General Principles

General Principles

The Information Technology (ITS) services and facilities at Binghamton University exist to support research, teaching, and administration by the faculty, students, and staff of the University. As a resource shared by these constituencies, ITS subscribes to and is governed by the same policies as the rest of the University community. Faculty, staff, students, and other authorized users are expected to abide by the Binghamton University Computer and Network Usage Policy.

Authorized use of Binghamton University-owned or operated computing and network resources shall be consistent with the education, research and public service mission of the State University of New York and consistent with this policy. Authorized users of Binghamton’s computing and network resources include faculty, staff, students, and other affiliated individuals or organizations authorized by the Associate VP for Computing & Educational Technology. This policy applies to all Binghamton University’s computing and network resources, and external computing and networking resources accessed via Binghamton’s computing and networking resources.

The University reserves the right to limit access to its networks when applicable campus or university policies or codes, contractual obligations, or state or federal laws are violated, but does not monitor or generally restrict the content of material transported across those networks. The University reserves the right to remove or limit access to material posted on university-owned computers when applicable campus or university policies or codes, contractual obligations, or state or federal laws are violated, but does not monitor the content of material posted on university-owned computers.

The University does not generally monitor or restrict material residing on non-University-owned computers, whether or not such computers are attached to campus networks. However, non-University-owned computers which house material which violates the University’s policies are subject to disconnection without notice. The University reserves the right to access and review all aspects of its computing systems and networks, including individual login sessions and account files, to investigate performance or system problems, search for viruses and other harmful programs, or upon reasonable cause to determine if a user is violating this policy or state or federal laws.

This policy may be supplemented with additional guidelines by campus units, which operate their own computers or networks, provided such guidelines are consistent with this policy.

Acceptable Use

Acceptable Use

Privacy No user should view, copy, alter or destroy another's personal electronic files without permission (unless authorized or required to do so by law or regulation).

Copyright Written permission from the copyright holder is required to duplicate any copyrighted material. This includes but is not limited to duplication of music, audiotapes, videotapes, photographs, illustrations, computer software, data and all other information for educational use or any other purpose. Most software and databases that reside on the University's computing network are owned by the University or third parties, and are protected by copyright and other laws, together with licenses and other contractual agreements. Users are required to respect and abide by the terms and conditions of software use and redistribution licenses. Such restrictions may include prohibitions against copying programs or data for use on the University's network or for distribution outside the University, against the resale of data or programs, or against the use of software for non-educational purposes, or for financial gain, and against public disclosure of information about programs (e.g., source code) without the owner's authorization.

Harassment, Libel and Slander No user may use the University's computers or networks to libel, slander or harass any other person.

Computer Accounts Accounts are created for individual students, faculty and staff and are for the use of the assigned individual only.

Sharing of Access Computer accounts,passwords, and other types of authorization are assigned to individual users and should not be shared with others. The assigned user is responsible for any use of the account. If an account is shared or the password divulged, the holder of the account may lose all account privileges and be held personally responsible for any actions that arise from the misuse of the account.

Permitting Unauthorized Access Users may not run or otherwise configure software or hardware to intentionally allow access by unauthorized users. Failure to configure hardware or software in a way that reasonably prevents access by unauthorized users is a violation of acceptable use.

Termination of access When a user ceases to be a member of the campus community or is assigned a new position and/or responsibilities within the State University system, the user's access authorization must be reviewed. Users must not use facilities, accounts, access codes, privileges or information for which they are not authorized in their new circumstances.

Residence Hall Access Residence hall access to the campus network is granted to individuals. Each individual is responsible for assuring that his/her personal residence hall room access point is not misused.

