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Contact Helpdesk - The Best Practices
 

Tips for Contacting the Computing Science Helpdesk

  • Only email the helpdesk for CMPT related technical issues, NOT for questions about coursework or assignments.
  • Read the guidelines below for more information about contacting us. 

As applicable, please include the following information in your email to the helpdesk:

First Name and Last Name: 
SFU Computing ID
Student Number: 
* Access Card/fob Number (if it is readable, many are worn off): 
** Course Numbers (current CMPT courses): 
Platform (eg. Linux, Mac or Windows): 
Computer Name: 
Campus, Building Name & Room Number: 
Application (if applicable): 
Description of the Issue: 
Error Message (if any): 
Previous Ticket Number (if related): 

* Only if this is a door access issue, send the short 5 digit part of the number, (only if the number is readable, some are worn off.)
** If you are a student, please note this in your email.

If you are requesting assistance from a specific person on the technical team, please name them in the body of your email.

To stop web crawlers, we are not providing you with the option to copy and paste the helpdesk email. Please re-type the address when composing your email. 

Behind the Scenes - What Happens When I Contact the Helpdesk?

We use the (TDX) to manage inquiries to the helpdesk. The system is regularily monitored by members of the CMPT technical support team. We strive to respond to your ticket within one hour during our regular business hours. 

  • Upon reciept of an email, the TDX system generates a reply to the requester with a ticket number (ServiceHub Incident #). To add more information to your request, reply to that email with those details.
  • The ticket will be assigned to a member (owner) of the tech support team.
  • The owner will assess the inquiry, resolve the issue, and reply to the requester. If other parties need to be notified, the owner will cc them on the email.
  • Once the issues have been resolved, the owner will update the status of the ticket to read 'resolved'.
  • All replies are archived under the specific ServiceHub Incident #; requesters have the option of viewing these.
  • Please ensure you reply to the helpdesk with an email that includes the ticket number.

Before Contacting the Helpdesk
 

  • Ensure that your inquiry is a technical issue related to Computing Science (eg: if you cannot access SFU's wireless network, please email help AT sfu DOT ca. 
  • If you're a guest of Computing Science and require the use of SFU's wireless network, please contact your faculty member host and they will contact us with the request. You could also use Eduroam if you have an account from another institution. 
  • Always use your SFU email account to contact us. Do not use a different email account or an alias to contact us. 
  • When contacting the helpdesk, ensure that the message is addressed to only ONE recipient: helpdesk
  • When responding to the helpdesk, do not alter the subject line, and only include the relevent portion of the previous message body. 

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May I Contact Tech Support Staff Directly?

No.

We ask that you email the helpdesk, and include a line in the body of your email that says: please assign this to...

If this is an urgent matter, you may direct message the person in Microsoft Teams; or you may call the person after you email the helpdesk.

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How Do I Include Others in Correspondence With the Helpdesk

When contacting the helpdesk, include a line in the body of the email that says: I would like to add the following people to the CC list......, ......, ......, 

The owner of the ticket will add these people to the cc list when replying, ensuring everyone's informed about the issue.

We do not recommend CC others when sending such email:

  • Only the requester will recieve a reply to the email sent to the helpdesk. Those who are CC'd will not.
  • If anyone CC'd on an initial email from a requester tried to reply to the helpdesk, a new ticket would be generated, causing further confusion and extra work.

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No Response From the Helpdesk - Now What? 

Inquiries sent to the helpdesk are typically assigned within two hours during working days. If you do not recieve a response within a reasonable amount of time, you can reply to the automated message you received when you submitted your request. 

If you do not think your inquiry received proper attention, please call one of our department managers for assistance. 

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I work in a CMPT Research Lab - Will the Helpdesk Assist Me?

Yes, absolutely!

When you email helpdesk, add your lab's acronym to the subject line. Eg: Subject: CMPT-AAA: Need New Software. We have put a list of the acronyms at the bottom of this page. Please check them out

If you are a CS graduate student, click here for a page we prepared to assist you with techincal support.

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Is it OK to Include Muliple Issues in One Email?

Yes, this is fine. Just ensure you number each issue to that each one is responded to. If need be, we will create separate tickets for the issues, handling them at the same time so there's a timely resolution. 

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I've Had This Issue Before - Now What?

Please contact the helpdesk, and include the ServiceHub Incident # ticket number that was issued the first time. We will link the old and the new ticket number together, so we ask that you don't reply to the old ticket number. 

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Everything is Fixed - Should I Contact the Helpdesk?

No, not unless we request you to do so. Once the issues have been resolved, we will close the ticket, marking it 'Resolved'. If you have another issue, create a new email and send to the helpdesk (if it's related to the previous issue, include that ticket number).

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I Received an Email from the Helpdesk With an ServiceHub Incident # - What Do I Do?

