General Network and Computer FAQ
Here are answers for some of the most frequently asked questions about computers and the campus network at Illinois Wesleyan University . If there are other topics you'd like to see covered, please let us know by contacting the ITS Service Desk.
MyIWU
Disk Space Quotas
E-mail
Firewall and Gaming
FTP (file transfer protocol)
Internet Bandwidth shaping
Internet connection speed
Listservs
Passwords
Printer Problems
Proxy (for off-campus access)
ssh
Spam blocking
Virus Protection
Web Bulletin Boards
Wireless Networking
MyIWU
What is MyIWU? MyIWU is the name for Illinois Wesleyan's web portal software. MyIWU
provides a way to organize various information services available to you on campus.
These services include email, campus news, course tools, calendars, course registration
and more. What do I need to do to get a MyIWU account?All Illinois Wesleyan students,
faculty, and staff are automatically set up with accounts to use MyIWU services. Click
for the MyIWU Video Tutorial Series.
Disk Space Quotas
I received an e-mail message saying I'm approaching my quota. What's that? In order
to ensure that the University's main student server can perform effectively and fairly,
the office of Information Technology places limits on the amount of disk space used
by any individual.
How can I read my email if I'm off campus? The easiest way to read your email off
campus is to use the Gmail interface to access your mail. You may access email through
your MyIWU account. You can also use email programs (e.g., Outlook or Thunderbird)
to read your email from off campus.
Firewall and Gaming
Can you please open a port for me on the firewall? I want to run a game. The campus
firewall is different from a firewall on your personal computer, or a firewall on
a home router. Almost all outgoing ports on the campus firewall are already open.
Although your game maker may tell you to open a port (or ports) on the firewall, in
the vast majority of cases those ports are already open on the campus firewall (note:
if you are running a firewall on your personal computer, you will still need to enable
those ports on your personal firewall.)However, computers from outside the campus
network cannot initiate a connection to your computer. Your computer does not use
an IP address that is directly accessible to other computers on the Internet. This
means that while you should be able to play most games on the Internet, you won't
be able to host a game on your computer for other players on the Internet. My game
runs fine at home, but on campus it's much slower. Can you help? Game performance
can be the result of several factors, including: off-campus servers, Internet resources,
the campus internet connection speed, and internet bandwidth shaping. Game performance
may also suffer if you run peer-to-peer file sharing applications. ITS staff will
help troubleshoot game performance problems as time allows. Call 309-556-3900 for assistance, or use the on-line help request form.
FTP
What is FTP? FTP stands for file transfer protocol. It is a way to get files from
your personal computer to a server and back. There are a number of programs that make
FTP easier such as Fetch for the Macintosh. How do I use FTP to update my web-site
from off-campus? FTP from off-campus to university servers is not allowed through
the firewall. You will need to use SFTP (which stands for secure file transfer protocal;
it encrypts the files as they are being transferred and better protects the data you
are moving). You can also use a secure file transfer client such as WinSCP for Windows,
or Fetch for Mac OSX.
Internet Bandwidth Shaping
What is Internet bandwidth shaping (aka traffic shaping) and why are we shaping Internet
bandwidth at IWU? Please see our web page on Internet bandwidth shaping at Illinois
Wesleyan. Are other universities shaping their Internet traffic? Yes.
Internet Connection Speed
How fast is Illinois Wesleyan's connection to the Internet?Illinois Wesleyan leases
a OC3 line to connect the University's campus network with the Internet. Our OC3 line
provide enough bandwidth to permit up to 155 megabits per second of data traffic to
and from the Internet. The number of people who can use these connections varies.
A simple request to view a web page can use several hundred bits for a few seconds.
A large file transfer may use hundreds of bits per second, and take several minutes. Why
does my computer seem to go fast at some times and slow at other times? The speed
of your connection to a site on the Internet is affected by many factors. Places that
slowdowns could occur include: Your computer - are you running any other programs,
have you restarted lately? The campus backbone - typically not a problem, our backbone
speed is 1000 megabits per second (gigabit Ethernet)The campus Internet connection
- if the campus tries to send and receive more than 155 megabits per second, you could
notice a delay.The Internet - sometimes parts of the Internet get too busy, this could
cause delays. One place to go for a view of Internet traffic delays is this Internet
Weather Report.The site you are trying to reach - again, if too many people are trying
to reach that site, or if it is experiencing other problems, you will see delays.
