Software Licensing Updates
Presenter: Karen Lukas, Applications Software Manager

Software Licensing Updates

   1. We are, for the most part, leaving the software in the Clusters alone in the Summer. The Cyert Mac Cluster is the test cluster for the summer. In May we put Mac OS version 10.2.4 on the machines, and we will be updating to 10.2.6 next week.

      At the same time, there are some new software versions that we are updating as well — two windows applications in CFA 317 Cluster: Maya and 3D Studio Max. These are being updated so that faculty can try them out before Fall.
   2. If you were watching the events unfolding from WWDC on Monday, June 23rd, the announcement was made that Mathematica 5 was released yesterday. A website link was provided for upgrades. However, it does not work for our educational license. We will have to wait until media arrives (10 days - 2 weeks). We will update Linux and Solaris versions this Summer (leave version 4 and add version 5). We'll update in September for Mac and PC. We have not heard from faculty yet on their opinions on this yet.
   3. Computing Services will stop serving licenses for Rational Products under the SEED license grant program on August 1. Faculty or departments wanting to continue to use Rational products under the SEED license grant program will need to sign their own SEED agreements with Rational. 
   4. Under the Microsoft Campus Agreement faculty and staff have work at home rights for Windows and Office under well defined circumstances. The latest iteration of the MSCA, as we implement it, requires that faculty and staff purchase and use "student" media for copies of these products they put on a personally owned computer. The program guide states the following:

      Starting July 1 faculty and staff (and students) acquiring media may be required to sign an acceptance form at the CMU Computer Store that states the terms under which they are authorized to install MSCA software.

      Work at Home Rights

      Under Campus Agreement 3.1, your school may grant limited Work at Home Rights to faculty and staff members only at no extra charge. These rights permit the use of desktop or CAL products (with the exception of Microsoft Press titles and SQL Server CAL) on a personally owned computer for work-related purposes only. The institution can choose to extend these rights to users or not. On the Subscription Order Form, you select the products (if any) for which your institution chooses to extend Work at Home Rights.

      IMPORTANT NOTE: Users are not licensed to use the software at home for personal purposes.

      Before extending these rights, you should clearly understand the terms and conditions. By extending these rights, your institution accepts responsibility for communicating the terms and conditions to your faculty and staff. This includes keeping accurate records of software use and distribution and ensuring that your faculty and staff understand the stated terms and conditions.

      For your convenience, we have provided a Faculty/Staff Acceptance Form that you may wish to have your users sign when granting them Work at Home Rights.

      Distributing Media for Work at Home Use
      [NOTE: Carnegie Mellon exercises only option 1 from the list below.]

      You may distribute media to faculty and staff for Work at Home (WAH) use using the following four methods only:
      Note: These are the same distribution methods as used for Student Option media.
         1. Purchase and distribute one copy of each applicable CD-ROM or disk set to each authorized user. These CDs or disk sets (known as “student media”) must be purchased from your Authorized Education Reseller (AER) in minimum quantities of 25 per title up to the number of licensed users. You cannot duplicate media for Work at Home use. 
         2. Allow controlled download from your secure network server(s) or other storage device(s) utilizing volume licensing media that you acquired for installation on your institution machines (i.e. Welcome Kit media).
         3. Have users bring in their computers for manual installation by you at a central location that you control utilizing volume licensing media.
         4. Use a system of controlled short-term checkout of applicable volume licensing media solely for purposes of individual user installation. This option is available only for products for which a Volume Licensing Key (VLK) is not required. You cannot distribute VLKs to users for Work at Home use. Your AER can assist you in determining which products require a VLK. For more information on VLKs, see Microsoft Product Activation and Volume License Product Keys in this guide.

      Acquiring Microsoft Products for Personal Use

      Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers — This special offer from Microsoft provides students and teachers in K-12 and higher education institutions with the opportunity to acquire Office software at a discounted price. Available in select retail stores for a special estimated retail price of $149 US – almost 70% off the regular Office XP Standard price, it includes full versions of Word 2002, Excel 2002, Outlook 2002, and PowerPoint 2002. 

      Academic Edition Products — Higher education faculty and staff are also eligible to purchase Academic Edition Full Packaged Products, which cost much less than retail software. This type of discounted software is not available to any other working professional. By purchasing Full Packaged Product, faculty and staff are not required to limit their usage at home to work related purposes.