Getting Connected to the Colgate Network

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Colgate University provides both wired and wireless connections to the network. Every residential room has 1 Ethernet port per person and wireless is available through out campus.

Wireless, while it is available through out campus, is still considered a supplement to an Ethernet connection. Colgate just installed a new wireless system that will provide students with high speed connections to the network.

To connect using wireless follow these instructions: http://wiki.colgate.ed

Registering Your MAC Address

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The Media Access Control address (MAC address) is a unique identifier assigned to network cards. It's important to register your MAC address so you can use Ethernet through out the campus.

For instructions on looking up your MAC address for a your type of computer go to the Colgate wiki.colgate.edu.

Adware and Spyware

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Pop-up advertisements have been part of the web experience for years but if you see pop-ups when your are not browsing the web then your computer may have been hijacked by malicious software known as adware. There are many differences between adware and viruses but both can slow the performance of our computer and may cause serious problems.

Spyware refers to programs that install themselves without permission and monitor anything from browsing habits to passwords and even adware programs usually perform some kind of tracking for market research.

Some adware can be installed unintentionally along with other applications. Purveyors of adware exploit the assumption that most people will not read the fine print. File-sharing programs, some free games and utilities are notorious for installing aware.
Some adware and spyware can be installed without permission when you visit web sites. This code can hijack the web browsers and change the default home page while installing adware. The best way to prevent this is keeping your anti-virus software up-to-date and running weekly or daily scans. For more information and links to help prevent and find adware software go to: http://wiki.colgate.edu/itwiki/AcademicTechnology:STRG/PublicPage#Software_Tools

Free Virus Protection

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Many computers on campus or at home, with either no virus protection software or out-of-date software, are damaged by viruses or malware. You can reduce your risk significantly by updating your virus software at least weekly. Computers without update anti-virus software are not allowed on the Colgate network. We strongly recommend that you either purchase antivirus software or use Colgate University's antivirus software provided to you free for personal use.

For more information and to download the EPO agent (Colgate's free Antivirus software) go to the Colgate wiki.

Protect your data before disaster strikes!!!!

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Without fail every semester someone falls victim to file corruption. Most often it happens at inconvenient times, for instance at deadlines. Losing your paper or research data will not get you out of the assignment or an extended deadline so be proactive and save your data multiple ways. Many things can cause a file to become corrupt: malware, viruses, power surges, application crashes and hardware failures.

Here are some tips to help you save your final project and important data from being lost.
Save your work often and use multiple methods of saving: harddrive, USB drive, email it to yourself and use free network storage such as Mozy.

This method may seem extreme until you lose 4 hours or more of your work and can not retrieve a backup of it from your harddrive. At that point you'll be glad you took 20 seconds out of every hour to backup your work. Remember there is no excuses or extended deadlines allowed for lost data, be smart by being proactive.

Getting Technology Help at Colgate

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This is a overview of IT services provided by Colgate University to support personal computing. Students may receive technical help in a variety of ways through the Student Operated User Resource Center (SOURCe). SOURCe is comprised of: Helpdesks, Diagnostics Call Center(DCCT), Residential Computer Counsultant (RCC). However you may also get help through FAQ's, wiki.colgate.edu, sssource@colgate.edu, and this blog.

Helpdesks

At Colgate there are three student helpdesk locations: O'Connor Public Lab, Case Geyer Library; one on the 3rd floor and one of the 5th floor. Each helpdesk is setup to assist you with your public computing needs for the area they are located.

SOURCe DCCT or Student Operated User Resource Center Diagnostic Center

SOURCe services are free to all Colgate students and include everything from repairing a broken CD-ROM drive, to installing software, setting up antivirus software, removing spyware, and enabling wireless. The diagnostic center provides walk-in computer assistance Monday - Friday from Noon to 5pm and 7pm -10pm. You may call or email the diagnostic center during their hours of operation call: (315) 228-7111 and select option 3 for students or email them at sssource@students.colgate.edu.

RCC or Residential Computer Consultant

Residential Computer Consultant (RCC) services provide in-residence technology assistance to students. Every Colgate residence is assigned an RCC. There is even an RCC for students not on campus (e.g. living off campus, away on a study group, home for the summer, etc.) and an RCC dedicated to providing support for new students. Click on this link for details on DCCT hours and RCC listings and locations: http://wiki.colgate.edu/itwiki/AcademicTechnology:STRG/PublicPage#How_to_get_Help

Information Technology @ Colgate Unversity

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Colgate University is committed to the use of advanced information technology in support of teaching, research, and student learning. To enhance the academic environment, Colgate University has invested in a number of information technology resources including, state-of-the art general use and discipline – aligned computer labs: Internet and high-speed campus network connections; technology-enhanced services; high performance computing services; course management systems; multimedia development support; and access to a wide variety of commercial and course specific software.

Colgate University’s computing environment is a community effort and the value of these systems depends on how they are used. Information technology is transforming most academic fields of study at Colgate and forms an important part of the campus culture and community. The Student Technology Resource Center (SOURCe) takes great pride in providing reliable high-speed networking and friendly help desk services to help ensure your academic success and enrich your Colgate experience. SOURCe also believes that the teaching and learning of technology takes place outside the requirements of coursework, with students learning actively from each other. To foster this learning community and spirit of independent inquiry, Colgate University supports a diverse and comparatively open computing environment. As is so often the case, with this freedom comes increased responsibility. Internet security and Internet crime are important issues at Colgate University, as elsewhere. Unfortunately, some students forget that basic values and common sense also apply to cyber space. For example, some students, who would never dream of shoplifting, steal hundreds of dollars of worth of copyrighted online materials and then seem surprised when faced with criminal charges. Others, who would never leave their car unlocked with the keys in the ignition, causally forget to log out of workstations on the network. Unfortunately, the thoughtless or malicious actions of a few can affect the whole university’s computing environment and many of those who use it. This guide will help you learn how to take the simple precautions needed to ensure you computing experience at Colgate University is enriched.