Listservs
What is a listserv? How do I subscribe to a listserv? A listserv is the common name
used for an automated mailing list. By joining a listserv you can receive and send
e-mail with others interested in the topic of that mailing list. There are thousands
of listservs on various topics available on the internet. IWU also provides a listserv
service to support its academic program and promote University communications. What
are the IWU listservs? You see a current list of IWU listservs by pointing your browser
to lists.iwu.edu What do I need to do to start a new listserv? Before you request
a new listerv, you may want to investigate the bulletin boards and groups offered
in MyIWU. If you still think you need a listserv, faculty, staff and student organizations
that want to start a new listserv should call the ITS Hotline 309-556-3900 for additional
information.
Passwords
forgot my password, what should I do? Call the ITS Hotline 306-556-3900 for assistance.
Printer Problems
My printer isn't working, help! Here are a few tips to check before you call 3900.
First, check and make sure the printer is turned on and plugged in. Then check to
make sure that all cable connections are secure. If you have power, and your printer
is feeding paper, check you toner cartridge. My printer is out of toner -- what now?
For University printers, please contact IT Services with the make and model of your
printer and the departmental billing code. We will be happy to place an order for
a replacement toner cartridge.
Proxy Server
What is the proxy server? If you view Illinois Wesleyan web pages from on campus,
you have access to the full range of University intranet services. These services
include the Information Technology Hotline, the LIbrary's Lexis/Nexis and FirstSearch
services, and vaiorus other campus-only information services. If you are off campus,
and want to use these services, you will be prompted to enter your username and password
which will allow you access through the University's proxy server.
ssh
What is ssh? ssh is a secure version of telnet. ssh provides a secure shell to encrypt
your telnet session.. Where do I get ssh?Here are few links for ssh for Windows, Macintosh,
and Unix. You can find more at Freessh.org
Spam Blocking
Does Illinois Wesleyan do anything to block spam (unsolicited commercial e-mail)?
Since the University has moved to Google as our educational email provider, our mail
is filtered through Google's spam monitoring devices. I received a harrassing e-mail
message. What should I do? Please forward the message, including full header information,
to
spam-abuse@iwu.edu. What else can I do to prevent receiving junk e-mail? The Federal Trade Commission provides more tips and guidelines for dealing with spam and junk e-mail at http://www.ftc.gov/spam/.
spam-abuse@iwu.edu. What else can I do to prevent receiving junk e-mail? The Federal Trade Commission provides more tips and guidelines for dealing with spam and junk e-mail at http://www.ftc.gov/spam/.
Virus Protection
Does Illinois Wesleyan have virus protection software I can put on my computer? Yes.
Illinois Wesleyan has site licenses for anti-virus software for Windows computers.
Please call the IT Help Desk at 309-556-3900 for information about installing anti-virus
software on your computer, or see this web page for do it yourself anti-virus installation instructions. Please call the IT Help
Desk at 309-556-3900 for information about removing viruses and spyware from your
computer, or see this web page for do it yourself instructions for removing viruses and spyware.
Web Bulletin Boards
I'd like to set up a web bulletin board, what do I need to do? All classes are automatically
set-up with a web bulletin board within MyIWU. After logging into MyIWU, click on
the "Groups" button for more information about how to set-up a MyIWU group.
Wireless Networking
Does the University offer secure wireless networking on campus? Yes, the University
provides access to secure wireless networking in selected locations on campus. How
do I connect my computer to the campus wireless network? If you have a wireless network
card in your computer, you can connect to the campus wireless network by following these instructions.
Phone: (309)556-3900
Still Need Help?
3900/Chat: 3900 Help Request System
Location: Ames Library 3rd floor,Thorpe Center