Abuse of Computer Resources Abuse of the University's computer resources is prohibited and includes, but is not limited to:

• Circumventing Security: Users are prohibited from attempting to circumvent or subvert any system's security measures. Users are prohibited from using any computer program or device to intercept or decode passwords or similar access control information.
• Breaching Security: Activities which degrade the performance of a computer system or network, use a system or network for which the user is not authorized, or deprive authorized users of resources or access to computers or networks is prohibited.
• Game Playing: Limited recreational game playing by students, which is not part of authorized and assigned research or instructional activity, is acceptable, but computing and network services are not to be used for extensive or competitive recreational game playing. Recreational game players occupying a seat in a public computing facility must give up the use of the device when others who need to use the facility for academic or research purposes are waiting.
• Chain Letters:The propagation of chain letters is an unacceptable practice and is prohibited.
• Unauthorized Monitoring: A user may not monitor the electronic communications of others.
• Flooding: Generating excessive network traffic, including spamming and denial-of-service, is prohibited.
• Private Commercial Purposes: The computing resources of Binghamton University shall not be used for private commercial purposes or for financial gain.
• Political Advertising or Campaigning: The use of Binghamton University's computers and networks shall be in accordance with University policy on use of University facilities for political purposes (SUNY Administrative Procedures Manual Policy 008).
• Modifying software or software installation: A user may not modify the software configuration on any computer provided for general access.

Limitations on Users' Expectations

Limitations on Users' Expectations (User Cautions!)

• The issuance of a password or other means of access is intended to assure appropriate confidentiality of the University’s files and resources and does not guarantee privacy for use of university equipment or facilities.
• The University provides reasonable security against intrusion and damage to files stored on the central facilities, and provides for some archiving of files based upon the operational needs of the University. However, the University is not responsible for the loss of users’ files or data. Users should take their own steps to backup and protect important information.
• Users should be aware that the University’s computer systems and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access or tampering. In addition, computer files, including e-mail, may be considered "records" which may be accessible to the public under the provisions of the New York State Freedom of Information Act.
• E-mail messages are not personal and private. While administrators will not routinely monitor individual e-mail and will take reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of e-mail, program managers and technical staff may access a student or employee’s e-mail: For a legitimate business purpose (e.g. the need to access information when an employee is absent); to diagnose and resolve technical problems involving the system; to investigate possible misuse of e-mail when a reasonable suspicion of abuse exists or in conjunction with an approved investigation.
  • E-mail messages sent/received in conjunction with University business may: Be considered state records under applicable state regulations.
  • Be releasable to the public under the Freedom of Information Act.
  • Require special measures to comply with the Personal Privacy Protection Law.
  • All e-mail messages including personal communications may be subject to discovery proceedings in legal actions.
• Computing accounts are owned by Binghamton University and not by the faculty member, student, or staff to whom they are issued.
• Use of the University's computing facility requires a valid account number. In providing a computer account, Binghamton gives the user authorization to use the account, system memory, resources, and time. Account holders are bound by the agreement on the account application form to adhere to stated regulations governing the use of the account. Individuals are responsible for their own accounts and data as well as for their safeguard and use. The use of an account beyond its allocation is not authorized. Accounts are issued to individuals; permitting another to use an account issued in an individual's name is not authorized.

Privacy

Privacy

The contents of computer accounts classified as instructional, word processing, or research, whether issued to students or faculty, are private. The contents of these accounts may be viewed by Information Technology Services (ITS) personnel for system maintenance and performance purposes only. Contents may not be divulged, modified, or destroyed prior to the accounts expiration unless the account owner has given said permission, or unless a search warrant has been obtained through authorities.

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXCEPTIONS:

• Instructors in courses where access to instructional accounts is a necessary part of the evaluation process, students may be required to permit access to their course accounts as a condition of participation in the course. This condition should be clearly stated on the syllabus that is distributed as part of the course requirements. Students should treat the contents of these computer accounts as documents written for perusal by the faculty member.
• Researchers who administer research lab accounts on equipment within a research lab control usage of these accounts. Assistants should treat the contents of these accounts as documents written for perusal by the researcher.
• The contents of computer accounts classified as administrative, regardless of the type of user, are considered to be part of an office's administrative records. Such accounts are used in support of the University's business and are open to access by appropriate members of the office or department that uses them. This policy extends to microcomputer units in administrative areas.

