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Computers and Networking
Active Directory (AD) is a set of services running on network servers that provide a framework for authentication for your desktop computer, network-based storage services, and computer administration. At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, the central IT department, OIT, is providing Active Directory services to the entire Twin Cities campus. You can read more about it at the U of M's main AD page. The College of Design is using Active Directory services today. The amount of storage available varies. Faculty and staff have up to 5 GB of space for their files that don't need to be shared with others. Each department also has additional space which can be used to store files to be shared internally and with other departments in the college. In the future Active Directory will make it possible for college IT staff to quickly and easily update installed software simultaneously for the entire college. That means even faster and better service for you. University Technology Training offers an online AD Orientation.
If your computer has wireless capability, you can easily connect to the internet on campus Information on wireless connections can be found on the University's Wireless page.
You can connect to the network shares from your home computer. Instructions are available for these Operating Systems: Windows XP, Vista, OS X 10.4.x, OS 10.5.x
A new employee must create their account in Active Directory before they can be given access to computers and the network file storage. Instructions are available. After they have an account in Active Directory, the supervisor should contact Design IT to request the new employee's access to department files on the network, if needed.
If something is not working we would like to know about it. Please contact Design IT at 612-626-7760. You may also check the central System Status page, or call 1-HELP (612-301-4357) to see if it is a university-wide problem.
To connect to the network using secure wireless, follow OIT's instructions for your computer's operating system. If you are using a Mac, click Continue on a message about a certificate, if you see one. A map of wireless coverage on campus is available.
NetFiles provides data storage with collaboration and sharing features. It is available to all Staff, Faculty and Students. For more information, see the NetFiles site. A quickstart guide is available.
Data stored on Active Directory file shares is backed up regularly. A backup solution for files that are not stored on these shares is being tested at this time. The recommendation and pricing information will be forthcoming.
Our standard licensed software includes: Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Adobe CS4 Design Premium (Acrobat Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver) Symantec Antivirus Oracle Calendar (UMCal) We install Mozilla Thunderbird for E-mail and Mozilla Firefox for our Internet browser. Other titles may be available. Please contact us with any questions.
We can facilitate the purchase of any new software you need. Please contact us.
The University Technology Training Center offers a variety of courses. Online and face-to-face classes are available.
Please contact us for assistance with hardware purchasing.
Design IT has standard configurations for new PC and Mac desktop computers. Please contact us for current information.
Design IT has standard PC and Mac configurations for new laptop computers. Please contact us for current information. The MacBook Air has been evaluated and our recommendation may be found here. Recommendations for student laptops may be found here.
University of Minnesota policy is that Internet passwords must be changed at least once per year. To change your Internet password go to the MyAccount Web site, click on Change your Internet Password and follow the instructions. There are some things to be aware of when you do change your password. If your old password was saved in an application, it may need to be updated. Instructions for updating your password in some of these applications are available.
Per University policy, encryption of private data stored on laptop computers or other portable devices is required. The product selected for encryption is Pointsec. If you have a university owned laptop that is not encrypted already, please contact us to schedule the encryption. For more information about this process, please see this FAQ document.
Phishing attacks use e-mails and web sites to trick recipients into divulging information such as account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, or credit card information. You will not be asked to provide your password via email by a legitimate University office. If you encounter a phishing attack that specifically targets the University of Minnesota, please report it to OIT Security and Assurance at abuse@umn.edu. For more information on phishing, see the U's Safe Computing site.
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