The ITS Department offers services ranging from the campus email system to computer lab and classroom facilities. We're happy to answer your most basic--or most complicated--information technology questions.
Students, faculty and staff are eligible for a variety of computing services at the University of Michigan-Flint. In order to use U of M computing services, you must have a uniqname (your personal identifier).
This support center organizes technology resources concerning computing accessibility and ergonomics for students, faculty, and staff who could benefit from the use of sound amplification and other assistive devices.
UM-Flint Accessibility Services - Counseling, Accessibility, and Psychological Services
At our online store, you’ll find significant discounts on the tools you need to excel in your major. We recommend an Apple computer and a selection of software, peripherals, and service and support.
Check out the special offers available only at the UM-Flint Apple Store!
When purchasing products through this program, please note that the following conditions exist:
Departmental hardware purchases must be made through M-Marketsite, located in Wolverine Access under "University Business". In any case, you may contact the ITS HelpDesk at (810) 766-6804 for consultation on which products best suit your needs.
Alumni will have continued access to their UM-Flint computer accounts for 2 years after graduation. After these two years Alumni are eligible to purchase an account, storage and email services. Please complete the online request form to purchase services. This form is available here: www.umflint.edu/its/store. You can also print off and bring in the form (Here: Alumni Access Request) and pay with a check or cash.
Please consult the Graduated Student Account Policy for more information.
Faculty, staff, and students now have the ability to create and maintain a blog hosted on university servers. To create or view the blogs, please visit http://blogs.umflint.edu.
The University of Michigan - Flint launched the capital campaign on Saturday, April 16, 2006. Funds from the campaign are being used to update the French Hall and Murchie Science Buildings. Mediated Classroom Services (MCS), a part of Information Technology Services (ITS), is involved with the Capital Outlay project.
Part of the funds raised by the Capital Campaign will be used to purchase new classroom equipment. In order to prepare for this upgrade MCS must research several new technologies. These technologies include: new projectors and classroom response systems. The new projectors that will be installed in the updated classrooms will have improved capabilities including the ability to project over wireless or LAN network and an "Instant Off" feature to eliminate the need for cooling.
In addition to new projectors MCS is researching updated alternatives to the current SmartCarts, which have been discontinued.
Several units within ITS are staffed with personnel who have expertise in database and web-based form development.
The Data Information Management (DIM) team provides technical support for the use of Banner and the Student Information System (SIS). To inquire about services, please contact Jennifer Daraiseh.
The Web Services team provides technical support for the use of FormAssembly (a web-based form development system) as well as PHP/MySQL database and ASP/Microsoft SQL database development with web-based reporting and forms for data that is not associated with Banner or SIS. The Web Services team also provides services such as speciality programming of web-based reporting and forms. To inquire about services, please contact Tim Todd.
ITS supports digital signage implementations across campus that utilize approved hardware and software. Content that will be displayed on your digital sign will be created and managed using Drupal; if you already know how to maintain your website content, then you are all set to manage your digital signage content.
All requests for Digital Signage solutions should be placed using the ITS Project Request Form; for those interested in utilizing Digital Signage, please complete the ITS Project Request Form for pricing and details. We will coordinate with Facilities & Operations on your behalf for projects related to Digital Signage.
For more information about digital signage, please click here.
Microsoft Outlook is a groupware package used by UM-Flint students, faculty, and staff for email and e-calendar activities. ITS supports the both the desktop and webmail versions of Outlook.
Our favorite Outlook features include:
The University assumes no responsibility for email that is forwarded off the campus network. Information Technology Services (ITS) highly recommends that student, faculty, and staff access their UM-Flint email account to view campus-related messages and to communicate with fellow faculty, staff, and students. For email guidelines, please consult the Electronic Communication Policy.
**Warning: ITS can not recover lost mail or support any problems that may occur after forwarding. Please be aware that forwarding has caused problems for some users. Users have lost important email after forwarding. Some known problems with other email services include; full mailboxes, invalid email addresses, spam filters setup that block the forwarded mail, and attachment blocking.
UMF_Students@list.umflint.edu is a voluntary list. Users can elect to be removed or unsubscribed from the list at their request.
