Middlebury-owned computers come pre-installed with self service software that acts as a hub for you to install other common software programs and printers, at your choice and convenience.
On Macs, this software is called Self Service; on PCs it is called the Company Portal. Adobe products have their own self-service site available to both PC and Macs.
For best results:
- Run installers when you are on campus and connected to the network using an Ethernet cable.
- Before launching an installer, reboot your computer to start fresh. Only launch the program needed for your installation method.
How do I use Self Service to install software on my College Mac?
ITS uses the Self Service utility to make software, drivers, and printer installers available to you. A growing number of software titles are available to you automatically, others must be requested through the Technology Helpdesk. Note: Adobe products have their own self-service site available to both PC and Macs.
Here's how to find then run the installers to which you have access:
- Make sure you are connected to the network via an Ethernet cable.
- Navigate to the Applications folder on the Mac using the Finder menu (Go > Applications).
- Double-click Self Service to launch this program.
- Click the appropriate entry in the left-hand panel:
- Featured information and apps are shown initially. These are our most commonly-requested installers.
- Application Installers: Self Service shows installers for all the software titles available to your computer.
- Drivers shows printer driver installers
- Printers shows installers for all campus printers that are available via Self Service.
- Uninstallers shows uninstallers that cleanly remove older versions of software that are already present on your computer (such as Microsoft Office 2011). Be sure to reboot your computer after running any uninstaller.
- Utilities includes useful tools to help you perform tasks such as clearing caches and deleting various types of keychain entries.
- You should now see the installer package for the desired software. Click the Install button for the application.
- The install will happen in the background and can take a considerable amount of time, depending on the installation. You can continue other work but you may find the computer is responding slowly.
- If an installer you expect to see is not present and it required making changes to your computer (such as removing an application before installing something else), run Update Inventory from the Utilities category of Self Service, then quit and re-open Self Service. Otherwise, contact the Helpdesk mentioning the Property of Middlebury College number and the name of the installation you need.
- After the application has installed successfully you will find it in the Applications folder.
How do I troubleshoot Self Service installations?
- Some installers don't work properly if other applications are running. For best results, reboot your computer to start fresh. Launch Self Service then start the desired installation.
- Installations work best when you are on-campus using an Ethernet (wired) connection. Campus wireless may work as well, but it will be slower. Many installers are large and take some time even when using a fast connection.
- If you are off-campus, you must use a VPN connection. This is no guarantee of success, however, as many installers are simply too large.
How often does Self Service check the server?
The Self Service client calls back to the server every 15 minutes while the computer is on. The only information that gets sent is a query to see if any new actions should be taken. The client also reports back at every start-up, log in, and log out with the same query. The client will also check in when you launch the Self Service application.
What information does Self Service collect?
Self Service only collects two pieces of information. Once a day it runs Apple's System Profiler applications and attempts to upload it to the server if a connection has been made. It also monitors the CPU activity to look for any processes that have been blocklisted (viruses, etc).
Self service does not read your e-mails. It does not care about your iTunes or iPhoto library. It does not catalog the contents of your home folder and it does not track your online activities. Self Service does watch what processes are running, but does not report back on what they are, unless the process has been identified ahead of time by the server as a rogue process. Please read the Privacy of electronic files & communications from the College's privacy policy for more information.
The Company Portal application provides a streamlined interface for optional software you may want installed (such as Firefox, Zoom, Office 365, etc.). Note: Adobe products have their own self-service site available to both PC and Macs.
Accessing the Company Portal
- To access the Company Portal for Middlebury software installations, go to the Start menu then click Company Portal. (You can also search using the taskbar search field.)
- From here you can download and install whatever applications you need, including Microsoft Office, Zoom, third party browsers, or any other specialized software. We are constantly working on streamlining the process so you can expect to find more apps present in the Company Portal over time.
