CCI Mobile Laptop Carts

Overview

CCI has 2 laptop carts for use as mobile labs to be used during regularly scheduled class times. Each cart has 32 laptops for a combined total of 64 laptops. The specifications of each laptop is as follows:  

Apple MacBook Pro 15” 

2.16 Ghz Intel Core Duo Processor 

2GB RAM 

120GB Hard Drive  

Each laptop is configured to run all of the following operating systems:  

Mac OS X version 10.4 

Windows XP 

Red Hat Linux  

 

Laptop Usage FAQ 

If there is any software that you would like to be placed on these laptops, please request the software well in advance of the class/event in which it will be used. Requests should be sent to

CCI-TECHSUPPORT(AT)LISTSERV.UNCC.EDU. Please replace “(AT)” with “@”.

 

Using one of the laptops with the classroom podium/projector setup. - If you are using one of these laptops with the podium/projector setup, you will need to connect the video cable provided in the podium to the laptop. You will require a VGA/DVI converter to do this. There is one included in each of the laptop carts. The maximum display resolution for the projectors is 1024 X 768, so you will also need to go into Apple System Preferences and temporarily change the display resolution to 1024 X 768 (60 Hertz) and you will need to turn on the "Mirror Displays" feature so that the projector shows exactly what you see on your screen instead of having the projector be an extension of your laptop desktop, which is the default setting.

Instructions on how to log into the wireless network on the Mac laptops

1) Start Safari by clicking the icon highlighted in red

2) On the left hand panel you should see the following, use your Novell User Name and Password and click Log in.

 

 

3) It will then bring you to http://www.uncc.edu . You are now connected to the wireless network. It will also create the following window for you to click on when you want to log off.

 

 

How to use Parallels on the Mac laptops

The Parallels software enables you to run a virtual machine of Windows XP or Redhat Linux. Please make sure you shutdown the virtual machine when you are done the same way you would shutdown a desktop machine.

Please note, to log into Red Hat Linux use the username 'student' and password 'student'.

1)  Click on one of the the following icons on the Mac

2) You'll see one of the following windows. Click on the Green Arrow to start the virtual machine for that operating system.

 

Click inside the newly opened Windows/Linux window with your mouse in order to switch the keyboard and mouse to the Windows/Linux . To switch back to the Mac side press Ctrl+Alt at the same time.

Please shutdown the virtual machines prior to shutting down the laptop. To shutdown Windows click Start->Turn Off Computer as you normally do. To shutdown RedHat Linux, click Actions->Log Off -> Shutdown-> OK. To shutdown the Mac, click the Apple icon in the top left of the screen then click Shutdown.

 

How to use webf on the Mac laptops

Here is the procedure on how to save the files you create on the Mac laptop to your Novell Share. You must do this for any file you want to save because all student files are deleted when the laptops are shut down.

1) Make sure you have already logged into the wireless network.

2) Start up Safari by clicking the following icon highlighted in red:

3) Go to the website https://webf.uncc.edu .

4) You should see the following login screen, use your Novell Name and Password and click “Log In”:

5) On the left hand side you'll see the following, click on the folders on the left to scroll to the directory you want to save you're file to. Most likely this will be under My Documents.

6) Now you will need to upload your file. This will transfer your file from the laptop to your Novell Share. To do this click File->Upload

7) After clicking Upload you'll see the following, on this screen click “Choose File”

8) You'll see the following screen, you need to browse to file you want to upload and click the “Choose” button

 

8) It should bring back to this screen, just click on “Upload” and your file will be placed on your Novell share

 

9) Finally click the following highlighted in red to close webf

 

 

 

Reservation Policies

At no point in time will these laptops be allowed to leave the Woodward building for ANY reason.

All full-time CCI faculty/staff are eligible to rent the laptop carts for classes and special events. If you wish to reserve the mobile laptop cart for your class, please send an email to  

CCI-TECHSUPPORT(AT)LISTSERV.UNCC.EDU. Please replace “(AT)” with “@”.  

Your email should include:  

Subject: Laptop cart reservation request  

Course Code(s) and Section number(s) OR the name of the non course-related event(s)

Date(s) and Time(s) of request – please include both the start and end time of the class(es)/event(s)

Number of students/attendees in each of your course section(s)/event(s)

Course Professor name OR the name of the primary coordinator of the event

Room number your class/event is being held in.