Here are some things you may consider:

  • If you would like to track the request call, you may email helpdesk with the proper subject line, which will put you in the CC group and keep you informed of the ticket.
  • If you do not want to become a CC-ed member, you may email the parties directly, not CC helpdesk.
  •  When you received a message from someone CC-ed to you with an ServiceHub Incident #,
    • if you want to join the discussion of this ticket (become a CC-ed member) 
    • and/or if you want to see your replies get archived in the RT system, 

Please reply to helpdesk with the proper subject line, not to the other sender directly (they will receive your messages through the RT system).

Please note:

If you "Reply All" to a ticket with other parties, they will get duplicate messages: one from you, one from the RT system.

Please always reply to helpdesk with the proper subject line.

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Should I Contact Other Tech Support?

No.

If you know certain issues should be taken care by another party, e.g: RCG (Research Computing Group), please indicate this in the body of your message. If we need to contact them, we will do so on your behalf.

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I Sent One Message and Recieved Two Replies.

If the helpdesk identifies multiple issues in your email, we may create another ticket and assign it to another member of the team. This helps speed up the process as most issues will be addressed at the same time. 

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I Received Duplicate Emails From the Helpdesk - Now What?

It's most likely that you've been set as the 'Requester' and are also a member of the group being cc'd. We do our best to minimize duplicated conversations, but it happens sometimes. This is one reason we ask that you always have the helpdesk set up as the sole recipient of your messages. 

If you receive duplicate messages, please reply to the email containing the ServiceHub Incident # so the owner can ensure no more duplicates are sent. 

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The Helpdesk Replied With a Different Subject Line - Why?

To improve the quality of service, we try to make the subject line as clear as possible. Since the ServiceHub Incident # is the identity of the ticket, the change of the subject line wording is a safe practice.

If you notice the new subject line does not reflect the issues, please let us know as soon as possible.

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How Do I Check the Status of My Ticket?

If you contacted helpdesk using your SFU account, you can check the status of your inquiries. Please login  and you can view all the tickets you submitted.

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I'm using laptop, will the Helpdesk assist me?

Please click here for information about using your own laptop.

