• Turn off the display after several minutes of inactivity, and
• Put the hard drive into standby mode after 30-60 minutes of inactivity

She measured a savings of 1.16 kWh per day, which translates to…

1.16 kWh/day * 250 days/year * 2600 students = 754,000 kWh. That’s worth more than $120,000!

For instructions on setting your own computer display to automatically switch to sleep mode (instead of a power-wasting screen saver) after a period of inactivity, see: http://www.smith.edu/its/estar/

The Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications used to commit these violations include BitTorrent, Gnutella, Limewire, and Ares.  If you have any of these applications or similar ones on your computer, we recommend that you remove them immediately.

If you choose to keep P2P software on your computer and are detected using it to distribute copyright-protected material, please be aware of the consequences.  You will first be notified that you are in violation of federal copyright law and the college’s policy on the acceptable use of computer resources.  If you do not remove the software at that time, your network access will be disabled and you will be required to meet with the Dean of Students.  If the problem persists, the matter will be referred to the Judicial Board.

Please take the appropriate steps to avoid disciplinary actions and potential legal problems for yourself.

Personal wireless routers are not permitted because they interfere with regular network access for other students located near them. 

If you have a wireless router connected to the network, please disconnect it immediately. Otherwise, your access to the network will be disabled until the router is removed.

Please note that this requirement is clearly stated in the college’s Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Resources and Wireless Network Policy. 

Thank you for your help in ensuring that the Smith network is available to all students.

(1) Smith uses Novell GroupWise for email. If you haven’t tried your GroupWise account yet, here’s how to get started:

- Open a Web browser and go to the Smith homepage: http://www.smith.edu
- Click on the GroupWise Web button in the lower right of the window.
- In the first GroupWise window, click on the Go button.
- In the GroupWise login window, enter your GroupWise username and password.

Your username is usually your first initial followed by the first 7 letters of your last name. (For example, Anna Reyerson’s username would be “areyerso”.) Your initial password is the first 8 numbers of your 9-digit Smith ID number.

If your username and password combination doesn’t work, it could be because your username is an exception to the rule. (Exceptions are required when more than one person has the same first initial and last name.) To check your username:

- Go to Smith’s on-line directory.
- Enter your last name in the Name box and click the Search button.
- When the directory page appears, locate your own entry and note the username in your Smith email address (the part of the address before “@smith.edu”).

If you don’t see a directory entry for yourself, it just means you haven’t been added to the system yet. Check again in a day or two and it should be there.

(2) If you will be living in a Smith residence house, be sure to read the minimum hardware requirements for computers connected to the Smith Residential Network (ResNet).

(3) If you’re planning to buy a new computer before you come to Smith, the Smith Computer Store web page.

(4) In all Smith residence houses and most Smith buildings with wireless access, students are required to go through a log-in process called Cisco Clean Access to access the Internet. Clean Access registers your computer on the Smith Residence Network (ResNet), and if you have a Windows computer, it also scans your computer to make sure the following required Windows software is installed:

• All “Important” and “Critical” Windows updates: To check the status of your Windows updates, open Internet Explorer and go to Tools, then Windows Update. When the update window opens and completes its check, click the Express button to download and install the recommended updates. If you are missing multiple updates, you may need to restart your computer and repeat this process several times to get all the updates you need.
• McAfee VirusScan for Windows: This required software protects your computer from viruses as well as parasiteware. Once you know your GroupWise username and password, you can download a free copy of McAfee VirusScan from the Smith software download site: http://www.smith.edu/smithsoftwareBut FIRST, BEFORE you install McAfee VirusScan, check to see if you have any other anti-virus software installed on your Windows computer (such as Norton AntiVirus, Sophos, or even a trial version of McAfee). If you do, UN-INSTALL it before you install VirusScan, or VirusScan will not work properly.

We strongly recommend that you install all Windows updates and McAfee VirusScan before you get to campus, because it’s much easier to do from home. Note that you will not be granted full access to the Internet at Smith until all required software is installed.

(5) If you have Office 2007 for Windows or Office 2008 for Mac installed on your computer, please read this important information about sharing documents with people who don’t have Office 2007/2008.

(6) You can view a screencast about installing and using Cisco Clean Access by going to Smith’s new iTunes U site. When the page opens, scroll down until you can click on ITS Screencasts, then click on Connecting to the Internet in Your Room & CCA.