Equipment, Software and Services

Equipment, Software and Services

• Equipment, software, and services are provided for the convenience of the University community in the pursuit of academic goals.
• It is illegal to make copies or distribute ANY of the licensed software provided in public areas or on host systems at Binghamton University. The University observes copyright laws and expects all users to do so as well.
• Destroying or altering files belonging to other users and tampering with system control programs and data-protection facilities are considered misappropriations.
• Use of another individual's computer account is prohibited. Information will not be given by Information Technology Services to any individual about another individual's computer account. Sharing passwords is not permitted. A computer account used by an unauthorized individual may, depending on circumstances, result in the associated account and unauthorized user being denied further access to university computer systems. Each user is responsible for all matters pertaining to the proper use of their account; this includes safeguarding passwords and ensuring that file protections are set correctly.
• Unauthorized use by theft (using another individual's account or failure to return borrowed software), illegal use of electronic mail (including but not limited to sending chain-letters, harassing messages, etc.), or misappropriation (use of service units for non-University purposes) is prohibited. The University may respond to violations of this policy when a University computer is used or access to the central computer is gained from a personal computer on campus or from off campus. Any misuse of equipment, software or services, including theft of services, may lead to University disciplinary action and/or arrest.
• In the public computing facilities, people who are not doing school related assignments must give up their computers upon request to people who have homework, research, or other school related activities to work on.

Electronic Harassment Guidelines

Electronic Harassment Guidelines

E-mail is one of the most constructive innovations of the information age. Fast and cheap, it has become a popular alternative to both traditional mail and telephones. The speed and efficiency of e-mail has, unfortunately, lead to its exploitation by virus writers, unsolicited commercial mass mailers (often called "spammers") and as a means of conducting harassment and intimidation. Computer users are urged to use common sense in trying to prevent electronic harassment by becoming aware of the common methods of electronic harassment, and taking steps to protect against it.

Harassment can be as much a problem on-line as off-line, and it can take many forms. E-mail that is hostile and directed to you personally or to you as a member of a targeted group, including obscene, or threatening messages, are among the more common forms of electronic harassment. Chat room harassment may take the form of "flooding" which effectively disables the user’s Internet connection. Harassment in listserv or news groups can take the form of false and disparaging postings about individual users intended for circulation through out the group or listserv.

Online users are most vulnerable to harassment in the following three Internet media: Live chat rooms or instant messaging systems, both of which enable the user to talk with other users in real time; message boards or news groups (Usenet) in which users post messages to a common bulletin board; and e-mail. While victims are often accessed through message board or Usenet connection, it is very easy for senders of harassing e-mail to "spoof" a false return address or otherwise hide their own address. However, it is often possible to discover the origin of a message and pursue the sender through the originating Internet service provider. Electronic harassment is prohibited by both Binghamton University policies and New York State law (N.Y. Penal Law §§ 215.51, 240.30).

Electronic harassment has been known to escalate into off-line harassment, telephone or postal threats, vandalism of property, and even physical attacks. While these are exceptional circumstances, the experts urge you to play it safe. If you receive e-mail that is threatening or disturbing, report it the University Police (777-2393) immediately. Your supervisor can work with the police and with Information Technology Services (ITS) to help attend to the problem. ITS may be able to install filters, help you monitor your e-mail, change your e-mail account, further investigate the problem, and take other steps to help address the harassment. You may also seek confidential assistance from the University Ombudsman (777-2388).

Reducing the Risk of Harassement: As a public institution, Binghamton University supports academic freedom, and the right of all members of the community to express viewpoints freely and to take unpopular stands. Unfortunately it is not unusual for computer users to become targets of harassment because of their unpopular political or personal positions. Here are some basic tips that all e-mail users should follow:

• Use a gender-neutral username. It may help you avoid becoming a target of sexual harassment.
• Avoid providing personal information in chat room profile forms, and in general provide as little information about yourself as you can when making purchases or signing up for services.
• Choose a strong password of at least 7 digits with a mix of upper and lower case, numbers and special characters (like: P@$$w0rd). Don’t share it with anyone, and change it regularly. If you must write down your password, keep it in a secure place preferably not in close proximity to your computer. The most secure passwords are those that are not easily recognizable to others, so avoid birthdays, addresses, names, or other terms that someone else might easily figure out.
• If you use chat networks, look for those that have user guidelines or an Acceptable Use Policy that is enforced by an administrator. Use the features built in to most instant messaging clients to block messages from unwanted senders. If you are corresponding with strangers, use a temporary e-mail account from a free provider such as Hotmail or Yahoo that you can drop easily if necessary.
• Be careful about making photographs of yourself available over the Internet.
• Avoid posting anything that you’re not willing to see published in your local newspaper. Although some posts are deleted from a server after a short period of time, most are stored in archives, which means the posts can be accessed by just about anyone through the use of a Usenet search engine. An anonymous remailer will prevent that possibility. Remember that online communications are for the most part "public".
• If you post messages to bulletin boards or forums either don't publicly post your e-mail address or use a temporary address (an address that you use for a period and then discard). This will make it difficult to determine your permanent e-mail address that could reveal personally identifying information about you.
• Don’t post your official e-mail address on your web page. Use a temporary address instead.

