbird on Unity Windows XP workstations in the NAL window.

Saving Files and User Settings

Saving Files
You should always save your files in your Unity (AFS) home directory (your K:\ drive), which you can access from any lab workstation by clicking on the My Documents folder. You can also choose to save your file to another medium (e.g., external hard drive, USB memory disk, CD, DVD).
NOTE: Be careful not to save any files to either the M:\ drive or the workstation desktop.

WolfCall
WolfCall helps you gain access to your AFS space from a Windows workstation. It automatically launches when you log in and connects your K:\ drive so that you can use your Unity AFS home directory.

Saving Account Settings
Your settings are stored in the "Novell" portion of the file storage space (disk quota) that comes with your Unity account. You can change the size of this portion by going to the Personal Unity File Space page and following the instructions for checking or re-allocating your space.  When you log in to a Windows workstation, this portion of your space shows up as the M:\ drive, where you should have the following two folders:

M:\Windows NT 5.1 Workstation Profile

This folder is your roaming profile, which copies locally to the workstation when you log in and back to the network when you log out. This is what allows you to use any Unity workstation.

WARNING: Do not store any of your files on the M: drive or on your desktop. Storing files in either of these locations can corrupt your profile or make applications unavailable. Be sure to save all your files in My Documents, which takes you to your Unity AFS home directory.

M:\Settings

Application settings that can be shared between the operating systems are stored in this folder. The applications access these settings directly from the network rather than copying them to or from the local workstation on login or logout.

Printing in a Unity Lab

You can print from a Unity workstation to the printer in the lab. See Printing on the "Workstations in Unity Labs" page for details.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

AFS file space (K:\ drive) is missing, can't access files.
If your K:\ drive is missing, an error probably occurred as you were logging in.  To have WolfCall reload your K:\ drive, double-click on the WolfCall icon on your desktop.  You may be asked to provide your Unity ID and password. 

Application will not start, or gives an error message when loading.
On rare occasions, an application will not start or becomes corrupted. The NAL has a repair function that allows you to rewrite settings from the network and essentially reinstall the application on the workstation. To repair an application, right-click on its NAL icon and choose Verify.