Worksheet: Connecting to the University at Albany’s Network

Assignment:

1. Decide how you plan to gain access to the Home Page of the University at Albany (from there you will be able to get information on how to complete most of the remaining tasks in these worksheets). The default option if you are just getting started is to work out of the user rooms (Draper 15 on the downtown campus) or the labs (Draper 23). Draft a brief note to the course TA describing your plan. Hold on to this note and submit it electronically using e-mail once you have completed the next worksheet.
   
   
2. If you haven't already, activate your MyUAlbany account and UNIX account. To activate your account, go to: https://p1l1.albany.edu/itsAcctMgmt/accountsManagement.html
   
   You will need (a) your Social Security number or University ID number, (b) your PIN number (that was sent by the University).
   
   
   
   At this screen you have two options: to create a password for the MyUAlbany registration system or to create a password for the UNIX cluster e-mail system. You will want to create passwords for both, so you will need to use the "Accounts Management" web page twice. The radio button (i.e., the round buttons next to "MyUAlbany..." and "ITS UNIX Cluster..." at the top of the white box) determines which password you are creating. To set up your UNIX e-mail account, click on the radio button next to "ITS UNIX Cluster", enter your Social Security number or Albany ID, your PIN, and a "complex password " (see the instructions on the web page), and then follow the prompts to complete the process. After you log in and create a valid password, you NetID will be displayed. This is usually (but not always) your first and last initials and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Your e-mail address will be:
   
   netid@albany.edu
   
   If you haven't set up your MyUAlbany account yet, go back to https://p1l1.albany.edu/itsAcctMgmt/accountsManagement.html and repeat this process, this time setting the radio button to "MyUAlbany and IAS".
   
   Depending on what password you create, you may be able to use the same one for both MyUAlbany and for the UNIX cluster.
   
   
3. (optional) If you plan on using dial up access from either your home or your office, decide how you will arrange for this access (this may involve a monthly fee payable to the service provider company; there are no fees involved payable to the university).

Discussion:
There are many ways to connect to the University at Albany’s network. The default option described in these worksheets is that you will use user rooms on campus and use your UNIX account through the Webmail service.

The university supports connection to its services through a variety of commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This generally involves a fee payable to the ISP. For a list of ISPs please refer to the ‘Computing from Home’ section of the Academic Computing web site.

If you already on-line using a major vendor such as AOL, Road Runner, AT&T’s Worldnet Services or some other local Internet Service Provider (ISP), you can gain access to the University’s network through some combination of an internet browser, telnet, or FTP clients. Note that not all ISPs will support all of these functions and you should check with your provider for details.