Computing Resources

Students enjoy a rich computing environment at Texas A&M University. All students have full access to the Internet, e-mail, personal Web pages, and computer labs. Resources range from hundreds of microcomputers to multi-user systems to supercomputers.

The residence halls have connections to the Internet for every student; off-campus access is provided by university dial-up access and by high-speed connections to local commercial Internet service providers. Help is available around the clock, and free short courses on computing topics are offered throughout the year.

E-mail accounts can be set up for viewing on a student's own computer in their residence hall or apartment or online at any of the computer labs. A Web server is provided for students to create personal Web pages. Many classes provide online information and communication using the WebCT course management system.

Access to the Internet is also part of each student's resources. The university's network is connected directly to the Internet via multiple 155 megabit per second connections. Texas A&M is a member of the Internet2 project and is connected to its high-speed Abilene network. There are over 35,000 computers connected to the campus computer network, ranging from departmental microcomputers to the university's supercomputers.

Internet access is readily available for all students, regardless of where they live. For students living on campus, each residence hall room is wired with two Ethernet connections. For those living off-campus, Texas A&M provides dial-up access to the Internet through a modem bank of almost 1,500 56K V.90 modems. Texas A&M's Computing and Information Services (CIS) department offers virtual private network (VPN) service and support for cable modem and digital subscriber line (DSL) access. Wireless Internet access is also available in the library, CIS Open Access Computer Labs, most campus dining facilities and other selected campus locations.

There are seven generally accessible computing labs located around the campus. The 1,300 microcomputers in these seven labs are open to any Texas A&M student. In addition to computers, these Open Access Labs provide a variety of other resources including specialized electronic printing systems, graphics equipment, scanners and CD/DVD burners.

Students have easy access to support and training as well. There are fully staffed help desks located in each of the Open Access Labs, and CIS provides students with 24-hour a day telephone support. Students can also take advantage of free short courses to expand their skills or learn new applications.

Some students may need specialized resources. Along with supporting both Windows and Macintosh platforms, Texas A&M offers multi-user and mainframe systems that are primarily UNIX-based. CIS also operates Texas A&M's supercomputing facility that includes one IBM and two SGI supercomputers. Texas A&M also provides adaptive technology support resources for students with disabilities including textbook scanning, adaptive software, specialty hardware and equipment training.

In addition to generally accessible resources, there are many departmental computing systems providing support to particular groups of users. These include local area networks, microcomputers and several hundred high performance workstations. There are also a variety of other plotters, scanners, film recorders and video capture devices available on campus. Almost all of these resources are connected to the campus-wide network.

More information about computing resources is available on the Web at cis.tamu.edu.