Staff and Research Student Techical Services

All Computer Science Systems & Services must be used to full compliance with UCD's Acceptable Usage Policy. 

If you have questions or require more information about these services, please contact cstech@ucd.ie

Virtualisation / Cloud Computing

The School can provide a Linux or Windows virtual server to support your teaching, research, or project work. This server may have a hostname of your choosing and a public IP address. You will also be given full administrative (or root) access on the server. All assigned virtual servers must be operated in full compliance with UCD's Acceptable Usage Policy [more info]. Any breach of this policy will result in immediate removal of the service. The VM service is currently only available to Staff, Research Postgrads (PhDs), and final year undergraduate students. To request a VM, please complete this [form].

 

 

Website Hosting

The School can provide a web space for your teaching, research, or project work. You can upload a static webpage to this space or manage its content with a CMS, e.g. WordPress, Drupal. You will be responsible for the design, content, and management of this website. We can also offer MySQL/Postgres database to support custom made sites. All sites will be hosted over https with a valid SSL cert. This web hosting service is currently limited to Staff, Research Postgrads (PhDs), and final year undergraduate students. To request a webspace please complete this [form]

 

 

Linux General Compute Servers

The School has  several powerful Linux servers on which you can run code (e.g. gcc, Python, Perl, ruby, rust, and more), host web files, and use databases (MySQL, Mongo DB, PostgreSQL), or just to get some experience with Linux. To request an account on one of these Linux servers, please complete this [form]. For more CPU/Memory intensive computation that require longer run times we would recommend using the High-Performance Computing Cluster. For more information about High-Performance Computing Cluster options, please contact cstech@ucd.ie

 

 

High-Performance Computing

UCD Research IT provide a wide range of services to the UCD Research community in relation to the provisioning and use of High Performance Computing Clusters. The HPC environment is ideal for researchers who need access to substantial computing resources, allowing them to greatly reduce the time required to perform large scale calculations. GPU Compute servers are also available here. For more information on Computer Science High Perfomance Clusters please contact cstech@ucd.ie

Current Usage: Real Time Information

Number of Nodes: 53 / Total Number of Cores: 1468 (hyperthreading disabled)

[Full Spec]

[Applying for a HPC Account]

HPC Training

A "how-to guide" style training course of short video walkthroughs has been created by UCD Research IT on Brightspace to help you get up and running and to minimise the learning curve. 

To access the module, click here:

https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=ITRT 

and then "Book" onto the course. It takes a few hours for the course to appear but you can then find it under "My Modules" in the "perpetual semester" in Brightspace. Once subscribed in Brightspace you can watch the videos whenever you like. 

(Note for postgrads: no assessment, no credits for auditing the videos!)

Topics (~8-10 min video per topic)

1 - What is HPC and Sonic

2 - Applying for an account

3 - Logging Into Sonic Linux Users

4 - Logging Into Sonic Windows Users

5 - Submitting a job

6 - GPU and High Memory jobs

7 - Interactive and Graphical Jobs

8 - Modules

9 - Queues

 

 

Helpdesk

Having a problem with your computer, the network, or software? Log a call with the School tech support team [here]. 

 

 

Rocket-Chat App Service 

Rocket.Chap is Open Source WebChat Platform hosted by the school of computer science, supporting both mobile and desktop apps.  Register for an account here: https://rocket.ucd.ie/home

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

We can create mailing lists for your research group, project, or unit. To request a mailing list please email cstech@ucd.ie

 

 

GitLab EE

The School of Computer Science hosts its own GitLab Enterprise Edition service. GitLab EE provides an online space to host and manage your code. The service also provides additional features designed to help manage the software development lifecycle. These include code sharing, code reviews, issue tracking, activity feeds, wikis and other tools for 'social coding'. You can register for an account with your UCD email address [here].

 

 

Purchasing IT Equipment

Please discuss the purchasing of a computer with your supervisor. The information here should help you with your decision.  

Budget

The IT equipment budget for a school scholarship PhD students is €1,500.  For a research funded PhD student, you should talk to your supervisor about the budget. 

Suppliers

PC
Dell is UCD’s preferred supplier of PCs.  A discount is offered on a limited range of Latitude laptops ( 5520, 5420, and 5320),  The model numbers disgutish screen size, 15” 14” 13”, 
All laptops have an i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.  GPU is intel, Nvidia is not an option for these laptops.  The €1,500 budget would also allow for a 27” external screen and wireless keyboard/Mouse. 

You are not limited to this range of Latitudes. We can order anything from the Dell website, There are no discounts offered and you cannot avail of special retail offers.   

Screens, keyboard/mice, webcams etc, can also be ordered from Dell. 

Other computer equipment suppliers.  There are no discounts from these suppliers but you can avail of their retail special offers. 

Paradigit.ie - https://www.paradigit.ie/
DCB Group - https://www.dcbgroup.com/

Mac 
The Mac suppliers for UCD are Select and Wriggle.  There is an 18% educational discount on all Mac computers. You can browse the Apple or Select website for what you want. You cannot avail of special retail offers. 

Placing Order

Once you have decided on what you want email the details to CStech@ucd.ie. Please cc your supervisor and specify whether you are scholarship or research funded.  If research funded include a research code. You supervisor will have that. 

Question?

If you have any questions regarding the purchase of equipment please contact cstech@ucd.ie. 

 

 

Network Access

UCD provides two wireless networks and a wired network. 

