DS Facilities - Workstations, Print, Filestore and More
Information on all DS (Desktop Services) Facilities can be found here:
https://help.uis.cam.ac.uk/service/desktop-services
Important COVID-19 Information:
The MCS computer facilities are re-opening from 17 May 2021 for computer use, scanning and collection of printouts.
In the Forbes Mellon Library you still need to use the FML Booking system in Moodle.
When using the computer rooms, please ensure you keep to these guidlines:
- Observe 2 meter distancing
- Use the hand gel
- Wear a face mask
- Maintain good ventilation by opening the windows
- Sanitise the computer equipment and workspace before an after use
Disposable wipes and hand gel are available in the computer rooms.
The Managed Cluster Service
The Managed Cluster Service (MCS) is for the use of all students and staff of Cambridge University, and provides networked PCs (ruuning Windows/Linux) and Macs running a wide range of software, together with printers and scanners. The MCS machines provide access to:
- Desktop Services PCs and Macs (Managed Cluster Service)
- Central printing facilities (DS-Print); also accessible from your own computer while connected to our network
- Central Filestore (DS-Filestore)
The following MCS facilities are available in Clare. Most PCs can boot to Linux except for those in the Turpin Law Reading Room (J Staircase).
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COVID Note: The computer provision has been thinned this year to allow space to maintain social distancing during the pandemic. When using the facility, a face covering must be worn. There are wipes available in all compuer rooms and must be used to sanitise workstations before use. |
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Memorial Court |
Computer Facilities |
Printing Facilities |
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Upstairs FML computer room NOTE: Library Computer Room is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm for pre-booked timeslots only, unless coming in only to collect a printout sent from a remote device. Booking is via Forbes Mellon Library Moodle site www.vle.cam.ac.uk |
1 x PC |
1 x scanner |
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Downstairs FML computer room NOTE: Library Computer Room is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm for pre-booked timeslots only, unless coming in only to collect a printout sent from a remote device. Booking is via Forbes Mellon Library Moodle site www.vle.cam.ac.uk |
2 x PCs |
1 x scanner |
| Turpin Law Reading Room | 1 x PC | 1 x A4 colour laser printer |
| K Staircase first floor | 1 x PC | 1 x A4 laser printer |
| X Staircase (X2) ground floor | 2 x PCs |
1 x scanner |
Old Court |
Computer Facilities |
Printing Facilities |
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Hepple Room (D staircase - Fellows access only) |
1 x Mac | 1 x A4 mono laser printer |
Colony |
Computer Facilities |
Printing Facilities |
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Castle House (basement) |
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1 x A4 colour laser printer |
Clare Court (Garden Block A) |
Computer Facilities |
Printing Facilities |
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Communal Area |
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1 x A4 mono laser printer |
Printing
- Paying for your Printing
- Current Charges
- Colour Printing
- Changing printer options (single sided, non-recycled paper)
- Print from your room
- Free Online File Storage
eCredit Pre-payment & My DS-Print
eCredit is a pre-payment scheme run by University Information Services (UIS) for Uni IT-related charges. You use your credit to pay for printing not just in Clare, but also in University Departments and for other MCS facilities that utilise the common balance scheme.
Before you can print, you must prepay a minimum of £1 by cash or credit/debit card into your eCredit account via the MyDS-Print portal.
All ways to pay are explained here.
Please be aware of the following caveats:
- No credit = No printing
- Plan ahead - the eCredit facility can several minutes to process and update your printing balance once you have sent your request - watch for the confirmation email
- Any credit remaining at the end of your stay can be refunded by contacting service-desk@ucs.cam.ac.uk
More information about online payments can be found here:
Charges
Clare charges are 4p per A4 side for mono and 14p per A4 side for colour. You may find that other Colleges and Departments charge differently. All of Clare's DS printers are stocked with recylcled paper and default to double sided (duplex) printing. List of Clare's printers with respective charges.
Changing to Colour - Decoding the Printer Names
If you wish to print in colour, you need to choose the colour printer queue from the printer list. See below for an example of the typical printer naming convention:
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Mono: Colour: |
Clare_FMLU_LP Clare_FMLU_CL |
= Clare Forbes Mellon Library Upstairs Laser Printer = Clare Forbes Mellon Library Upstairs Colour Laser Printer |
Changing the printer options
As the printers are set to print double sided and use recycled paper as default, you need to change these options when you want to print single sided or from the non-recycled tray. To change the paper tray or duplex setting to single-sided, you must change the properties of the printer on your computer. This is done by selecting File/Print and changing the properties manually.
Print from your room: DS-Print and Cloud Print
The DS-Print service provides registered users of the Desktop Services at the University of Cambridge the ability to print to any DS printers from their own computer. Information on how to set this up can be found here. There is currently support for Windows and Mac Operating Systems.
The Cloud Print service offers easy printing to multi-function copiers in the University where you are required to swipe your access card to recieve your printout. There are clients for Windows, Apple and Google OS. Find further information on Cloud Print here.
Free Online File Storage: DS-Filestore
Your Desktop Services filespace can be used to store files which you create on your own computer system or at a DS Workstation, or which you transfer using any standard method of file transfer. You can see your filespace from any network-connected machine. Your filespace is allocated to you when you become a Desktop Services user, and cannot, by default, be read or written to by anybody else.
Among other things, your DS filespace can conveniently be used to store backup copies of your files, on a system which is itself centrally backed-up and therefore secure. You can also use it to store and publish personal web pages.
You can access your filestore in a number of ways dependign on your Operating System: Linux, macOS, Windows.
- CIFS/SMB: The easiest process is to mount your personal filespace directly on your desktop, so that it just looks like another device like a CD drive or USB flash memory
- File transfer:You can always operate by transferring files using normal file transfer utilities. To do this, connect (using any file transfer program that supports SFTP) to sftp.ds.cam.ac.uk using your standard Desktop Services username and password.
- Remote login:From any system you can login remotely using ssh to MCS Linux (linux.ds.cam.ac.uk) and manage your files directly using Unix commands.