January Student OrientationJanuary Student Orientation

Academic and Research Computing

January 2008

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Campus Computing Information Campus Computing Information and Resourcesand Resources

These slides will tell you about– campus computing services

– using your laptop

This presentation is available on line at http://helpdesk.rpi.edu/laptops/resources/

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The Voorhees Computing CenterThe Voorhees Computing Center

The VCC is THE place to go for help.

Here you will find:

• The Help Desk

• Rensselaer Computer Repair

• Rensselaer Campus Computer Store

It looks like a church.

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VCC Help DeskVCC Help Desk

Located in the VCC Lobby(open ‘til 10 PM, Sunday-Thursday)

276-7777

consult@rpi.edu

http://helpdesk.rpi.edu/ Have you helpdesk’ed today?

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Lower level of the VCC Monday-Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Laptop repairs - warranty and accidental damage (ThinkPad Protection)

Laptop loaners available for Mobile Computing Program participants

Certified technicians on site

Rensselaer Computer Repair (RCR)Rensselaer Computer Repair (RCR)

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Laptop accessories – mice, batteries, USB hubs, screen cleaning supplies

Peripherals - USB flash drives, CD/DVDs, cables, etc. Printers and accessories Software at an educational discount iPods and accessories

Available to RPI community only

VCC Main Floor

http://computerstore.rpi.edu

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RCS - Rensselaer Computing SystemRCS - Rensselaer Computing System

RCS offers many services including: public computers e-mail campus network Internet access file space for web pages and storage RPI LMS – some of your courses may use this

course learning management software

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Your RCS AccountYour RCS Account

Your RCS userID and password is your access to many of Rensselaer’s computing resources.

– You must change your password from the original!

– Different from your SIS account where the ID is your RIN and the password is six digits.

You are required to follow good computing practices. The computing “Conditions of Use” policy is available on the Help Desk web page.

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Appropriate Uses of RCSAppropriate Uses of RCS

Coursework/Research

Presentations

Electronic Mail/“Chatting”

To access your RPI LMS courses

Accessing campus public workstations

Searching the World Wide Web

Recreation/Games

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Inappropriate Uses of RCSInappropriate Uses of RCS

For commercial purposes

Displaying offensive materials

Copying licensed software illegally

Putting copyrighted materials on your homepage

Sending or forwarding chain mail, anonymous, harassing, or forged email

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E-mailE-mail

Append “@rpi.edu” to your userID for your email address:

jonesa@rpi.edu

Webmail allows for web-based access from any Internet-connected location:

webmail.rpi.edu

To configure other e-mail programs, go to the Help Desk web page and select Email.

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RESPITE – Campus Spam FilterRESPITE – Campus Spam Filter

http://respite.rpi.edu/

By default all email is filtered. Anything that is statistically likely to be Spam is rejected.

We recommend that you customize the Respite filter to suit your needs.

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Campus NetworkingCampus Networking

Wired and wireless connectivity is available VPN client is available for access from

off-campus Campus firewall

– Restrictions are listed in the Networking section of the Help Desk web page

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Campus PrintingCampus Printing

Public printers are available throughout campus – mostly black & white, but some color; large-scale plotters are available in the VCC

To print, you must set up printers on your system– How-to instructions are in the Printing section of the

Help Desk web page as well as printer locations and charges.

– Each semester, you are given an allocation for black and white printing. After you have used up your allocation, charges are placed on your student account. You are always charged directly for color printing and plotting.

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File SharingFile Sharing

File sharing is turned off by default on your laptop. Information on file sharing can be found in the Networking section of the Help Desk web page.

Do not illegally use or share copyrighted materials.

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Music and Video File Sharing Music and Video File Sharing … Legally… Legally

Ruckus is a legal downloading service for students at Rensselaer. Sign up if you are interested.

RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) actively work to find computers that are violating copyright laws. RPI students have been sued by RIAA for illegal activities.

RPI does not monitor student activities, but does log network activities when served with legal notice.

Be responsible!

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Caring for your laptopCaring for your laptop

Do not leave laptop unattended Use the security cable

(even in your room) Laptops don’t drink – avoid liquids Treat it gently – don’t stuff

too many books in your backpack Do not leave it in a car –

too hot, too cold, tempting to steal Periodically fully discharge

and recharge the battery

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Protecting Your DataProtecting Your Data

Don’t share passwords Beware of phishing attempts Don’t open attachments

when you aren’t expecting them and/or don’t know the sender

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Protecting your laptopProtecting your laptop

The laptop comes with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty and accidental damage coverage – take it to Rensselaer Computer Repair

Keep Windows up-to-date – set your laptop to update automatically

Remember - for information about the Mobile Computing Program and support for your laptop, go to www.rpi.edu/laptops

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No viruses and spyware hereNo viruses and spyware here

Symantec Antivirus software is pre-installed on your laptop– Keep it up-to-date using automatic (recommended) or

manual updates

– It’s available free to all RPI students, so you can also install it on a desktop.

Combat spyware: suggested software to install:– Windows Defender– Ad-Aware and Spybot

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Backup Your DataBackup Your Data

Rescue and Recovery – part of the ThinkVantage Productivity Center

DVD writer, USB flash drive, or external hard drive can be used to backup data

EZ-Snapshot - Campus network backup – 10 gigabytes of free backup storage– Need to register and configure this application.

See “Other Services” on the Help Desk web page.

Only you can protect your data!

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Back to the futureBack to the future

In the future, you might want to (or need to) put your system back to the out-of-the-box state. This is called “re-imaging”. We can assist with this process at the Help Desk.

But – this process destroys your data files and any applications you may have installed. You must back them up before re-imaging.

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Can’t remember all this?Can’t remember all this?

Just remember rpinfo.rpi.edu (the default home page on your laptop)

RPInfo: Rensselaer's Information System has direct links to Help Desk Respite Webmail Campus Computer Store SIS RPI LMS and much more!

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Rensselaer AcronymsRensselaer Acronyms

VCC – Voorhees Computing CenterARC – Academic and Research ComputingDotCIO – Division of the Chief Information Officer

RCS – Rensselaer Computing SystemRCR – Rensselaer Computer RepairRCCS – Rensselaer Campus Computer Store

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A New BeginningA New Beginning

Welcome to Rensselaer And

Happy Computing!