  • UCD Wireless:  An open-access unsecured network with limited internet access. ​​
  • Eduroam: A secure network with ‌extended access to logged-in UCD staff, students, and visitors from other institutions. [How to Connect]
  • Wired Network:  Your wired network adapter must be registered with IT Services, see here. 

All networks should be used in full compliance with UCDs Acceptable usages policy,  activities such as illegal downloading, sharing will result in the removal of your network access. 

If you have any questions or issues connecting to the UCD Networks, please contact cstech@ucd.ie

 

 

Software Downloads

The School can provide a limited set of software packages which include Microsoft Windows10; Microsoft Visio, Project and Visual Studio; Adobe Creative Suite 5 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat 9 Pro, Dreamweaver CS5, and Matlab. The licenses for this software permit usage by computer science staff and students [more]. 

 

 

Overleaf Professional

Overleaf Professional aims to make the process of writing, collaborating, and publishing scientific documents in LaTeX faster and easier. It offers a Rich Text browser-based editor that allows direct code editing, and provides templates for major journals. Multiple writers can collaborate simultaneously on a document with automatic saving and advanced history and version control. This service is available to Computer Science staff and PhD students only. To request an overleaf professional account, please email cstech@ucd.ie

 

 

Printing, Copying, Shredding

The School has several colour printers and copiers available for use by staff and PhD students [more] . Any printer issues or requests for supplies, e.g. paper, toner should also go to cstech@ucd.ie. Students who need printing facilities should go to the Bureau Newman Building (Arts) in the J/K Area or to Smurfit Business School, Oval Room. Computer science labs do not have printers [more info].

 

 

Server Hosting

Ordering a new server? We can advise on spec and source suppliers. Once the server arrives we can rack, cable, install, and configure your server as per your requirements. Servers can be hosted in the UCD Data Centre or the Computer Science Server room. Both facilities are designed to provide physical security and high-availability. Contact cstech@ucd.ie for more detail on server hosting options.

 

 

Secure Server Computing

Unfortunately, no server is entirely hack-proof, but you can mitigate the risk significantly by implementing these security measures:

  • Use strong non-trivial passwords for all users
  • Enforce a strong password policy for all users
  • Keep operating system patched and up-to-date
  • Keep applications patched and up-to-date
  • Keep applications and services patched and up-to-date
  • Securely configure applications and services 
  • Enable firewall and allow access to only essential ports
  • Install malware protection software
  • Install intrusion prevention software, e.g. fail2ban
  • Use HTTPS and SSL certificate for your website. (contact contact cstech@ucd.ie)
  • Request a vulnerability scan on your server (contact cstech@ucd.ie)
  • [more information]

 

 

School of Computer Science Profile Page

To have your profile posted on the school website under https://www.ucd.ie/cs/people/ please complete this form.  Once your profile is created you will be able to edit it yourself.

 

 

 

 

Secure Client Computing

The following recommendations should keep your computer and data secure. 

Laptops/Desktops

  • Enable automatic system updates. This is the default for Windows 10 and OSX 
  • Install Malware (or Antivirus) Protection.  UCD provides Sophos to all staff and students here
  • Enable Firewall - Windows 10 ​, OSX 
  • Encrypt your hard disk -  Windows 10 , OSX
  • Use strong passwords, i.e. minimum of 10 characters long, uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.  Never share your password, and change it regularly
  • Beyond these recommendations, you should adhere to best practice when using internet services such a the web, email etc.  [more info].

Mobile Devices

  • set a strong pin code (6 or more digits)
  • Use biometric authentication when possible, e.g. fingerprint, facial recognition 
  • Enable automatic locking, 30 seconds or less
  • Configure remote tracking and data deletion to protect your information from loss or theft, e.g Find my iPhone, 
  • Encrypt your device [iPhone] [Android]
  • Install system updates often
  • Use Eduroam Wifi. ‘UCD Wireless’ should be considered a guest access network only. 
  • When off campus use UCD’s VPN while on open Networks, e.g. airports, coffee shops, etc.
  • Be wary of social engineering scams
  • Avoid jailbreaking/rooting your device
  • Download anti-malware for your Android device, e.g. Malwarebytes.  
  • [more]

 

If you need advice or have any security issues, please contact cstech@ucd.ie
   

 

 

Urkund Plagiarism Detection via Email

To check a document for plagiarism, you should email it to paul.martin.ucd@analysis.urkund.com (no subject or body required).  Once the scan is complete, you will receive a reply with the plagiarism report attached.
 

 

Policies and procedures

The University has established IT policies and procedures to safeguard essential services, protect the privacy of students and staff, and comply with contractual requirements and legislation. [more]

 

 

Postgraduate Webspace

The school can provide you with web space to publish web content such as HTML, CSS, JS, PHP.  A database can also be provided if required.    Our web servers are Linux based so you need to be familiar with  basic Linux commands and be able to use ssh, sftp.  This service must be used in full compliance with UCD Acceptable usage policy. Failure to do so will result in the immediate deletion of the account and the  content.  To apply for webs pace please complete this form. 

 

 

 

VPN for UCD Staff

he University VPN provides University staff with a secure way to connect their work devices to the University network in order to access University systems when off campus. 

Access to the Staff VPN can be requested by completing the VPN request form.  

Please read Remote Access Procedure before remotely accessing University applications or IT services. 

VPN for Research Graduate Student

UCD IT services has rolled out a temporary research VPN service to research graduate students facilitating Covid-19 off campus working arrangements. Further information and application forms can be found at Research VPN 

Once the vpn application form has been submitted by the research student their research supervisor/Principal Investigator will be contacted via email to confirm the students eligibility.