Only users that are subscribed to this list are allowed to send to the list.
The intent is to provide a means for communicating information about UM-Flint student activities. Messages must be related to official UM-Flint business that pertains to student organization activity and involvement only. No off-campus messages will be allowed.
This listserv is moderated by the Office of Student Life. Messages are approved or denied under the discretion of the Office of Student Life.
All information sent to this listserv must abide by the following guidelines:
A limited number of people/departments will be allowed to post messages to allstudents@umflint.edu. All departmental additions/deletions must be approved by the Technology Committee. Here is the current list of departments and approved sender(s) who are allowed to post messages to the list:
Before the e-mail is sent to allstudents@umflint.edu, these guidelines should be followed to determine if the e-mail should rightfully be sent to the list. If the message does not meet these guidelines, the user should send the message to umf_students@list.umflint.edu (the Student Mail Digest) instead.
* Due to numerous responses by several departments on campus, the Technology Committee has agreed to let the current list of departments send one email message per month to allstudents@umflint.edu to announce University sponsored programs that may not meet the guidelines addressed in point #1. Please contact the Helpdesk in ITS at 766-6804 opt. 1 if you have any questions.
ITS will maintain an email group that contains all recently graduated students. Only departments with legitimate needs can send to this group. For more information, please consult the Graduated Student Account Policy.
Newstudents@umflint.edu is a mandatory list that all accepted students are placed into. New students will be moved to the newstudents@umflint.edu list five days before the start of their first semester and thereafter upon registration for classes.
Only departments with legitimate needs can send to this list.
As a faculty or staff member at the University of Michigan-Flint, you are issued a Uniqname, and three accounts: LAN (Local Area Network), Outlook email account, and UMICH (Ann Arbor or Kerberos). (A UM-Flint employee may request a permanent email account upon retirement.) These items grant you access to the various computing services offered by the University.
Banner accounts are issued as necessary for those who use Banner and Access Reports.
Blackboard accounts are issued to all Faculty.
More detailed information can be found in the Faculty and Staff Computing Guide.
UNIQNAMES
A Uniqname is a general identifier used by UM-Flint. Your uniqname allows you to log in to your computer on campus, VPN from home, and also provides the first part of your email address. You will also be asked for your uniqname when requesting work tickets. Please contact the Helpdesk if you have forgotten or need assistance with your uniqname.
If you need assistance with changing any of the following passwords (LAN, Outlook, UMICH [or Kerberos], or Banner), please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 766-6804 or stop by the Helpdesk in 206 MSB or 3174 WSW.
UM-Flint faculty and staff must change their LAN and Banner computer passwords every 90 days. For more information, please consult the Password Policy. LAN Passwords are used in conjunction with your uniqname to grant access to computing services on campus.
LAN passwords are also used to access your email. You may access your email either on campus or from home using the Outlook application or OutlookWeb. For detailed information about installing and using Outlook, please consult our Outlook quicknotes.
UMICH Passwords (also known as Ann Arbor or Kerberos passwords) are used to access various university services when used with your uniqname@umich.edu. UMICH passwords are also used to gain access to Wolverine Access, M-Pathways, M-Marketsite, some Library resources, Spruce accounts, and U-M Online Directory entries.
Banner Passwords grant you access to Banner, UM-Flint's administrative data system.
For assistance with changing any of your university passwords, please visit the ITS Helpdesk website. If you need assistance resetting any of your university passwords, you may also bring picture identification (Mcard or government issued) to the ITS Helpdesk in 206 MSB or 3174 WSW.
Email Addresses for UM-Flint employees are as follows: uniqname@umflint.edu
You may access your email either on campus or from home using web-based email by typing http://email.umflint.edu in the browser (Internet Explorer is recommended).
The supported software for employee email is Microsoft Outlook (Windows or Mac). For instructions on how to configure any of these programs please visit the Helpdesk website located at www.umflint.edu/helpdesk.