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list of CMPT research labs

CMPT's Research Labs - Burnaby Campus
Acronym AKA Official Name Rooms Directors Remarks
CMPT-3DLG cs-3dlg 3D Language Lab TASC1 8000 & Co., TASC1 9404 Dr. A. Chang shares room with GrUVi, Theia, VML & NLL
CMPT-AIRob cs-airob Autonomous Intelligence and Robotics Lab TASC1 8005 Dr. Ma shares room with CVL, MARS & ROSIE
CMPT-AISL cs-aisl AI & Security Lab TASC1 9406 Dr. Tayebi shares room with STL
CMPT-APEX cs-apex Algorithmically Principled EXploration TASC1 8000 Dr. K. Li shares room with 3DLG, VML
CMPT-ARCH cs-arch Computer Architecture Group TASC1 8210, TASC1 9400 Dr. Alimadadi, Dr. Shriraman shares rooms with other Systems research groups
CMPT-Auto cs-autolab Autonomy Lab TASC1 7000, TASC1 8001 Dr. Chen, Dr. Lim, Dr. Vaughan shares room with MARS
CMPT-CBL cs-compbio Computational Biology Lab TASC1 9006 Dr. Chindelevitch, Dr. Libbrecht, Dr. Sahinalp, Dr. Wiese shares room with DBL
CMPT-CLL cs-cl Computational Logic Lab TASC1 9001, TASC1 9404 Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Ternovska shares room with NLL
CMPT-DBL cs-dblab Database and Datamining Lab TASC1 9006 Dr. Ester, Dr. X. Hu, Dr. K. Wang shares room with CBL
CMPT-DBWK cs-dbwk Ke Wang's Database research group TASC1 9006 Dr. K. Wang a group within DBL
CMPT-DELTA cs-delta DEep Learning Theory and Applications TASC1 9404 Dr. W.Y. Chen temporarily shares room with DBL
CMPT-DIS cs-dis Data-Intensive Systems TASC1 8210, TASC1 9400 Dr. T.Z. Wang shares rooms with other Systems research groups
CMPT-DSL cs-dsl Database Systems Lab TASC1 9217 Dr. J.N. Wang, Dr. Miao  
CMPT-GrUVi cs-gruvi Graphics, Usability, and Visualization Lab TASC1 8004 & Co. Dr. Aksoy, Dr. Mahdavi-Amiri, Dr. Yin, Dr. Zhang shares rooms with 3DLG, Theia & VML
CMPT-HCI cs-hci Human Computer Interaction TASC1 9200 & TASC1 9201 Dr. Chilana, Dr. N. Vincent, Dr. X.D. Yang  
CMPT-iXLab cs-ixlab Interactive eXperience Lab TASC1 9200 & TASC1 9201 Dr. Carpendale, Dr. Chilana, Dr. N. Vincent, Dr. X.D. Yang includes HCI
CMPT-MARS cs-mars Multi-Agent Robotics Systems TASC1 8001, TASC1 8005 Dr. Chen shares room with AiRob, AutoLab & ROSIE
CMPT-MELLOW cs-mellow Motion and Embodied Learning Lab of Western-Canada TASC1 8000, TASC1 8001, TASC1 8005 Dr. X.B. Peng shares room with AiRob, AutoLab, ROSIE & etc.
CMPT-MIAL cs-mial Medical Image Analysis Lab TASC1 9003 Dr. Hamarneh  
CMPT-MRS cs-msr Memory Systems Research TASC1 8210, TASC1 9400 Dr. Alameldeen computers named ARCH; aka Memory Architecture Lab; shares rooms with other Systems research groups
CMPT-NLL cs-natlang Natural Language Lab TASC1 9404 Dr. Popowich, Dr. Sarkar, Dr. Schulte including Dr. Schulte's group; shares room with 3DLG, TAI
CMPT-NML cs-nml Network Modeling Lab TASC1 9002 Dr. Gu, Dr. Liu aka. Network Modeling Group
CMPT-NMSL cs-nmsl Network and Multimedia Systems Lab TASC1 8208 Dr. Hefeeda NMSL also uses room SRYE 4008
CMPT-PADCOMP cs-padcomp TASC1 8210 Dr. Vincent shares room with Tangent lab
CMPT-PARG cs-parg Program Analysis Research Group TASC1 9000, TASC1 9400 Dr. Sumner shares rooms with other Systems research groups
CMPT-PDCL cs-pdcl Parallel Distributed Computing Lab TASC1 9400 Dr. Vora shares rooms with other Systems research groups
  cs-robotics Robotics Lab TASC1 7000, TASC1 8001, TASC1 8005, TASC1 8201 incl. AIRob, MARS, MELLOW, ROSIE umbrella group for research in field of robotics
CMPT-ROSIE cs-rosie Robots with Social Intelligence and Empathy Lab TASC1 8201 Dr. Lim also uses rooms TASC1 7000, 8001 & 8005
CMPT-RSL cs-rsl Reliable Systems Lab TASC1 9000 Dr. Ko shares room with PARG, SERG & SimPL
CMPT-SERG cs-serg Software Engineering Research Group TASC1 9000 Dr. S. Alimadadi shares room with PARG, RSL & SimPL
CMPT-SimPL cs-simpl Simon Fraser Programming Languages TASC1 9000, TASC1 9400 Dr. Miltner, Dr. Y.P. Wang shares rooms with PARG, RSL & SERG
CMPT-SSec cs-ssec System Security Group TASC1 9406 Dr. J.L. Wu shares room with AISL & STL
CMPT-STL cs-stl Software Technology Lab TASC1 9406 & TASC1 9431 Dr. Glässer, Dr. T. Wang aka Software Engineering Lab
  cs-systems Systems Lab TASC1 8210, TASC1 9400 incl. ARCH, DIS, MSR, PARG, PDCL, RSL, SERG umbrella group for research in field of computer systems
CMPT-TAI cs-tai Trustworthy AI Lab TASC1 9404 Dr. Y.L. Li shares room with 3DLG, CLL & NLL
CMPT-Tangent cs-tangent TASC1 8210 Dr. L. Kim shares room with PADCOMP
CMPT-Theia cs-theia Light and Sight Research Group TASC1 8002.1 & Co. Dr. Tagliasacchi shares rooms with 3DLG, GrUVi & VML
CMPT-TL cs-theory Theory Lab TASC1 9001 Dr. Amy, Dr. Bulatov, Dr. Kabanets, Dr. Shinkar includes ACO (Algorithms, Complexity, and Optimization Group), shares room with CLL
CMPT-VML cs-vml Vision & Media Lab TASC1 8000 & Co. Dr. Furukawa, Dr. X.B. Peng, Dr. Savva, Dr. Tagliasacchi shares rooms with 3DLG, GrUVi, Theia & etc.
 
CMPT-MICA   Medical Image Computing and Analysis      
CMPT-MCL   Medical Computing Lab   Dr. Atkins  
CMPT-LFPL   Logic and Functional Programming Lab      
CMPT-SCIRF          
CMPT-Vivarium   a group of CMPT-ENSC joint labs     includes GrUVi, MIAL, SCIRF, VML
 
Research Labs - Surrey Campus
Acronym AKA Official Name Room #s Directors Remarks
CMPT-GOL   Grad Open Lab SUR 4112    
CMPT-BIO   Bioinformatics Lab SUR 4190 Dr. Wiese  
CMPT-Health-Hub cs-dhh-user Digital Health Hub SUR 4190 Dr. Wiese, Dr. D'Arcy CMPT-Health-Tech
CMPT-NMSL cs-nmsl Network and Multimedia Systems Lab SYRE 4008 Dr. Karimi NMSL also uses room TASC1 8208
CMPT-OSL   Open Source Lab SUR 4120 Dr. Cameron  
  NeuroTech Lab Surrey Memorial Hospital Dr. D'Arcy  

To know more about the research lab you are in, please visit our "Resources for Research Labs" page.

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Last updated @ 2025.10.06