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Q: What web browser do I need?
A: This site utilizes frames, javascript and cascading style sheets on the
client side, thus you will need a browser that supports these features.
Microsoft Internet
Explorer 4.0+ is highly recommended. However, Netscape 4.0 and up
should work fine except for a few visual effects. For a compaison of the
features of these two browsers, check Microsoft's web site. If you are using a platform
where MSIE is available (Windows, Mac, Solaris and HP-UX), it is recommened that
you use MSIE. Text-based browsers (Lynx etc) generally do not work with
this site.
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Q: How do I use the signup page?
A: First you need to login with your userid (your initial) and your
password. Upon sucessful login, you are brought to the signup page for the
instrument you have selected. Check the boxes for the time slots you would
like to reserve, and click "Request" button. When you are
satisfied with the result, click "Logout to View" to logout.
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Q: How do I clear my reservations for time slots if I
don't need them anymore?
A: On the same page where you
sign up for time slots. Clear the checkboxes for which time you do not
need, and click "Request" button. When finished, click
"Logout to View".
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Q: How do I update my information?
A: On the login page, there is a link to "Update user information".
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Q: How do I find out more information about another user?
A: Use the User List page. Also, while you are viewing instrument schedules, clicking on any user initial listed in the table will query the database about that user and the result will be presented in a nice little list.
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Q: How do I change my password?
A: On the login page, there is a link to "Change my password".
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Q: Is my password secure?
A:
Unfortunately, no. Your password is saved as plain text in our
database. Even though users have no access to this database, it is still
recommended that you do not use the same password as for your other importat
accounts, i.e., your UNIX email account.
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Q: How do I signup for consecutive blocks on the signup
page?
A: You may signup for consecutive blocks with
only three mouse clicks if your browser supports javascript. To do this,
first check the checkbox corresponding to the starting block, then double-click
the checkbox corresponding to the ending block. All available blocks in between
will be checked automatically. Note that the starting block and the ending block need to be within the same day, otherwise, double-clicking a box has the same effect as simply clicking it.
Alternatively, single click on the table header where the dates are dsiplayed. All available blocks within that day will be checked.
This feature has been tested with MSIE 4.01 and NN 4.5 on Windows.
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Q: How do I remove reservations for multiple blocks quickly?
A: Again, you need a browser that supports JavaScript 1.1+. Double click the table header where the dates are dsiplayed. All the boxes within that day, including the ones you signed up for previously, will be cleared. This feature has been tested with MSIE 4.01 and NN 4.5 on Windows.
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Q: What if two or more persons try to signup for the same blocks at the same time?
A: This is the concurrency issue. What will happen is that one person will succeed, typically the person
who click the "Request" button first, while the second person will be notified of the fact that some of the blocks
have already been signed up for, therefore fails.
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