Outlook Mailbox storage capacity for faculty and staff follows these guidelines:
Personal directories (also known as H: Drives) are available for saving data on the campus server. Each UM-Flint employee is allotted 500 MB of space (view Server Policy for more information). Personal directories can be accessed by you when you are logged in to a computer on campus or through the VPN. You can identify your H: Drive in the list of directories on the computer, because it begins with your uniqname.
Within the Homedrive directory, faculty and staff will now find a folder called "homepage" which can be used to house personal web pages. There is an online gallery to showcase these web sites. Please visit the Homepage Gallery for more information. You may also choose to create a blog at http://blogs.umflint.edu, which can also be listed in the gallery.
Departmental directories (also known as I: Drives) work in much the same way. The main difference is that I: Drives are accessible by any employee in your department with rights to the departmental directory. Up to 5 Gig is available to each department free of charge. More space can be allotted for a fee. I: Drives are accessible from any university computer or through the VPN.
To help protect your privacy by keeping your social security number confidential, UM-Flint has issued identification numbers, called the UMID, for all students and employees. The UMID is a universal number used by all UM campuses and is sometimes referred to as the EMPL ID. If you are employed by the University, this number is also used for your payroll records.
Yearly: $3.00
Information Technology Services (ITS) provides wireless networking coverage for the entire student housing building as well as the entire campus. In the event that you desire a wired network connection in your bedroom or living room, you can do so by requesting a connection from ITS.
You will be charged at the time of your request a fee of $100 for the academic year (defined as the first move in day near the start of Fall semester until the last move out day during Summer semester) which you may pay via credit card, check or by paying cash at the cashier’s office and returning the receipt to the ITS main office, 905 NBC. If you wish to pay for the connection via our web store front using a credit card please visit http://itstore.umflint.edu or you may stop by the ITS main office (905 NBC) during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with a check or receipt of cash paid at the Cashier’s office. The fee is non-refundable or prorated in any way. Once we receive payment, an ITS technician will contact you within three business days to coordinate a date and time to meet with you to complete the installation.
All computer use guidelines as defined at http://www.itcs.umich.edu/itpolicies/ and www.umflint.edu/its/policies/home.page are applicable to your use of this network connection. ITS reserves the right to disconnect your connection if you are found to be in violation of any of these policies.
For more information on Mediated Classroom Services or Equipment available for checkout please visit: http://www.umflint.edu/mcs/mediated-classroom-services
For Faculty and Staff Looking to Checkout Equipment please click below:
UM-Flint students, faculty, and staff can obtain a new or replacement Photo ID card (Mcard) by going to one of the UM-Flint Mcard Stations which are open during normal lab hours in 206 MSB and 3174 WSW (click here to see operating hours for these locations).
At the beginning of every semester, ITS distributes Mcards at the University Pavilion Stage. For the next distribution period, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 810-766-6804 or check the ITS Blog at http://blogs.umflint.edu/ITS.
A valid government issued picture identification card (such as a driver's license or passport) is required to obtain your Mcard.
ITS distributes parking permits and/or validation stickers to students registered for the current semester in conjunction with the Mcard distribution at the beginning of the semester (preferred method) at the University Pavilion Stage located on the north end of the building.
New Students (registered for the current semester): Please be sure to bring your government issued photo ID along with the Make, Model, and License Plate Number for your vehicle to receive your Mcard Student ID and Parking Permit.
Returning Students who already have their Parking Permit(registered for the current semester):Please bring your Mcard and Parking Permit to receive your validation sticker.
Temporary Student Workers (not registered for the current semester): Parking permits for temporary appointments are available at the DPS administrative office. Parking permit form for Temporary Workers
Students can also obtain their parking permit during the remaining portion of the semester at the Mcard stations in the open computing labs at 206 MSB and 3174 WSW.
You are able to check the meal plan on your MCard by going to http://www.myplan.housing.umich.edu/. You will need your Uniqname and UMICH (Kerberos) password to login.
There is a $10.00 fee to replace Mcards that are lost, stolen, or damaged. You must pay the fee at the Cashier's Office, located at 261 University Pavilion, and bring the receipt to the Mcard Station before the Mcard can be replaced.
