Guide to Reservation Types

Three different kinds of reservation can be made in Pharos SignUp:

  • Immediate, where users walk up to an unused computer and log on.
  • Queued, where users add themselves to a queue in a particular location at the time they wish to use a workstation. The Queued Reservation is made on the Reservations screen at the Pharos Station.
  • Scheduled, where users complete the reservation procedure in advance using the Reservations screen at the Pharos Station, and are allocated a specific computer for a given period. A group of Scheduled reservations can be created as a Block reservation for a class or other group event.

These types differ in a number of respects, most importantly in the way that they are made.

Which reservation types are available at any given computer depends on the Computer Group that the computer belongs to. Available reservation types are configured for each Computer Group at SignUp >  Computer Groups.

All reservation types can be placed as Express reservations, if this option is enabled. Express reservations allow users who do not have an account in the Pharos database to reserve and use computers.

Immediate Reservations

An Immediate reservation is made when a user logs on to an idle computer that is available for use (i.e. is not already reserved). There is no need to use a Reservation Station. If the SignUp Client is displaying "Available for Use", an Immediate Reservation can be made.

The SignUp Client logon screen shows how long the computer can be used for. This is determined by the Maximum Reservation Duration, or the amount of time before a Scheduled reservation starts on that computer, whichever is shorter.

Queued Reservations

When a user makes a Queued reservation, their name is added to the end of the list of users currently waiting to use a PC. As PCs become available, they are assigned to users in order. Users are informed when a computer has been assigned to them, and must log on within a specified time, otherwise their reservation lapses, and the computer will be assigned to the next user in the queue.

Pharos Stations offer Queued reservations for the computers in the same Branch as the Pharos Station. The Pharos Station is usually supported by one or more Queue Stations, which display the active reservations and the matches made between users and available computers

Users with Proctor or higher level access can make Queued reservations for other users with the Nerve Center web application.

The reservation queue is purged when the location is unavailable (as determined by the Access Times schedule for that location).

Standby Reservations

Where Queued and Scheduled reservations are offered in the same group, Standby reservations allow a second type of Queued reservation to be offered - one with a shorter duration, which can more easily be fitted into the gaps between Scheduled reservations. When making a Queued reservation, users can be given the choice of making a reservation for the normal Queued reservation duration, or making a shorter Standby reservation, which is more likely to be available sooner.

For example: A site offers Scheduled and Queued reservations of 60 minutes, and Standby reservations of 30 minutes. User A makes a Scheduled reservation for 11:00 and user B is assigned a Scheduled reservation on the same PC at the next available time of 12:00. User A logs on and uses the PC for 20 minutes, and at 11:20 the PC becomes free for use. However, because there is now only 40 minutes until the next Scheduled reservation, there is not enough time to insert a full 60-minute Queued reservation into the gap. A Standby reservation will fit in this gap, however, so the next Standby user waiting in the queue will be assigned to the PC, ahead of any users who have requested a full Queued reservation.

To enable standby reservations, set the Standby Reservation Duration properties at SignUp > Computer Types [selected Branch] >[selected Computer Type] to values greater than zero.

Setting a Scheduled Reservation Lockout period for Pharos Stations where Scheduled reservations are made can also cut down on the number of problematic gaps between reservations.

Scheduled Reservations

A Scheduled reservation is made by a user for a specific time and duration. When the reservation is first made, the SignUp system assigns a PC that is available during the specified period. When the reservation is due to start, the PC is assigned to the user who made the reservation. Only this user will be able to log on and use it.

Scheduled reservations are made at a Pharos Station. Users can make a Scheduled reservation for themselves with the Nerve Center web application. Users with Proctor or higher level access can make Scheduled reservations for other users.

Scheduled Reservations can be made in blocks with the Nerve Center, to allow a computer lab to be reserved for a class or other group activity.

Starting Scheduled Reservations Early

Scheduled reservations can be started early, if the reserved computer is free prior to the reservation start time. The time between the user logging on and the reservation's original start time must be less than the Maximum Reservation Duration for the Computer; otherwise it is counted as a separate session, which will be ended once the user's original reservation comes due.

On sites that offer Scheduled Reservations only, sessions cannot be started early, as there no way of logging on until the reservation comes due.

When a user logs on early, they SignUp Client displays a message indicating that this is the case:

If the session would have been shorter than the Maximum Reservation Duration, it can be extended by logging on early (provided the user's quotas allow it). A session cannot be made longer than the Maximum Reservation Duration by logging on early, however.

Examples

  1. Bob has reserved a computer that has a Maximum Reservation Duration of 30 minutes for 3:00pm. There are no other reservations before his, and at 2:50 he logs on to the computer. His session ends 30 minutes later at 3:20pm, where it would normally have ended at 3:30pm.
  2. Jane has reserved a computer that has a Maximum Reservation Duration of 30 minutes at 11:45am. There is another reservation on this computer at 12:00pm, so her session is for 15 minutes. There are no other reservations before hers, and Jane logs on to the computer at 11:35. Her session ends at 12:00, lasting 25 minutes instead of 15.

Block Reservations

A staff member can use the Nerve Center application to create a block of Scheduled reservations for a class or other group activity. Block reservations are made for all or some of the computers in a single Computer Group.

In cases where the activity is unsupervised, a special password can be specified for the block, so that only users who have been informed about the activity can use the block-reserved computers. Where the users participating in the activity have Pharos User accounts, they log on to the SignUp Client as normal. Where users have Pharos accounts, a set of guest logon details is specified for all users. (The user does not have to supply these details - they are logged on automatically.)