Self-Administered Desktop Systems in Theoretical Physics

If you wish to administer a desktop in Theoretical Physics yourself you will first need to contact IT Support to discuss the procedure for self-administration of the system. When a system is to be self-administered it will be reloaded with the desired operating system and IT Support will register the system on the correct part of the network for you. Because we need to ensure the security of the network and reliability of services offered to other staff and students there are a number of other requirements that must also be met:

It is important that self-administered systems are only used by a single person, in much the same way as a laptop would be used, this is to protect everyone’s network credentials and the privacy of data files. Any system which is to be self-administered will be reconfigured in the following ways:

1. The system will be reloaded and then moved onto a part of the network separated from the other Theoretical Physics desktop systems.
2. The system will not be included in the authentication infrastructure and all local accounts including those created by the user of the system will be for the exclusive use of the user. No accounts will be shared.
3. The system will only be used as a standalone system. Only the system user will have access to the system and to any connected resources. Any services provided (e.g. ssh and scp) will be for the sole use of the user.

IT Support will still be provided for the commonly used applications within the subdepartment, including recommendations on the best way to install those applications. However, where users make significant changes to the system, it may not possible to provide on-going support. The user will also always have the option to have the system reloaded in a standard way. The user of the self-administered system must assume that he/she will take full responsibility for:

1. Maintenance of the operating system installed on the system.
2. Maintenance of all additional applications installed on the system.
3. Data security on the system, including backups of the system data.
4. Compliance with all Departmental, University and JANET policies relating to IT use.
5. Legality of the system including licensing, copyright etc.

Compliance with the rules and policies will be entirely the responsibility of the user and IT support staff will not be implicated in any incident related to a selfadministered system.

The user must be familiar with the University ICT rules and regulations http://www.ict.ox.ac.uk/oxford/rules/ regarding the maintenance and management of IT systems connected to the University network and follow these at all times