No fee will be charged for Mcards that must be replaced because of name or department changes, expired cards, or a card that no longer functions due to normal wear. When requesting a no-fee replacement, your old Mcard must be returned at the Mcard Station prior to receiving the replacement.
Note: All photo ID and non-photo ID cards are property of the University of Michigan and must be surrendered upon request.
If an Mcard is found and returned to the Mcard Station, an email will notify the cardholder of where they can retrieve it.
Once a replacement Mcard is issued, all previous Mcards become invalid. If a cardholder locates a previously lost Mcard (after a replacement card is issued), the previously lost card cannot be re-activated or used to turn in to an ID Issuing Station to avoid paying a replacement fee or receive a refund. According to the University's Standard Practice Guide 601.13, each member of the University is allowed only one identification card, the Mcard, at a time.
Personal home pages (webpages or blogs) residing on UM-Flint web servers are created and maintained solely by the individual authors, not by the University of Michigan-Flint. The University does not endorse or actively monitor the content of these Web pages. These pages do not constitute official University business or statements, and the University accepts no responsibility for their content. All comments regarding the contents of personal Web pages are to be directed to the page author. Suspected violations of University User Advocate form.
Student, Faculty, and Staff should consult the Web Policies page before registering their already created Web page or blog in the UM-Flint Homepage Gallery. If you need help with any information, you can locate it using the ITS Helpdesk site at http://www.umflint.edu/helpdesk/.
Everyone is responsible for the accuracy of their Homepage Gallery listing. ITS reserves the right to inactivate (without notice) any listing that has a broken link to a web page or blog.
What's a blog? Faculty and staff can create theirs at http://blogs.umflint.edu.
Students, Faculty, and Staff may register to have their already created web page or blog listed in the Homepage Gallery.
If you are not logged in to a computer on campus, you will be asked to log in before you can register your web page. After clicking on one of the buttons below, just log in exactly as you log in to webmail. If you need assistance, please call the HelpDesk at (810) 766-6804 or email ITSHelpDesk@umflint.edu.
Get Listed - Remove or Edit Listing - Search the Gallery - FAQ
As a student at the University of Michigan-Flint, you are issued a UMID, a Uniqname, a LAN (Local Area Network) password, and a UMICH (Ann Arbor or Kerberos) password. These items grant you access to the various computing services offered by the university.
You can view your computer account online using the Student Information Services (SIS).
The first time you view your student account, you will be asked to set your initial password. Whenever you need to change your password, you can change them in SIS.
For assistance with your computer account, stop into an open computer lab or call the Helpdesk at 810-766-6804.
A Uniqname is a general identifier used by UM-Flint. Your uniqname allows you to log in to your computer on campus and also provides the first part of your email address. Some services such as library catalogs and antivirus software which use the uniqname may require the UMICH (also called Ann Arbor or Kerberos) password. Your uniqname and other information will be listed in U-M Ann Arbor's Online Directory at http://directory.umich.edu/.
What Are All These Passwords For? (including How to Change Them)
To change your Ann Arbor (Kerberos) password please login to SIS, click Personal Information, then click My Campus Computer Account. If you need assistance resetting your Ann Arbor password, bring picture identification to any ITS HelpDesk location. Locations can be found at www.umflint.edu/helpdesk.
Email Addresses for UM-Flint students are as follows: uniqname@umflint.edu
ITS highly recommends that you use your UM-Flint student email account to view campus-related messages and to communicate with your professors and fellow students.
Personal directories, also known as your H: Drive or Homedrive (What is your Personal Directory?), are available for saving data on the campus server. Each student receives 500 MB of storage that can be used to store personal files (view Server Policy for more information). You can easily access your personal directory when you are logged into a computer on campus. You can identify your H: Drive in the list of directories on the computer, because it begins with your uniqname.
Within their Homedrive directory, students will find a folder called "homepage" which can be used to house personal web pages. Consult the Helpdesk website for instructions on using Homepages. ITS has provided an online gallery to showcase these web sites. Please visit the Homepage Gallery to register your website, blog, or social site (MySpace, Facebook, etc.)