While you’re there, check out other ITS screencasts that explain how to download free Smith software, how to remove programs from your computer, and how and where you can use wireless services at Smith. (If you have any ideas about how we can improve our screencasts, please send them to tara@smith.edu.)
…………………

Questions? If you have any questions about the information in this TechNotes post, please call the User Support Center at 413-585-4487 (open weekdays from 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM) or send email to 4its@smith.edu.

To view all TechNotes posts, click on the word “TechNotes” at the top of this page.

For software instructions, user guides, and tips on a variety of technology topics, visit Smith’s TARA (Technology And Resource Adviser) web site.

The college switched to this simpler form to save keystrokes, streamline our email processing, and give Smith addresses the same format used by most other academic institutions.

IMPORTANT: Use your @smith.edu address to log in to the MessageScreen quarantine system. Also, if you subscribe to any email lists, you may need to change your subscription setup so you can continue posting to the list..

For more information, click here. 

Wireless is a shared resource with relatively low bandwidth. Imagine that the wireless router is a sprinkler, and each computer connecting to the router is a bucket — so when one computer requests a lot of bandwidth from the router (imagine they’re using a larger bucket), everyone else’s available bandwidth can decline. So, for better performance, please use an Ethernet connection to download large files, run Windows Updates, watch streaming video, use VoIP, and so forth.

Wireless is insecure. All wireless networks are less secure than wired connections. Moreover, the wireless in the residence houses is not encrypted, so please do not use wireless for any services that require you to enter sensitive personal information (for example, your Banner PIN, credit card number, or online banking information).

Wireless in the houses is monitored by CCA. When you use the wireless in a residence house, instead of signing in through Blue Socket (like all other access points on campus, in the library, campus center, etc), you will sign into Cisco Clean Access. So, if you need a Windows Update or new Virus Definition, run your updates on a wired connection (it will be faster) before you try connecting to the wireless in your house. For more information on accessing wireless from a residence house, click here.

More Questions? Email 4its@smith.edu or call the User Support Center at x4487.

Wireless at Smith

Smith College provides wireless access points in multiple locations across campus, including the Libraries, the Science Center, Stoddard Hall, and the Campus Center. This wireless is managed by BlueSocket, which has you login each time you connect to an access point.

Wireless service is also available in the common areas of Smith residence houses, which is managed by Cisco Clean Access, and also requires to login each time you connect to the access point.

For more information, see: Using an iPhone or iPod Touch at Smith

Email

GroupWise email can be accessed via the desktop client, WebAcess (web mail), or a POP/IMAP client. You can setup most wireless mobile devices to access email via POP or IMAP. ITS recommends that you use IMAP if it is available on your device.

To setup email on your iPhone or iPod Touch, read the instructions on TARA.

To setup email on another mobile device, check out the instructions for setting up email clients on TARA to find the correct host names and settings.

Please do NOT respond to any web-based attempts to get you to install anti-spyware software. As long as you have an up-to-date version of McAfee VirusScan+AntiSpyware on your computer, you are well protected.

If Smith receives a DMCA notice that identifies your computer as an offender, you will receive an email notice from Herb Nickles, Executive Director of ITS.

PLEASE NOTE: If you receive a copyright infringement notice from Herb Nickles, you MUST respond IMMEDIATELY and remove all peer-to-peer (P2P) software from your computer.

If you do not respond, you will no longer be able to use the Smith College Residence Network until all P2P file-sharing software is removed from your computer, regardless of your academic responsibilities.

Students who violate the Smith College Acceptable Use Policy on copyright infringement may also face the Dean of Students and the Smith College Judicial Board.

For instructions on removing and disabling P2P applications on your computer, click here.

To read Smith’s formal copyright-infringement notification policy, click here.

For more information on copyright infringement and the RIAA, read these previous TechNotes posts:

• Downloads & Slow Network Speed
• Link Round-up: (Free) Alternatives to Illegal File Sharing
• Link Round-Up: Copyright & File Sharing
• Answers: Copyright Infringement Reminder
• Update: The RIAA & You & Smith
• The RIAA & You & Smith

If you have Firefox 3, you may want to print these instructions before you arrive on campus:

1. At the bottom of the error page, click on:  Or you can add an exception.
2. Click on the Add exception button.
   
3. In the next window, click on the Get Certificate button, then on the Confirm Security Exception button.
   
4. If necessary, repeat steps 1-3 above.
5. Now you can login to the Smith Residential Network using your Novell username & password.

That will solve the problem, and you can continue logging on as usual.