Dear new student at Jacobs University,

welcome to Jacobs University and it's rich and diverse IT world!

IRC-IT as the central IT department of Jacobs University provides you with a wide array of technology and services in the area of information technology and telecommunication at Jacobs University.

These pages will give you the most important information to get you started using our services and technology. Also, most relevant procedures and policies are laid out, please consider them carefully. Jacobs University and especially IRC-IT is still an evolving environment. Please expect changes in service and infrastructure during your stay.

Latest information regarding IRC-IT's services can be found on the IRC-IT home page at http://teamwork.jacobs-university.de/display/ircit/. Feel free to explore. You can stay tuned by reading or subscribing the IT Blog at http://teamwork.jacobs-university.de/display/ircit/Blog.

All the best for your study and research at Jacobs University,
Dr. Torge Schmidt, CTO

First Steps Upon Arrival

1. DON'T PANIC!
2. Read this document, slowly. All of it.
3. Only DURING O-Week:
   • Pickup your welcome package at registration desk. It will contain your email and CampusNet account.
   • Attend one of the IT presentations within the IRC.
   • Get your laptop, if you ordered one.
4. Only OUTSIDE O-Week: Pickup your email and CampusNet account from registrar or your program co-ordinator.
5. Set yourself a new CampusNet password.
6. Set up your email client.

Logins

Upon your arrival at Jacobs University, you will receive several logins:

CampusNet Account

CampusNet is also known as Jacobs University's "University Information System". It is the study management system of the university. All study-related workflows, including course registration and course material download, is done therein.

Your CampusNet user name usually consists of the first letter of your first name and then your lastname, up to 10 characters. There are special rules for handling conflicts.

If you are unsure, what your CampusNet user name is, or if you have an account at all, you can find out yourself by following [campusnetstudents:How to know your CampusNet user name].

If you ensured that you have a CampusNet account, you can then set a new password for yourself by following [campusnetstudents:How to set a new CampusNet Password]. You need to have Jacobs Email (see below) working for you to receive the link and password.

At the moment, resetting an unknown password is not possible. Please contact the CampusNet team instead.

The CampusNet password is also your password for other systems and applications, like WLAN Access, VPN Access, and teamwork (this very site).

Please note that after changing your CampusNet password it will take up to 30 minutes until other systems will be accessible with the new password.

CampusNet accounts will not work before the date of enrollment.

To contact CampusNet support, send a comprehensive email to campus.net@jacobs-university.de. Don't forget to include your full name, your CampusNet account, and a clear description of the issue.

Windows Domain "JACOBS" Account

You will need this account to access network resources like your home directory or printers.

The JACOBS domain account is completely driven by the CampusNet application.

Hence, your username and password in the Windows domain are your CampusNet credentials as described above.

Changing the Windows password is only possible by changing the CampusNet password as described above.

On the login screen, ensure that you select the JACOBS domain in the selection box.

For more details see How to login with the JACOBS domain account.

IT Resources

There are various IT resources at Jacobs University.

File Server

Network Home Drive/Home Directory

Each Jacobs member has access to a home directory on a file server for central storage of personal documents.

If your account name would be jsmith, the full UNC path to your home directory would be \\storage.jacobs-university.de\homeshare\j\jsmith

The network home drive is only available within Jacobs network. If off campus, please use VPN Access to connect to the Jacobs network before using the network home drive.

Storage quotas are in effect.

See the FAQ network home drive at Jacobs for more information.

Jacobs Directory

Following shortly, everyone will have access to a shared server for document storage.

Jacobs Email

Within your immatrikulation you'll get an email address and mailbox at Jacobs University. You should only use your Jacobs email address for communication within Jacobs University. Administrative information is also sent to this address, only.

Your email address will differ from your CampusNet user name resp. JACOBS user name. Always use the JACOBS user name for resource access, including email.

To change the email password, change the password of your CampusNet account, see the page CampusNet at Jacobs University

Jacobs University is NOT filtering emails for spam. See How to configure Jacobs Email for SPAM filtering for the reason and how to set it up yourself.

Email quotas are in effect.

Jacobs Email access is available world-wide. There is no need for VPN Access.

Web Interface

Access to Jacobs Email requires login to the email server with the JACOBS domain account. The user name to enter is the account name only, without the domain prefix (example: "jdoe" is right, "JACOBS\jdoe" will not work for web-based access to email).

Client Access

Supported client is Microsoft Outlook. Recommended connector is Exchange connect, autodiscovery of Outlook 2007 can be used for zero-configuration connection. IMAP and POP plus SMTP is also known to work, so any email client will work.

See Jacobs Email for more information about email at Jaocbs and [How to configure MS Outlook for Jacobs University Email] for configuration help.

Mailing Lists

Each student member of Jacobs University is member of the mailing list "jacobs-students-announce" with his/her Jacobs Email address. This list is mandatory to read, it is the official communication channel of Jacobs University to it's student members. It is a moderated list to ensure, that only Jacobs University representatives send out information. Not knowing content of that list is not acceptable!

In addition, each new Jacobs University member is member of the mailing list "jacobs-talk" for various chit-chat, and "jacobs-events" to propagate events on and off campus. Both lists are not moderated and free to post on for each Jacobs University member.