Sanctions

Sanctions

Violators of these policies may be subject to immediate suspension of services by Information Technology Services and to the existing student or employee disciplinary procedures of Binghamton University. Sanctions may include the loss of network access and computing privileges. Illegal acts involving Binghamton University’s computing resources may also subject users to subpoena and prosecution by commercial enterprises, local, state and/or federal authorities.

Checking Computer Accounts on Web BUSI

Checking Computer Accounts on Web BUSI

The Binghamton University Student Information (BUSI) system is a web-based system designed to give students access to their computer account information, course schedule, grades, final exam schedule, and grade options.

1. Go to http://busi.binghamton.edu. You may be asked to accept one or more security certificates. These are necessary to ensure that your social security number and other personal information are protected. After accepting the certificates you will see the BUSI Web Center entry screen.
2. On the BUSI web center screen, look for the red E-Mail & User IDs box.

• View User/E-Mail IDs – Displays all accounts that have been assigned to you. All students are automatically assigned e-mail, BINGSUNS and POD accounts. You may also have other accounts pertaining to courses in which you are enrolled.
• View Initial Passwords – Displays the passwords that were first assigned when an account was created.

Logging In:

Both View User/Email IDs and View Initial Password require you to login.

1. Enter your Social Security Number (SSN).
2. Enter your Personal Access Code (PAC). (Or if you're a new incoming student, enter your birth date.  Note: Access using DOB is only available to new incoming students.)
3. Click the LOGIN button. You will be asked to accept the University Computing Acceptable Use Policy (http://computing.binghamton.edu/policies/acceptable-use.html). You must accept this agreement and press GO to proceed.
4. View User/Email IDs: The account information screen displays your userID for email identification and login for the accounts listed. Your full email address is also shown. You may wish to take this opportunity to write down your userID.
5. To exit to the main page, click Logout at the top right of the screen.
6. View Initial Password: The View Initial Password screen will get you started by providing you with your first account passwords. However, the screen will still only display your initial passwords, even after you have changed them. Change your initial passwords as soon as possible to protect the security of your accounts.
7. To exit, click Logout at the top right of the screen.
8. From the main page, simply close your browser window.

Password Basics

BU computer users may have several different passwords to access a variety of systems including BINGSUNS, email (POD), Blackboard (POD), public computing areas (POD), BINGVMB, BINGTJW, and MVS. Most users have a BINGSUNS, and POD/email password; BINGVMB accounts and passwords are also common. It’s a good security practice to change your passwords regularly. (When you change your email password, you’ll also need to update your email client program so that it also has your new password.)

When you change a password, the system checks your password request against a dictionary of common passwords and will reject your new password if it is too common. The system also tracks password changes and will not let you reuse an old password.

• Passwords should be between six (6) and (8) characters and need to contain a combination of letters and numbers.
• Passwords should not contain your first or last name, userID, or any combination of letters and numbers that are easy to guess, like "abc123".
• Passwords are also case sensitive. For instance, if you set your password to "pineappl3", you can't login with "Pineappl3" or "PINEAPPL3".

If you forget your email password, come to the Help Desk with your campus ID card. If you forget your POD or BINGSUNS password, you can reset it through BUSI.

Email Accounts and Passwords

Email Accounts and Passwords

Your POD password is your email password. Your POD password is used to access a number of resources at Binghamton University.

Claiming Initial POD Passwords:

Students get their initial email (POD) password (used for electronic mail and other services) by accessing http://busi.binghamton.edu.

