Dear Faculty and Staff:
Two years ago, after a disruptive outbreak of viruses and worms in our network, we required all students to register their computers, using software called Campus Manager. Before allowing network access, this software scans for viruses that may be lurking in the computer and checks to be sure that the operating system is up-to-date with patches and the anti-virus software. This registration process has been a great success, helping to eliminate virus outbreaks from occurring and disrupting network operations.
At the beginning of February, we will begin implementing mandatory registration of all devices that plug into the Middlebury network. We feel that this next step in registration will help keep our network secure from a variety of menaces intended to bring down systems or to steal data from our computers. We plan to begin implementing required registration, building by building, on Thursday, February 1st.
Once this system is enabled campus wide, any computer that is connected to the network which hasn't already been registered, will display a Network Registration web page and will not have access to the Middlebury network or the internet until registration is complete. For most users, this process will take only a few minutes.
In order to minimize the impact to your work, we strongly recommend that you pre-register your computer before network registration is turned on in your building. To do so,
- please visit this URL (you must be on-campus and connected with a wired network connection for this to work):
http://wombat.middlebury.edu/extern_reg/index.shtml
- accept the responsible use policy,
- and enter your username and password when prompted
- click Register
Building occupants will be notified before the required registration is enabled for their building. We expect to have all buildings participating in Campus Manager registration by mid-March.
Once registered, you will not be required to register your computers again for 300 days.
Guests to Middlebury College who need internet access will also be required to register as a guest if they bring a computer with them to campus.
For more information about this initiative, including:
- the building-by-building schedule
- frequently asked questions,
- instructions for Faculty/Staff registration and guest registration,
Please visit this site:
http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/lis/help/helpdesk/documentation/network/connect_network/
Please call the Helpdesk at ext. 2200 if you have any questions or concerns about this procedure
Thank you for your support in this important effort to protect the reliability and security of our information resources.