You might want to setup email filters.

To prevent email overflow, instead consider using posts on the Jacobs Blackboard at http://teamwork.jacobs-university.de/display/jacobsbb

The comprehensive list of Jacobs University's mailing lists is available at http://lists.jacobs-university.de/mailman/listinfo. If you would like to know which lists you are on, follow the procedure at How to know which mailing lists you are subscribed to. Everyone at Jacobs University can setup and run mailing lists. See Utilizing Mailing Lists for details.

Lists are usually not administrated by IRC-IT. If you browse to a mailing lists' information page, in the footer is the list of administrators' addresses. Please contact them upon inquiries.

See Utilizing Mailing Lists for a comprehensive discussion of mailing lists at Jacobs University.

Network Access

Wired Network Access

Generally, there is no pre-requisite for connecting a device. Use "Automatic Configuration" or "DHCP Configuration" for getting network parameters of Jacobs University upon connection. In the college rooms, the plug on the right is for network, on the left is for telephone.

Public network outlets are available in the west wing reading area of the Campus Center/IRC/Library. A network cable is required. Cables are available at the library counter for short-term use within the library only, free of charge; a library card is required to lend one.

It is not acceptable for students to be connected to the admin network without close supervision.

Do not use hard-wired IP-addresses! Do not enable bridging!

Do not run a DHCP SERVER!

WLAN Access

WLAN access is possible without prior registration, too. WLAN requires authentication, either by using the CampusNet account to log into the web portal appearing upon connection, or by using VPN (see below).

See WLAN Access for details.

Do not enable bridging!

For historic reasons, there is no WLAN provisioning in the colleges (yet).

VPN Access

Some services, including access to third party digital resources, are only available while connected to Jacobs University's network. If you are off campus, you can use VPN Access to access those services. The VPN account is the same as your CampusNet account.

There are two ways of using VPN Access:

• Using a client ("NetVPN").
• Using a web proxy ("WebVPN").

See VPN Access for details and client download.

It is strongly recommended to use VPN Access if you are transmitting sensitive information via WLAN.

Using the client for VPN Access will make logging into the WLAN network (see above) unnecessary.

Computer Pools

There is no general-use PC pool. Basically, every student of Jacobs University is assumed to use a laptop.

There are a few browser-only workstations on the library floor of the IRC/Library. They don't require a login and are intended to be used for library catalogue browsing, but can also be used to access web-based email. Expect some waiting time during O-Week.

A digital language lab to study foreign languages, incl. German, is available for free. See Language Lab for details.

Telephony

A telephone is available within college apartments. Calls on-campus are free of charge. Calls outside the Campus will require a pre-paid call card, which can be acquired at the "Frisör", near the porters.

Each apartment has a fixed telephone number, the list is available at How to know the telephone number of a college apartment.

The telephone manuals can be found at Telephony Device Manuals.

It is not possible to plug in any consumer device. Trying to do so might break the phone system and will leave you with a hefty invoice.

Policies

Regarding IT operations, the following policies are of particular relevance:

• Note of the President banning peer2peer software
• General Policy Governing the Appropriate Use of Computer Resources

To re-iterate: Use of Peer2Peer software is not acceptable at Jacobs University. No BitTorrent, eDonkey, eMule, Kazaa, ... See Note of the President banning peer2peer software for a more comprehensive statement.

You can use your computer within Jacobs University's network without prior registration. Though, you are obliged to follow the Requirements for Use of Private Computers in Jacobs University Network.

In particular:

• Update all software regularly!
• Use a virus scanner, and update it regularly!

This requirement applies to computers with ANY operating system, including Linux and MacOS!

You can find a discussion of favorite free anti-virus products at http://lifehacker.com/395046/five-best-antivirus-applications. Use one!

For a more comprehensive list of policies see Policies. There are various laws in Germany relevant for IT operation, see Legal for an overview. Please know and follow these policies and laws.

Miscellaneous

Contact details of Jacobs University's data protection officer can be found at Datenschutzbeauftragter (Data Protection Officer).

The procurement procedure for small computer accessories like network cables is explained at How to obtain computer accessories. IRC-IT does not sell or lend computer accessories.

This very teamwork system implementing a wiki and blog is a great tool for cooperation and collaboration. You can also create your personal wiki home space easily. Other uses are sketched at Possible Uses of this Site. Logging in requires the CampusNet user name and password. Beyond the teamwork system, web space for a home page or file server space is not available.

Student IT Support

The IRC-IT home page is Home Page of IRC-IT.

A long list of IT-relevant links is available at Link Collection.

You can search IRC-IT's knowledge base, documentation, how tos, FAQs and a lot more at IT Support, which is an ever-increasing wealth of information. Check back often or read the Blog! You can leave comments for improvement or clarification. You might want to get acquainted with Jacobs University's teamwork system soon by working through the Confluence Tutorials.

You can also contact Service Desk for Students. Please mind the office hours and refrain from contacting staff directly; use the provided channels instead. There is no IT Student Support during semester breaks. The schedule is especially volatile during semester start, even more so during O-Week.

Remember the regular Maintenance Hours!

Essential Links