• If you are using Internet Explorer, you may receive a message about being unable to establish a secure connection with the server. Ignore the message and click Continue to go to the password change page.

Changing Email Passwords:

1. To change your email password, go to http://passwords.binghamton.edu
2. On the BingNet Password Change Facility screen, enter your username (userID), your old password, your new password and your new password again.
3. Click Change Password. The system will inform you if your password was successfully changed.

Updating Outlook and Outlook Express with a New Password:

1. The first time you use Outlook or Outlook Express after changing your email password, you'll be prompted with a login box.
2. Enter your new password in the password field.
3. If you would prefer that Outlook remember your password so that you don’t need to enter it each time you start Outlook, click in the Remember Password check box.
4. Click OK.

Password Basics

Password Basics

BU computer users may have several different passwords to access a variety of systems including BINGSUNS, email (POD), Blackboard (POD), public computing areas (POD), BINGVMB, BINGTJW, and MVS. Most users have a BINGSUNS, and POD/email password; BINGVMB accounts and passwords are also common.

It’s a good security practice to change your passwords regularly. (When you change your email password, you’ll also need to update your email client program so that it also has your new password.) When you change a password, the system checks your password request against a dictionary of common passwords and will reject your new password if it is too common. The system also tracks password changes and will not let you reuse an old password.

• Passwords should be between six (6) and (8) characters and need to contain a combination of letters and numbers.
• Passwords should not contain your first or last name, userID, or any combination of letters and numbers that are easy to guess, like "abc123".
• Passwords are also case sensitive. For instance, if you set your password to "pineappl3", you can't login with "Pineappl3" or "PINEAPPL3".
• If you forget your email password, come to the ITS Help Desk with your campus ID card. If you forget your POD or BINGSUNS password, you can reset it through BUSI.

BINGSUNS Accounts and Passwords

BINGSUNS Accounts and Passwords

BINGSUNS is Binghamton University’s SUN Microsystems Unix platform.

Changing your BINGSUNS password:

1. To change your BINGSUNS password before it expires, login to BINGSUNS and at the prompt type passwd.
2. At the Enter existing login password prompt, enter your OLD password and press <ENTER>. (The password won't be displayed.)
3. Now type in your new password at the New Password prompt and press <ENTER>.
4. BINGSUNS will prompt you to re-enter the new password again to confirm the change. After you do this, you'll get a message saying your password was successfully changed.

Network Storage: H Drive

Network Storage: H Drive

In the Pods, your network storage space can be accessed directly as the “H” drive, but you’ll first need to “map” the drive.

• Double-click on the Map H Drive icon on the desktop.
• You can also find the Map H Drive icon by opening My Computer, double-clicking on the C drive, then the Applications folder, and finally the BUICK folder.
• Double-clicking on My Computer will also display all the drives available on the machine. One of them will have your UserID, and be labeled as the “(H:)” drive.
• Double-clicking on the (H:) drive icon will display the contents of your directory on BINGSUNS, the campus UNIX server.
• Depending on the applications you use, the contents of your (H:) drive will vary. You should at least see a public_html folder as in the example above.

Accessing Network Storage from Pod Macintosh Machines:

1. From the Finder, choose Go.
2. Choose Connect to Server.
3. In Address enter smb://bingnfs1.cc.binghamton.edu/your userID. (Enter your own userID where it says your userID.)
4. Click Connect.
5. In the Authentication window, Workgroup/Domain area should say PODS.
6. Enter your BINGSUNS userID in the Username field and your BINGSUNS password in the Password field.
7. Click OK.
8. Your network storage directory will appear on the desktop as a globe icon with your user name underneath it. Once this directory is available, you can treat it as you would any zip, floppy, or local drive. You can drag and drop files to and from it, edit the file, save it, and so on.
9. To un-mount your network storage directory, simply drag it to the trash.

Permissions:

The accessibility of the files you put in your network storage space depends on the permissions set for the directories (folders) that you save the files to. On BINGSUNS, by default, folder permissions are set so that only you have the right to use the files based on your UserID and password.

The exception to this is the public_html directory. This folder is set by default to be public, and is therefore accessible to anyone on the Internet. While this is a great feature for publishing your web pages, you might consider whether you want to store other types of files in this directory (such as homework or project files), as they will be accessible to anyone who can guess the filename.

