The Technology Department is dedicated to providing support for faculty, staff and students at the University of Kansas School of Law. If you require assistance, contact either Altaf Uddin at (785) 864-9267 or Jesse Kaufman at (785) 864-9254, or email us at lawtech_dl@mail.ku.edu. If we are not available and you need immediate assistance you can contact the Computer Center Help Desk at (785) 864-0200.
Instructions for registering for and installing Exam 4 software for Spring 2008 can be found here.
The Law School is a participant in the University of Kansas Wireless Zone program. We have an extensive wireless network allowing Internet connectivity almost anywhere in the building. To take advantage of this service, you must be affliated with the university (faculty, staff or student) and you must have a portable computer with wireless capability. Many portable computers (laptop, notebook, and handheld) come with built-in wireless capability. Check the documentation or contact the manufacturer of your computer to verify its wireless compatibility. If your computer does not have internal wireless capability, you can add it via an external PCMCIA card or USB port wireless adapter. PCMCIA and USB wireless adapters work equally well.
Internal and external wireless peripherals must conform to the 802.11b, 802.11g or WiFi standard to function correctly on the Law School network. Wireless adapters will list 802.11b or 802.11g compliance on the packaging and/or in the manual. Currently the Law School network does not support other wireless standards such as 802.11a. If the wireless adapter supports 802.11b or 802.11g, it should function correctly in Green Hall.
You can expect to find dependable 802.11b wireless adapters for around $40-$50 at Best Buy, Office Depot, Target, and Wal-Mart. 802.11g cards are available at a slightly higer cost ($50-$60) from the same retailers. Network card support is provided to students at no charge.
The School of Law operates a building-wide Local Area Computer network, with approximately 160 personal computers. The School and the Law Library are served under a single technology umbrella, and the network architecture provides a single point of entry to all electronic resources in the School of Law. All faculty, students and staff have access to up-to-date word-processing, spreadsheet and database software, along with electronic mail and full Internet access.
Students have access to more than 50 computers. Wireless access points are available in the Library and in classrooms for students to connect to the internet with their personal notebook computers. KU online ID and password are required to gain access to the student computer and the wireless network. Configuration and networking software are provided free of charge by the law school's full time IT staff.<-->
Student email accounts are provided free of charge.
Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw provides free printing of Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw documents to current students. Student need to follow Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw instructions on how to print documents to Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw printers. All other documents may be printed to Law Library printers. Students are allocated 100 pages of free printing by the University at the beginning of each semester. Once that has been used, they will need to add more funds to their KU cards. Each page will cost 8 cents to print. Report any printing problems (poor quality, jammed paper, etc.) to the Circulation Desk.
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The law school recommends purchasing a notebook computer from a well-known company with good service and support. Dell, Gateway and IBM are among the companies we have had good experiences with. Currently, we are recommending the Dell Latitude D610 model (or newer) laptop with a 3 year warranty.
If you prefer not to purchase a Dell Latitude D610, here are some minimum requirements.
Can I use Windows XP (or Linux or Mac OS) on my computer?
You are free to use any operating system you'd like on your own computer, but the IT staff can provide only minimal support for non-Windows operating systems.
How much space do I get for storing files and email on the network?
Your email account is separate from your law school network account. You are allowed 8 MB of space for storing files on the law school local area network. You are allowed 10 MB of space for storing email on the email servers (administered by Academic Computing Services).
Are notebook computers required?
No. Notebooks are not required, but are highly recommended. We have 25 general use student access computers available for all law students to use. These computers are available at any time the law library is open. Additional computers are available in the Legal Aid and Defender Project clinics, and the Law Review and Law Journal offices.
Can I use an Apple Macintosh?
Naturally, you're free to purchase and use any computer you'd like. Macs are not supported by IT (i.e., we do not supply technical support or software) and are used by a very small percentage of students, so you may run into problems sharing files or connecting to our network. The vast majority of law firms, corporations and government agencies that employ law school graduates use Windows computers, and the law school believes you should have substantial experience with them.
Should I buy a Notebook or Desktop?
The law school recommends purchasing a notebook computer. They provide greater flexibility and mobility. The price difference between notebook and desktop computers has narrowed significantly.
Is the system I already have sufficient?
To remain useful and productive for 3 years of Law School, we recommend your computer meet the following minimum requirements:
What do we mean when we say we do or don't "support" a product?
While the technical support staff is here to help you with your computer problems, we can't offer complete support for student-owned computers. Any problems not connected with your Law School network access will need to be referred to your computer's vendor or manufacturer. Within this framework, we support only Windows 9x, ME, 2000 or XP notebooks.
I own or plan to buy a system with 128MB instead of the recommended minimum of 256MB. Is this OK?
128MB should be sufficient for general word processing, but 256MB is a virtual necessity for multitasking and to run Windows XP. If your system has an extra memory slot, you can purchase additional memory from the manufacturer whenever you're ready to upgrade.
