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CRLT Open House: August 22, 2008

Last updated on August 15, 2008 9:49 AM

Did You Know... CCIT services can help you with your technology needs in and out of the classroom?

Make plans to attend the IT Open House on Friday, August 22, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM in the basement of Barre Hall. CRLT is hosting this Open House to showcase IT services you can utilize to enhance your teaching, learning, research and service activities.

Throughout the day, CRLT staff will present topics including student, faculty and staff training programs, how to use our Blackboard course management system, teaching with technology, distance education, video conferencing, classroom technology and more.

You can experience using a clicker in the classroom, learn about plotting and podcasts, meet virtually using Adobe Connect and video conferencing.

Let our staff help you set up your courses using our Blackboard course management system; sign up to get special notifications and alerts about our IT services; sign up for training; set up your Google Applications for Education account.

Additional information about our services, such as the new Apple Store, software licensing and more, will be available on posters displayed throughout the Barre Hall basement.

Don't miss the opportunity to put your name in the drawing for a photo printer, iPod Shuffle, headphones and other items.

For a listing of our schedule, please visit our CCIT Web site at http://www.clemson.edu/ccit/crlt/openhouse/.

Cyberinfrastructure Accomplishments Featured in Clemson World

Last updated on August 6, 2008 12:12 PM

Many of Clemson's accomplishments in cyberinfrastructure and within CCIT are featured in the current edition of Clemson World magazine. Clemson World is published quarterly as the university's premiere news and event magazine. The current (summer) issue is the 'big' one of the year with a circulation of over 100,000 readers including all faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Clemson.

An online version of the feature may be viewed at http://www.clemson.edu/clemsonworld/2008/summer/article4.html. The online version also contains a link to a virtual tour of Clemson's Information Technology Center (ITC).

TigerTracks Update: Request IT Help & Support Through NEW Online Ticketing System

Last updated on August 6, 2008 7:28 AM

TigerTracks is a standardized online tool for receiving, tracking, and fulfilling requests for IT services and support. TigerTracks is currently being phased in through a series of stages with colleges and departments that have chosen to use this system. The first phase of TigerTracks was successfully launched on July 31.

How will Tiger Tracks impact me or my staff?
Many colleges and departments have chosen to use TigerTracks for receiving and tracking IT issues and requests. End users now have a new Web interface for reporting issues and requests as well as the ability to track the status of their ticket from beginning to end.

If you have questions, please contact your college consultant or local IT support staff for more information. Existing contact methods still apply and all Clemson users may continue to:

• Call the CCIT Customer Support Center at (864) 656-3494
• Send email to ITHELP@clemson.edu
• Walk up at the CCIT Customer Support Center (lower level of University Union)
• Contact their local IT support staff such as a College Consultant or TSP
• Generate a request through CCIT's online Service Catalog.

New ways of creating a request, reporting an issue and tracking ticket status are now available through the CCIT Support & Services Web site. To use this system:

• Click on the "Submit a Support Ticket" button
• Click on the "Track a Ticket" button to check the status of your ticket
• You may also log directly into the Web interface of Tiger Tracks at: ithelp.clemson.edu

How can I get help and training for using TigerTracks?
CCIT is conducting several "second wave agent training sessions" geared for staff who will be entering, working and closing tickets.

A Brown Bag Lunch presentation for Fall 2008 will be held in early September for the general Clemson public - watch for announcements in the next few weeks.

Several one-on-one group visits with our customer areas will also be conducted upon request. Send your requests to the Tiger Tracks Project Manager, Tim Howard.

CBT (computer based training) 'snippets' are being generated for ongoing training with the TigerTracks system and will be available on the TigerTracks Web site. These will be short (5 minute) walk-throughs on how to create a ticket, how to run a report and more.

What are the next steps?
Watch for additional information via the TigerTracks Web site  for the next phases of the project.

CCIT Opens New Apple Store

Last updated on June 26, 2008 8:50 AM

In a bold move to empower Mac users at Clemson and to help solidify support for multiple computing platforms, CCIT has opened a retail Apple store in the heart of campus.

Located in the Loggia of the University Union, the Apple store now offers all Clemson users the convenience, affordability and personal attention of a local outlet at prices even better than online or the regular educational discounts. Plus, you can receive personalized service and advising on products and features. "The goal of the store is to offer our customers the products, services and information they desire as we (CCIT) provide better support for this growing community of Mac users," explains Jason Domke, director of CCIT’s business office.

The Clemson Apple Store, the first in South Carolina, carries a full selection of Apple products including laptops, iPods, monitors and accessories. "We carry just about everything Apple, except iPhones," commented Domke. "And we'll add stock as user needs dictate." Currently, customers can take advantage of a special Back-to-School offer from Apple and receive a free iPod with the purchase of one of the recommended Apple laptops.

Now, Clemson faculty, staff, students and alumni have a one-stop-shop for Apple products; and technical support is available through CCIT's Customer Support Center (just downstairs from the store).

Summer store hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, weekdays. Fall hours will be expanded and announced soon. A Grand Opening is planned for August 20 (the first day of fall classes) and will include a store naming contest. Details will be announced soon.

For further information, call 864-656-1563 or send email to applestore@clemson.edu.

Palmetto Cluster Catapults Clemson to Worldwide Ranking

Last updated on June 18, 2008 10:42 PM

Clemson University has made its first appearance on the list of the top 500 supercomputing sites in the world, debuting at number 62.

The 31st edition of the TOP500 list was released at the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany. Since 1993, the list has been produced twice a year and is the most extensive survey of trends and changes in the global supercomputing arena.

"Clemson is on the move in a big way", commented Jim Bottum, Clemson's vice provost and chief information officer. "In a very short period of time, we have moved from outside the top 500 computing sites in the world to solidly within the top 75. That is tremendous progress toward Clemson's goal of becoming a Top 20 public university; but even more important is how this enables and empowers our faculty, students and staff to conduct competitive, engaging and collaborative work in a global environment."

Bottum notes that he was brought to Clemson to build a world-class cyberinfrastructure for education, research and service. However, he maintains that enabling learning and discovery is more than just offering compute cycles; it requires creating a collaborative environment where IT specialists work in partnership with faculty and students to create an advanced cyberinfrastructure that serves the needs of a multi-disciplinary set of programs.

The Palmetto Cluster, for which Clemson received this impressive world ranking, is a perfect example of the collaborative partnerships that are driving Clemson's unprecedented progress. It is also enabling research and other computationally-intense work that simply could not be done prior to the development of this system. According to Jim Pepin, Clemson's chief technology officer, "This ranking recognizes Clemson’s new role as a leader in campus-based high performance computing systems; plus, our academic community is now equipped to compete for and win contracts and grants that were previously out of reach."

Both Bottum and Pepin note that in reviewing the TOP500 list, Clemson is now in the top five among non-federally funded US universities.

Jill Gemmill, Executive Director of CITI, adds this information for users:

The Palmetto cluster is a faculty/university partnership. Following a "condominium" model, Clemson researchers may add their own nodes to the cluster, gaining a university match of power, cooling, system administration, and use of additional nodes when available.

The Palmetto cluster is available for use on a university-wide basis to all CU faculty. Student high performance computing allocations are available by faculty request.

For more information about the Palmetto cluster and how to use it, see:

http://citi.clemson.edu/palm_intro

A full story on the development of the Palmetto Cluster was released in May and can be viewed at http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/2008/may/PalmettoCluster.php5

For information on CCIT visit www.clemson.edu/ccit/. Additional information on the top 500 supercomputing sites can be found at www.top500.org/.