Introduction

This page is meant for the university's IT department (ISSC) and the Information Management staff. It introduces SOLO Lab and Research Support from the perspective of their IT-support needs and offers a roadmap to relevant Wiki resources.

SOLO Lab and Research Support Structure

The SOLO Lab and Research Support staff is divided into two teams:

• Research Support, headed by Elio Sjak-Shie, deals with development of custom research software and hardware; data processing matters; scientific consultancy; XR technology, etc.
• Lab support, headed by Maureen Meekel, handles matters regarding lab facilities and ICT; inventory management; data collection equipment administration and troubleshooting; safety; etc.

The teams are part of the FSW Faculty Office fall directly under the supervision of the faculty’s Deputy Director of Operations, Joop van Pijkeren. The concerning Information Manager is Arie in ‘t Veldt, and the security officer and ICT coordinator is Rene Ouwerkerk.

More information about the teams can be found on the About Us page. Both teams can be reached via labsupport@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.

PCs and Laptops

The Lab and Research Support teams manage around 160 lab PCs located in the Sylvius and Agora buildings, as well as about a dozen research laptops and a few special data analysis PCs. More information about these devices can be found on:

• The Lab Computers page
• The Research Laptops page
• The Data analysis room page
• The VR PC and laptop page

See below for information about which software is installed on which machines. For information about the deployments (uitrol) pushed to the machine type, see the abovementioned links.

Research Software Information

SOLO and ISSC Roles and Responsibilities

SOLO Lab and Research Support is responsible for providing support for research-related software, whereas the ISSC deals with the concerning deployment. The latter involves packaging the software and distributing it through the Company Portal, pushed rollouts, or manual installation. The ISSC, together with FSW IM handles licensing procurement.

The roles are as follows:

• SOLO Lab and Research support:
  • Request that a specific software be packaged.
  • Request that a software or licenses be bought.
  • Test software packages.
  • Provide technical support for research software.
• ISSC:
  • Package software.
  • Distribute software.
  • Procure licenses.
  • Assess security concerns.
• FSW Information Management:
  • Manage license procurements.
  • Manage information management, privacy and security concerns.

Packaging Workflow

Software packages for which a member of SOLO Lab and Research Support is listed as Functioneel Beheer are generally requested by SOLO Lab and Research Support. The ICT coordinator should check with Functioneel Beheer when regular users requests a package for such software. If needed, Functioneel Beheer will contact the requester for clarification and will coordinate the remainder of the packaging process.

After packaging, SOLO Lab and Research Support perform thorough testing and communicate directly with the packager if adjustments are needed. Once the package is approved, SOLO Lab and Research Support coordinate the installation on the lab PCs.

Research Software Installation

On work PCs and laptops, users request software from the ISSC, after which it is installed through the Company Portal. Software for lab PCs follows a different process: it is either pushed directly to the PC or installed by default via the Task Sequence. Such software can only be requested by SOLO Lab and Research Support.

Requests for installation of software on lab PCs submitted by regular users should be declined by the ICT coordinator. In these cases, SOLO Lab and Research Support should be contacted to handle the request properly.

Software Table

The table below provides an overview of all relevant research and research-related software. It includes the currently supported software versions, specifies where each software is to be installed, and indicates who the relevant parties are.

Table below is clickable to enlarge, filter or sort.
Click here to see the master table.
Filters applied by default (Technisch Beheer=ISSC), to see the entire table, click on it and press reset.

Software Roles

System Owner: Person ultimately responsible for the software.

Functioneel Beheer: Person or department responsible for ensuring the software fits the users' needs. This includes requesting new software packages at the ISSC. The ICT coordinator should always check with Functioneel Beheer before creating a new software package requested by someone other that Functioneel Beheer.

Technisch Beheer: Person or department responsible for ensuring the software's technical performance.

Key User: Experienced user and go-to person for colleagues and other users.