Please send your request for a reservation time at least one week in advance of the time you wish to schedule. There is no limit on the number of class periods that you may reserve the laptop carts. Requests will be approved or denied based on a number of priority considerations including:  

1) Higher priority will be given to freshman oriented classes ITCS 1101/1214 ITIS 1210/2300. 

2) The greater the number of reservations that have been made for a section of a course, the less priority that course section will receive compared to those course sections which have reserved the laptops very few times or not at all. 

3) Higher priority will be given to requests made early.    

It is the responsibility of the individual making the reservation to physically obtain the laptops, and to return them. The laptops are stored in Woodward 105 which is card swipe locked. As a CCI faculty/staff member your card will allow you to open this door. Please enter the room in the 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your reservation to obtain the laptop carts. Depending on how many students are in your class, you will have either one or two of the carts reserved. If your class is 32 or less students you will have only one laptop cart reservation. The laptop carts are numbered. You can view the active laptop cart reservation calendar in Microsoft Outlook by Clicking on Public Folders -> CCI -> CCI Mobile Laptop Cart #X. Example of the Outlook calendar below

 

When you are prepared to take the laptops out of the storage room to your class, please turn the laptop cart power switch to the OFF position before disconnecting the two power cords from each cart from the wall. Damage could occur if you simply disconnect the power cords without first turning the switch to OFF. Please wrap the power cords securely around the provided wrapping brackets so that the power cords do not dangle and pose a safety hazard while transporting the carts down the hallways. Take special care when moving the carts down the hallways as the carts are somewhat difficult to steer, stop, and start, and the hallways are often crowded during class breaks.

Once you have the laptop carts in the classroom, below are a list of recommended procedure for dealing with laptop dispersal/retrieval. Please follow these guidelines to prevent classes from running over their allotted time slots and to prevent theft of the laptops. Wait until the laptop carts are in the classroom before unlocking the front doors of the laptop carts. The combination for the locks is identical, but will not be listed on this web page. Please contact CCI Tech Support if you do not know the combination for the locks. When you have opened the door(s) of the laptop cart(s) please count all laptops and mice in the cart(s) before allowing any students to have them. The number of laptops may not be the exact same every time you reserve them as some of the laptops may not be in the carts because of special projects/events. It is important that you count them each time. Please wait until the bell rings for the class period to begin, then close the door before letting students have the laptops to use. It is recommended that you have the students come get the laptops themselves, one row at a time, to expedite the process. The students will need to unplug the power cord from the laptop then slide the laptop out of its tray. You should announce a couple things to your class at this time:

1) Students are not allowed to leave the classroom until all laptops/mice have been returned and counted.

2) Ask your students to remind YOU when there are only 10 minutes of the class period left. You will need this 10 minutes to have students properly shutdown, return the laptops, and count them.

Please do not ignore the 10 minute recommendation!! You do not have the right to hold students in the classroom after the bell rings, and it would be particularly easy for theft to occur in the flurry of students exiting the room while other students are approaching the professor to ask questions, which is fairly typical at the end of a class. Plan your class sessions accordingly.

Please walk students through properly shutting down the computers fully. If the laptops are not shutdown correctly, they will not charge correctly which will affect the next class. Have the students return the laptops and plug the power cord back in themselves to expedite the process. Once all laptops have been returned, and the count of laptops/mice matches the count you took at the beginning of class, feel free to dismiss the class. To relock the combination lock for the doors of the carts, you need to press down on the lock while the correct unlock combination is set, and then slide the numbers with your fingers to something other than the correct unlock code. The lock will not stay locked unless you do this.

Please return the cart(s) back to the Woodward 105 storage room. You will need to unwrap both power cords for each cart and connect them to a power receptacle in the wall. After the power cords are connected, then please turn the laptop cart power switch to the ON position. Again, the order is important, please connect the power cables BEFORE turning the power switch to ON, as damage could occur if performed in the reverse order. When leaving the storage room, please turn back and check to make sure the door is effectively locked. You should not be able to push open the door without swiping your card, and the card swipe lock light should be RED.

If you do not have a laptop reservation you are prohibited from entering the laptop storage room without authorization. If you need to borrow a laptop to validate your course material works as expected on the actual laptops that are used in the classrooms, please contact CCI Tech Support. There are laptops set aside in a separate 'loaner program' for this exact purpose.