CS Technical FAQ

What is the MSDN Academic Alliance?
Who is eligible to download software through the MSDN-AA?
What products and services are included in the MSDN-AA membership?
Does the membership include Office and FrontPage?
Where can I get this software?
Where can I get help with / more information about MSDN-AA?

What is the MSDN Academic Alliance?

The MSDN Academic Alliance is an annual membership program for the Computer Science department. As a member, the department receives an MSDNAA subscription that Microsoft platform, servers, and developer tools software. This software may be installed on any number of departmental lab machines. The software must be used for instructional and research purposes, it may not be used to run the infrastructure of the department. In addition, the department"s faculty and students may check-out or download the software to install on their personal computers.

The program has two primary goals: 1) to make it easier and less expensive for you to obtain Microsoft developer tools, platforms, and servers for instructional and research purposes and 2) to build a community of instructors who can share curriculum and other learning resources to support the use of these technologies.

Who is eligible to download software through the MSDN-AA?

Our license allows the following individuals to install MSDN-AA software on their personal computers for use in coursework and personal non-commercial projects:

• Students taking at least one for-credit course offered by the member department
• Faculty members of the member department
• Staff directly responsible for administering the MSDNAA program

If you are not in one of these groups, don't despair. Contact your department to find out if they have their own MSDN-AA contract and if you are eligible to use it.

What products and services are included in the MSDNAA membership?

• Visual Studio .NET Professional (including Student and Faculty Tools)
• Windows XP, Windows 2000, and other Microsoft operating systems
• .NET Enterprise Servers: Windows servers, SQL Server, Exchange Server, Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, Host Integration Server, Systems Management Server, Sharepoint Portal Server, and several others
• Microsoft Project Professional
• Microsoft Visio Professional
• Software development kits (SDKs), betas, new releases, and updates
• Development tools for Windows CE

Does the membership include Office and FrontPage?

No, the membership does not include Office or FrontPage. The focus of the MSDN Academic Alliance is on providing departments, faculty, and students with the tools necessary for specialized research and study in software development and testing. Thus, Microsoft provides products and technologies such as Windows XP, Visual Studio .NET, SQL Server, and Platform SDK.

Office and FrontPage are not in line with these specific goals, since the program is primarily focused on high-end technologies rather than basic web design and consumer applications. Note: the MSDN Library does include developer documentation for Office.

The department has entered into the UC MCCA agreement with Microsoft. Our agreement covers Office (all versions, including Mac) for the faculty, lecturers, and staff. Unfortunately, we could not cover the Graduate students or researchers as this proved cost-prohibitive. People not covered by the MCCA agreement may obtain Office and other products at academic discounts through either the Campus Bookstore or Software Depot.

Where can I get this software?

All software is available through the MSDN-AA website. The URL is: https://msdn07.e-academy.com/ucsb_cs/. The MSDN-AA site offers two options for obtaining software:
1) direct download
2) postal delivery (fees may apply)

Where can I get help / more information about MSDN-AA?

Please read the MSDN-AA FAQ before contacting either MDSN-AA support or CS Support. Additional information about the MSDN-AA program can be found at their website: http://www.msdnaa.net/.