The CAT provides three general levels of workstation support, called "support tiers," or just "tiers." Roughly, the tier system answers the question of "who manages this computer?"

What the "Tiers" Cover:
The "support tiers" concept refers to support we provide for desktop workstations on the Windows, Linux, or Solaris Unix platforms. Specific arrangements (particularly of Tier 2 systems) depend on the type of operating system and the intended use. This overview doesn't cover all possible system configurations.

Tier 1: "Full Support" -- CAT Supported, CAT Managed:
This tier covers systems fully managed by the CAT and it is the preferred tier for systems we deploy. Examples include systems in CAT computer labs and many staff or faculty systems that we deploy and manage. The CAT handles deploying, upgrading, and patching these systems. CAT sysadmins are the only people with administrator access. Users have full access to CAT-provided resources like home directories, file servers, applications, and printing.

Tier 2: "Co-Managed" -- CAT Supported, CAT & User Co-Managed:
This tier covers systems co-managed by the CAT and user(s) because of some special need on the user's part. The CAT deploys Tier 2 systems by faculty or staff special request. Examples include Capstone systems or graduate researchers' systems. The CAT often still handles deploying, upgrading, patching, and fixing these systems. Any user-installed software or configurations are not managed by the CAT. CAT sysadmins have administrator access, along with one or a few approved users. Users' level of access to CAT-provided resources depends on the type of platform (Windows, Linux, or Solaris).

We further strongly recommend users not use a system on a daily basis logged in as an Administrator unless absolutely necessary. The idea being you login as a Local Admin, do the needful work and then logout. Then log back in as a regular User. This may seem cumbersome at first but is in fact the recommended Best Practice.

Linux/Unix Tier 2: because of reasons that can't be avoided, TheCAT no longer offers Tier 2 loads for Linux and Solaris systems.

Caveat: Because users have admin access they can break Tier 2 systems, and therefore must be more careful and aware of their actions. In most cases the CAT can only "fix" broken Tier 2 systems by reloading them from scratch. As with Tier 3 systems (below), compromised systems may be removed from the Maseeh College network.  Make sure you have read our Tier 2 Disclaimer.

Tier 3: "User-Supported" -- CAT Networking, User Managed:
This tier covers systems fully managed by the owner/user. Examples include personally-owned systems, most laptops, and some research systems. The CAT only provides network access (an IP address and Internet access) for the system. The user/owner does everything else: deploying, upgrading, patching, general management.

Caveat: To maintain network security, the CAT may disable the network access to Tier 3 systems that show evidence of being compromised (infected with viruses/worms).

When a New System Is Deployed...

Hopefully this document gives you a basic understanding of what kind of support tier you think you'd like. If you need a new system deployed (or are providing one yourself), please contact the CAT (support@cat.pdx.edu).