IT Resource Guide for Students





IT Resource Guide for Students Welcome to the University at Albany! The University has a wide variety of services available to the UAlbany community and is committed to assisting you with your technological needs. This information is provided to inform you about the IT resources available to UAlbany students. Access to UAlbany IT Resources Services provided by ITS Frequently Asked Questions about Computing Resources *Access to UAlbany IT Resources* AlbanyID Your AlbanyID is a 9-digit number that begins with zeros. The University provides students with an AlbanyID during the Admissions process. The AlbanyID is an identifier you can use in place of a social security number. You can use your AlbanyID as an identifier when completing University forms such as exam sheets used by instructors or when you complete the Password Set/Reset process. If you do not know your AlbanyID, contact the Admissions office or the Student Services Center. NetID The NetID is the username for login to UAlbany IT resources including WebMail, MyUAlbany, UNIX services and the computers in public use locations on campus. The NetID is a combination of your initials followed by randomly generated numbers. When you complete the Password Set/Reset process, your NetID is displayed on the last screen. Memorize you NetID as you will use it often. PIN Upon matriculation to the University, students are issued a PIN (Personal Identification Number) that is only used to complete the Password Set/Reset process. A letter containing your PIN with the instructions for creating your password for MyUAlbany and UNIX accounts is mailed to your permanent address. Keep your PIN and password confidential. Do not share this information with anyone. University Email Address Matriculated students have an email account and email address. Your University email address is in the form netid@albany.edu where 'netid' is YOUR netid. After you complete the Password Set/Reset process to create your password and obtain your NetID, you can login to WebMail. NOTE: The University at Albany uses email as an official means of communication. These official email communications are sent only to the student's University email address. Students must regularly check WebMail for communications from the University about financial aid, billing, and registration, as well as emails from faculty members. *[Top of Page]* *Services Provided by ITS* MyUAlbany MyUAlbany is where you can obtain important University information, view your academic records, enroll for classes, check financial aid and billing information, signup for housing and update personal information. You can revise your demographic information to add your local mailing address and phone number or lookup your AlbanyID. You login to MyUAlbany using your NetID and password. WebMail WebMail allows you to check your University email account with any computer having internet access. You login to WebMail using your NetID and password. WebMail is a web-based email client that offer options such as mail filtering to control spam and manage your inbox messages. You can also customize folders, adjust the display of messages and select a personal mail alias for use by family and friends. University Email Address: Your University email address is in the form netid@albany.edu For example, John Doe with the NetID jd123456 will have the email address jd123456@albany.edu. The University uses email for conveying important information to students. It is very important that you login to WebMail often. You don't want to miss out on any University announcements or important deadlines! Personalize your email address: Registered students have the option of setting a personalized email address in WebMail. Personal email alias options are based on your primary name as it appears in MyUAlbany. If you are registered for classes, login to WebMail and select 'Options - Personal Mail Alias'. You will continue to receive email sent to your netid@albany.edu address even if you set up an alias in WebMail. If your primary name is incomplete or incorrect (i.e. missing middle name or initial), you may have fewer alias options to choose from and will need to visit the Student Services Center to request a change. Storing Personal Files and Web Pages When you use a University computer to type a paper or create a presentation for a class assignment, you will need a location to save your work other than the computer's hard drive. Many students carry a USB flash drive for the purpose of saving work completed on a computer they don't own. Students can also save their work to their UNIX account storage area referred to as the "S:drive." Your S:drive is available when you login and use the computers located in Information Commons or use a computer in an ITS-supported electronic classroom. Files stored in your UNIX account are accessible to you from a personal computer connected to the internet. Blackboard Learning System (BLS) Online course management systems are used by faculty in conjunction with class lecture and to facilitate entirely online courses. Your instructor may use BLS for online assessment, grade posting, discussion boards, course communication, interactive chat, space for lecture notes and slides, and much more. If you are registered for a course using the Blackboard Learning System, you will login to the system using your NetID and password. WiUAlbany Wireless Service WiUAlbany (UA_WPA) is the wireless internet service offered on the Academic Podium, in the Libraries, Campus Center, Collins Circle, Lecture Center Concourse, Downtown Campus, the SEFCU Arena and the Downtown Campus. To access, you will need a