O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1

Design & Copy Editor: Danielle Craft FCRH ’13

IT HELP DESK - ROSE HILL

I

First

Where?

McGinley 229

Hours?

8am - 8pm Monday-Friday

Phone?

718-817-2635

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An RTC Newsletter on Information Technology for Fordham University Students ●

I S S U E 1

A Newsletter on Information Technology for Fordham University students ● Fall Edition

Network Upgrades

Fordham IT kept busy over the summer to improve the wireless network in response to student surveys and feedback. At the end of last year Rose Hill and Lincoln Center students had a 300MBps connection to the internet. This has since been upgraded to a shared 1GBps connection. This connection was tested at Lincoln Center last Spring with students maximum usage not exceeding 450MB per second. This upgrade is currently active at Lincoln Center. Rose Hill students will begin to benefit from the shared connection starting late Fall.

Currently, Campbell, Salice and Conley Halls and Lincoln Center are entirely WiFi 802.11n accessible. Students living in the new residence halls reported a substantial improvement over other buildings last semester, where most access points are the 802.11a/b/g standard. To take advantage of the upgraded equipment you must have an ‘n’ compatible

By: Danielle Craft FCRH ‘13 network card, most newer computers come standard with this.

WiFi is also available on RamVans! Connect your wireless device to the WiFi during your commute. Upgrades were implemented over the summer to increase capacity by supporting more devices at higher speeds.

A long term projected goal is to provide WiFi access throughout Fordham’s entire campus. Wireless access will eventually include all classrooms and outdoor green spaces such as Edward’s Parade and Martyrs lawn.

In addition, new P2P network shapers are being employed. This will help throttle P2P traffic throughout both campuses and give priority to web browsing and academic work. Please remember downloading and distributing copyrighted material without permission is a crime. P2P file sharing of copy write protected material is not permitted on Fordham’s network.

Fordham’s Secure WPA2 Network

New secure networks are now available on all campuses with WPA2 encryption. WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access v.2) provides a strong encryption method through Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The encryption process protects your information between your computer and the wireless controller.

Fordham IT is beginning to phase-out the old unsecure WiFi networks, FORDHAMRH, FORDHAMLC and FORDHAM400. Students should connect to what will become Fordham’s primary networks to benefit

IN THIS ISSUE: Network Upgrades Fordham’s Secure WPA2 Network Resident Technology Consultants Network Options - Wired vs Wireless My Files: Backing Up Your Data

IT HELP DESK ● CALL CENTER Phone: 718-817-3999 When: 8am - 8pm Monday - Friday

IT CUSTOMER CARE Walk-In-Centers ROSE HILL

Where: McGinley 229 Hours: 8am - 8pm Monday - Friday

LINCOLN CENTER Where: Lowenstein SL19A Hours: 10am - 6pm Monday - Friday

By: Danielle Craft & Jeff Lockhart FCRH ‘13

from the WPA2 secure connection, these are FORDHAMRH-S, FORDHAMLC-S and FORDHAM400-S network. To connect via the secured network, you will be prompted to enter a pass key to access the internet. This key or password is the same name as the SSID as seen below. This can also be found in your my.fordham portal (look for the “secure wireless networks

available” announcement). This is the first step in a series of security improvements. Eventually, keys will be assigned automatically with your AccessIT ID when you log in and will be unique for each individual. Then, a single sign-on with the NAC will provide users with a secure WiFi connection.

The WPA2 compatibility has been tested with all devices, so you may access the secure network on your smartphones, ipods or tablet devices. Enabling WPA2 security is the first step in an outlined process to better secure Fordham’s wireless network.

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