Contents
General Lab Use
Locations
- OIT provides Mac OS X 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 an active Unity ID.
Logging In
To log in, you will need your Unity credentials.
Using the Workstation
- When you log in on a Mac OS X workstation, an Admin Launcher window will appear, with icons for many programs.
- You can open programs or files from one of the following:
- the Admin Launcher
- one of the icons on the Desktop
- the Applications folder, located in the Macintosh HD.
Logging Out
- To log out, use either of these:
- Log Out icon on the desktop
- Log Out item in the Apple menu.
- NOTE: When you finish using the workstation, it is extremely important that you log out.
- If you don’t log out, anyone else who uses that workstation will have full access to ALL of these:
- your account
- your NC State computing resources
- all of your files.
- It is your responsibility to keep your account secure.
- For more information, see Safe Computing at NC State.
Working with Applications and Email
Application Programs
- Applications on a Unity Mac OS X workstation are available in the Admin Launcher window, which opens after you log in.
- If this launcher window is closed, you can open it by clicking on its icon in the Dock.
Running an Application
- The Admin Launcher window shows the icons for the applications available at your workstation.
- To run an application, click its icon.
- If you cannot find a particular icon, try looking in one of the other tabs in the window.
Checking Email
- You can gain access to your NC State Gmail via a web browser. Go to gmail.ncsu.edu.
- For more information, see Google Workspace.
Email Programs Available
OIT provides Apple Mail, Mozilla and Thunderbird on Unity workstations.
Saving Files and User Settings
Saving Files
- You should always save your files into your Unity (AFS) home directory (your MyAFS icon), which you can access from any lab workstation. Clicking on the MyAFS folder will take you there.
- NOTE: Any file you save to a workstation desktop stays there.
- It is NOT copied to your AFS home directory.
- You WILL NOT be able to use it on another workstation.
- Instead of leaving files on the workstation desktop, be sure to copy them to your AFS home directory or to a removable medium (e.g., external hard drive, USB memory disk, CD, DVD).
Saving Account Settings
- When you use a Unity Mac OS X workstation, your settings are saved only on that individual workstation.
- Like files stored on the desktop, those settings are not accessible from another computer.
Printing
- You can print from a Mac OS X workstation to the printer in the same Unity lab.
- For details, see Printing in Unity Computer Labs.