computer with a wireless card that supports WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and running Windows XP SP2, Vista or Mac OS 10.x operating system. A NetID and password are used to login to the UA_WPA wireless service. ITS HelpDesk If you need assistance using services provided by ITS (i.e. MyUAlbany, WebMail, Blackboard (BLS), WiUAlbany(UA_WPA), S:drive), please contact the ITS HelpDesk. [Top of Page] FAQs about Computing Resources Should I bring a laptop or desktop computer to campus? The type of computer you bring to campus depends on your personal preference and how you plan to use it. You may want the convenience of having a computer in your room. You may want to carry a laptop and use the wireless internet services on campus. However, we do recommend that you purchase at least a 3 year service contract on the computer so you have a vendor to contact when you need assistance in resolving a hardware or software problem. The ITS resources available to UAlbany students are accessed via the internet using the leading web browsers (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox) on computers running either Windows or Macintosh operating system. If there is no requirement stated by the academic department of your intended major, then the choice of computer is your personal preference and what you are most familiar with using as a tool to help in the completion of your academic work. If you plan to carry the laptop to class and connect to WiUAlbany, the laptop's wireless device must be compatible with WPA (Wi-fi Protected Access) and running either Windows XP, Vista or Mac OS X. Many computer vendors offer educational discounts or special pricing for students. The University's bookstore has a Dell Computer representative in the campus store and a link to Dell's academic discount program for students on the bookstore web site. *Where are computers available on campus?* Your academic department may provide a computer lab for students to complete academic assignments and projects. The Information Commons located in the University Libraries has computers available with printing services. Walk-up computer kiosks with internet access are available in the Lecture Center Concourse. *What software is available to students?* On campus, the Information Commons is equipped with PCs running the Windows XP operating system, have Internet access and provide a full suite of software including Microsoft Office 2007. Software provided by academic departments is also available on the PCs. If you are purchasing software for your personal computer, here are options to consider: Some vendors sell discounted student or educational versions of their products. Educational versions of software are not qualified versions for upgrade and are meant for training purposes. However, the features and functionality of the software are exactly the same as the full price retail version. SUNY Academic Software offers software titles for sale to SUNY students on the UBMicro web site. Until April 2008, Microsoft has special discount pricing for students interested in purchasing MS Office 2007. OpenOffice.org offers free downloads of OpenOffice, an open-source software compatible with other office suites. The organization provides user support for OpenOffice through its online forum. *Does the University provide anti-virus software for my computer?* The University provides students with access to Symantec Anti Virus software as a download from the ITS web site. After installation, you will need to maintain current virus definitions and system updates to protect your computer. *Is Internet access provided in the residence halls and apartments?* Apogee (http://www.apogeenet.net/) is the internet service provider in the residence halls and apartments. The Residential Network (ResNet) provides wired and wireless access to the internet. Wired internet service requires a network interface card (NIC) and an ethernet cable; wireless internet service requires a wireless NIC. We recommend that you bring an ethernet cable to campus even if you plan to use a laptop with the Apogee wireless service. Then you can use both the wired and wireless internet service in the residences. To sign up for an account and to obtain information about Apogee's computer requirements, visit Apogee's online ResNet student center (http://www.apogeenet.net/myresnet) or contact the Apogee Customer Support Center at 866-478-8861. Residential students needing assistance with their internet/phone/TV services or needing to report a broken phone/data jack in the room should call the Telecom student help line at 518-442-4588. Listen to the announcement and then select the appropriate option. If you have additional questions about the amenities available in the University residences, contact the Office of Residential Life. *Who will help me when I have problems with my personal computer?* You will need to contact a vendor for help. We recommend that you purchase an extended warranty or service contract for your computer so you can obtain support when needed. Students with an Apogee ResNet account can contact the 24/7 Apogee Customer Support Center at 866-478-8861 to obtain help with trouble-shooting their computer problems. Apogee can arrange a diagnostic review of your computer by the Apogee Albany Coordinator or provide you with a local vendor referral if you do not have a warranty or service contract for your computer. *Questions?* If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding UAlbany Information Technology Services, please feel free to contact us at CIO@Albany.edu. Go to MyUAlbany Go to ITS Home page Page revised 04/18/2008 [Top of Page]