This document provides a basic guideline regarding what support is offered by ECE Computing to faculty, staff, and official visitors.

Support offered to permanent faculty and staff

The department (IT Computing) provides the following support to UW ECE faculty and staff for UW owned & registered (UW Asset tag) hardware:

  • Desktop/Laptop computer and monitor
  • Licensed software
  • Printing support (Main Office & M311 Ricoh’s)
  • Network connection issues inside faculty offices (Wall ports)
  • Windows 11 and Unix (macOS 14 Sonoma) Troubleshooting Support
  • Faculty laptop\Desktop (Software support & Limited Hardware support):
    • Only department owned laptops\desktops will be supported
    • One (1) laptop\desktop per faculty will be supported (registered with IT Computing Group)
    • Operating Systems supported: Windows 11 Enterprise and macOS 14 Sonoma
    • Only licensed software that the IT Computing Group distributes for laptops will be supported
    • Faculty are responsible for all data backups & ensuring that there is an admin password on the device (at time of support, if needed)
    • Supported laptops\desktops will be under warranty, all others will be on a case by case scenario
  • Lost or Stolen Computer! Report an Incident immediately!

Support offered to research faculty (recently appointed) and support staff

General Information:

Mission Statement

The primary objective of the IT Computing Group is to facilitate and enhance the academic
pursuits of the University’s students, faculty, and staff. This is achieved through the
establishment and maintenance of an information technology-centric ecosystem, replete
with essential computing resources. The team is dedicated to delivering comprehensive
assistance to expedite the initiation of new research initiatives in a punctual and
efficient manner.

Who May Use the Research Computing Support?

For any recently appointed faculty members who will be allocated dedicated research areas
within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), it’s important to
note that support services will be somewhat limited. Please See Policy below: 

General Research Support Policies 

  • Assistance provided by the IT Commuting Group will be available exclusively during the
    inaugural year of the new laboratory’s startup phase.     
  • Support Includes: 
    • Networking: This entails the installation of switches and cables within the laboratory,
      ensuring seamless integration into the designated research network.       
    • Procurement Guidance: The IT Computing team provides valuable insights into the
      selection and acquisition of appropriate PCs for the laboratory environment.
      Additionally, the team offers expertise in the installation of Windows or Linux operating
      systems, incorporating Admin account privileges to accommodate future maintenance
      requirements.       

      • Physical Computer support is available provided the lab PC’s that are on the ECE domain and the computer meets our standard support package that includes the supported OS.
        This does not cover maintaining or installing research software or peripheral devices.         
    • Facilitation of Server Acquisitions: Our team is available to assist in the identification and
      procurement of suitable server solutions. Furthermore, we extend support for the
      physical installation (rack mounting) of servers within our designated research server room (while space lasts).       

      • Access to this space is restricted and limited to business hours
        (IT Computing staff must be present).
    • Please be advised that the ongoing maintenance of these servers falls within the
      purview of the Research lab unless a support plan has been established.
    • Collaborative Storage Solutions: The IT Computing team offers guidance on both on-site
      and off-site storage possibilities for your laboratory, leveraging various offerings
      provided by the University of Washington (UW). It’s important to note that, at present,
      we do not provide on-site (complimentary) storage options.       
    • Emergencies after one year for new research and existing research labs will on a case by case scenario.
    • If research support is required after the one year period or for research faculty who are not newly appointed, a pay for service support plan can be arranged and implemented with departmental approval.

The Department Chair\Director of Computing must authorize any exceptions to the Research Computing Support Policy.  

Please don’t hesitate to email us at help@ece.uw.edu or come by to see us if you have any problems or questions. 

Lost or Stolen Computer! Report an Incident immediately!

Support offered to departmental visitors

The department provides the following to official department visitors:

  • All available licensed or donated software on ECE Department provided hardware

The PI or lab sponsoring the visitor is responsible for providing:

  • Computer and monitor
  • Ongoing computer support

If the visitor will need access to ECE computing resources, they must first obtain a UW NetID. Information on obtaining a NetID can be found on UW’s “Accounts and Passwords” page. Once the visitor has a NetID, their sponsor can add it to the appropriate group.