What's in a Name? When you’re using network storage you’re really accessing an account on BINGSUNS using Unix (as opposed to Windows) rules and conventions. The most important difference for our purposes has to do with naming your files. While you can save files with any name you like to your network storage space, file names that have spaces in them will only be usable from your POD account and probably won’t work from within BINGSUNS, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or from the web.

Keep your Windows or MacOS files in their place by giving them their own directory in your network storage space.

For example, in Windows:

1. Double-click My Computer on the desktop.
2. Double-click on the (H:)drive.
3. On the (H:) drive menu bar, select File.
4. Under the File menu, select New and then Folder.
5. A folder will appear in your (H:) drive window called New Folder.
6. Change the name of the folder to windows.
7. From now on, save all your Windows files to the new windows directory to keep them organized. By default, this folder will have private permissions and will only be accessible to your UserID and password.

NOTE: Web pages and documents meant to be web accessible should still be saved to the public_html directory and must follow Unix naming conventions (no spaces in file names). Special characters should also be avoided, but underscores (_) are permissible.

POD Accounts and Passwords

POD Accounts and Passwords

POD passwords are used for accessing email, Blackboard, computers in public areas, classrooms, the campus libraries, wireless, Campus Manager, and for releasing print jobs from the Pharos laser printing system.

Changing POD Passwords:

You can change your POD password at any Windows Pod machine by pressing <CTRL><ALT><DELETE> and click the change password button or by going to the BUSI web site. POD passwords are synchronized with BINGSUNS passwords, thus changing your POD password also changes your BINGSUNS password.

1. Log on to a Pod computer using your current POD password.
2. Press <CTRL><ALT<DELETE> to display the Task Manager window.
3. Click the Change Password… button.
4. Enter your old password and new password as indicated and click OK.
5. If your POD password has already expired, you'll be prompted to change your password immediately when you try to login. Enter your old password and new password as indicated by the prompts and click OK.

NOTE: BINGSUNS users - Changing your POD password will also change your BINGSUNS password. If you have web sites or files on BINGSUNS, you will need to use the new password to access them.

BINGVMB and BINGTJW Accounts

BINGVMB and BINGTJW Accounts

The procedures for changing a password is the same for both BINGVMB and BINGTJW.

1. Log in to your BINGVMB or your BINGTJW account.
2. Type dirm pw from the BINGVMB or BINGTJW system prompt and press <ENTER>.
3. You'll see the following message:
4. Enter a new password and press <ENTER>.
5. You'll get a message asking for your new password again. Enter it again.
6. You'll then be asked to enter your old ("current") password. Enter your old password and press <ENTER>.
7. You'll see the READY prompt and soon after a message will appear telling you that your password has been updated:

NOTE: Sometimes it takes the system a few minutes to log your password change. Thus, if you log off and log back on immediately, it may need to use your old password one more time. Once the change has been logged by the system, the message above will appear.

MVS Accounts and Passwords

MVS Accounts and Passwords

To change your MVS password you'll need to run a batch job.

1. After logging into your MVS account, run a batch job with the following syntax:

//jobname JOBacct-num, destination, TIME=(cpu-time),

//PASSWORD=(password, new-password ), USER=userid

Example:

// BG9999AB JOB 15012345, $$BINGVMB$BG9999, TIME=( ,5),

// PASSWORD=( SIMPLE, REALEASY), USER= BG9999

• In parenthesis, enter your old password followed by your new password separated by a comma. This job will change your password from SIMPLE to REALEASY.
• Check the output of your job to be certain that the password was changed as you requested.

Blackboard Accounts and Passwords

Blackboard Accounts and Passwords

Blackboard is a Course Management System used by instructors to generate information, communicate with students, record grades, and implement many other tools that can be beneficial to a successful on-line learning environment. Using Blackboard, instructors develop web pages to publish instructional materials, group activities, tests and quizzes, as well as a managed gradebook.

1. To Access Blackboard: Go to http://blackboard.binghamton.edu.
2. Enter your username and POD password. Usernames and passwords are case-sensative. Your username is your Binghamton University userID or login name (the part of your email address before the @ sign). Your password is your POD password.