I want to buy an X brand (i.e. non-Dell, IBM, Gateway) computer. What do you think?
We strongly recommend you buy from a manufacturer that provides good technical support and has been around for a while (and is hopefully going to remain in business for the foreseeable future). If you experience notebook connectivity problems with a brand that we do not support, you may experience a lot of inconvenience in trying to work with the manufacturer to get it to work on your own. The majority of the computers in the Law School are Dells and we have received excellent technical support from them. Other things you should consider include: Does the notebook include Microsoft Office 2000, Corel WordPerfect Office 2000 or will you need to purchase separately? Does it include (and work with) our recommended networking cards? Does it come with Windows 98? Check with the Better Business Bureau to find out if the X brand company has any complaints against them. For your protection, pay with a credit card. Find out what support options are offered. Do they offer 24 hours 7 days a week technical support? For example, if you are in the middle of final exams and your hard drive fails when will they fix it? Is their technical support located in the United States? Is the computer covered for parts, labor and shipping? For how long is the coverage? It should be covered for the 3 years you will attend the Law School (after all, you will have more important things to worry about than trying to figure out how to get a broken notebook fixed).
I want to buy an X brand (i.e. non-LinkSys or D-Link) Wireless Adapter Card. What do you think?
In theory, any Wireless Adapter Card should work with our network. In practice, we've found it is best to recommend specific brands and models because they have been tested with our network, we have experience configuring and troubleshooting them, and they are manufactured by mainstream companies with good support. You face a definite risk of connectivity problems with a card from a no-name manufacturer.
How can I get help with my Notebook?
Call or email Jesse Kaufman or Altaf Uddin to make an appointment. If your problem relates to connection to the law school network, we will resolve the problem. If your problem is with your computer hardware or operating system, we will try to offer you a preliminary diagnosis of the problem, and refer you to your computer's vendor.
Do I really need a 3-year warranty or will one year suffice?
We highly recommend 3-year service contracts. All computers end up with problems. If you encounter one after your warranty expires, you'll likely spend as much fixing it as you would have on extending the warranty in the first place. You might spend more. The last thing you want to deal with during your studies is getting a computer repaired without a warranty.
What software should I have on my computer?
Microsoft Word is the law school's word processor of choice, though Corel WordPerfect is also available on the student access PC's. Note that even though both applications claim to read each other's files, the conversion process can easily become a nightmare, particularly if your document uses footnotes. If you are sharing files with faculty and other students, you should use the same word processor for the best compatibility. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software is critical. University of Kansas students can obtain Sophos antivirus software for free. Consult the virus information page at the main KU web site. If you have an email account with the University on the new Exchange system, you can find how to obtain and configure Outlook here.
How can I connect my computer to the Law School network?
You can connect your own notebook to the Law School Network and get full network services, including printing, Internet access and Westlaw and Lexis/Nexis.
The law school now provides wireless networking at no charge. The wireless network provides all of the connectivity that the wired network does. There are also a number of wired network ports in the classrooms and the library, and you can use them instead of the wireless network, if you wish. To connect to a wired network connection you must have either a PCMCIA Ethernet card (also called a PC card) or an internal ethernet connection. Cards can be purchased locally at Best Buy (2020 West 31st Street), Office Depot (2525 Iowa), UNI Computers (1403 West 23rd), the Union Technology Center at the Burge Union, and Jayhawk Bookstore. Prices range from $40 to $100. We recommend you buy a high quality card, 3Com or Xircom are the recommended brands. If you don't have a modem for your notebook, you can buy a combo card, which contains both the Ethernet card and a modem. Prices for these cards range from $250 to $300.
Once you have an Ethernet card, you will need to have your computer configured for use at the Law Student Network. This involves installing and configuring Novell client software. There is no charge for the software, or the configuration. Contact Altaf Uddin or Jesse Kaufman to make an appointment. The process will take about 10 or 15 minutes. We will install a client for Novell IntranetWare, and configure your Internet Access while at the Law School. If you have dial-up Internet Access configured on your computer, your machine will still need additional configuration for use at the Law School.
Should I purchase a printer?
You can print (with your law school print account) from the lab PC's or a networked notebook. If you don't plan to use the law school's PC's or a networked notebook, we recommend you buy a printer. Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, and Lexmark make quality Ink Jet printers, and HP also makes quality laser printers.
Can I get dial-up Internet access?
No. Kansas University does not provide dial-up service to to the Internet.
I can't afford to buy a notebook. Is any financial help provided by the school?
The Financial Aid Office may be able to award you additional financial aid for the purchase of a computer. For more information, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 785-864-4700, or osfa@ku.edu.
Where is the best place to buy a notebook?
Our recommended manufacturers all sell direct. See http://www.dell.com/, http://www.ibm.com/, and http://www.gateway.com/. For comparisons and reviews, see http://www.shopper.com/ and http://www.pricewatch.com/.
Questions? Comments? Please email them to altaf@ku.edu.