Your Homedrive and Homepage directories can be accessed from your home computer using a VPN connection. See the Helpdesk website (www.umflint.edu/helpdesk) for instructions on using https://vpn.umflint.edu.
To help protect your privacy by keeping your social security number confidential, UM-Flint has issued identification numbers, called the UMID, for all students. The UMID is a universal number used by all UM campuses and is sometimes referred to as the EMPL ID. If you are employed by the University, this number is also used for your payroll records. You should try to memorize this number so that you can use it to login to SIS and provide it to faculty and staff who may be assisting you. When you login to SIS please follow these steps to view your UMID: Click on Personal Information, then click on View Your UMID. If you have additional questions about your UMID, contact information is available online or call the Office of the Registrar at (810) 762-3344.
All registration at UM-Flint is done via the Internet on the Student Information Services (SIS) website. Admitted students need only to obtain a LAN password in order to register online. Navigate to http://go.umflint.edu/password for help getting your LAN Password.
Visit http://itstore.umflint.edu/ to purchase your software! You will need to log in with your Uniqname and LAN Password.
Software can be picked up in 206 MSB Monday - Friday from 8am - 5pm.
Software can be purchased online 24-7 at https://itstore.umflint.edu.
The University has negotiated a Campus Agreement with Microsoft Corporation that allows the distribution of commonly used Microsoft products at significantly reduced costs. The savings are available to all U-M departments. UM-Flint students, faculty, and staff can also purchase Microsoft products at incredible savings for use on their personal computers as long as they are performing university business.
For more information on this program, see Frequently Asked Questions. Complete details are available in the Microsoft Licensing Product Use Rights document.
Additionally, students, faculty, and staff are eligible to purchase hardware and limited non-Microsoft software for home use at discounted prices through the U-M Computer Showcase in Ann Arbor. Purchase information is online at http://showcase.itcs.umich.edu/ or call (734) 647-SALES. UM-Flint students, faculty and staff are not eligible to purchase Microsoft products through UM-Ann Arbor.
Items marked with * are part of the Clearance Sale and are available at the low price listed only while limited supplies last!
Microsoft Products for Windows
When purchasing software for personal use, please be aware of the following information:
Our new Software Store is online! Visit http://itstore.umflint.edu/ to purchase your software. You will need to log in with your Uniqname and LAN password.
Reminder: There is a $7.00 shipping charge.
The Technology Committee shall consist of five faculty members, including one from each instructional unit, and two student members. The Director of Information Technology Services (ITS) shall be a member, ex officio.
The committee shall advise the Director of ITS on the issues and needs of instructional technology and budgetary priorities within ITS. The committee shall make recommendations for the allocation of technology grant funds.
Each year at the end of the Fall semester, if funding is available, the Technology Committee solicits proposals from faculty for software purchases.
There is also an Instructional Technology Fee Committee, which solicits proposals from faculty and staff for hardware purchases if funding is available at the end of the Winter semester.
Scott Arnst, ex officio - Information Technology Services
Marilyn Filter - Nursing
Quentin Galerneau - CSEP
Kui-Bin Im - Library
Jeff Kupperman - Education
Seth Barnes - Student Representative
Hillary Heinze - Psychology
Harvey Sherman - Information Technology Services
NOTE: The Technology Committee was formerly known as the Academic Computing Advisory Committee (ACAC).
ITS invites the campus community--which includes students, faculty, staff, plus friends and family--to take advantage of our agreements with Apple which provide discounts for personal purchases computer technology. The UM-Ann Arbor Computer Showcase is for students, faculty, and staff for personal purchases.
Departmental purchases of computer software and hardware should be made through M-Marketsite which is available on the Wolverine Access menu at http://wolverineaccess.umich.edu/.
ITS Software Sales (Microsoft and more!)
M-Marketsite (Faculty and Staff)
UM-Ann Arbor Computer Showcase
Although the student-generated Technology Fee has had a tremendous impact on providing a permanent funding source needed to implement the UM-Flint Technology Plan, acquiring base funding for full implementation of the UM-Flint Technology Plan remains a significant challenge.
The current Technology Fee is $96.00 for full-time students and $48.00 for part-time students.
In 2008-2009, ITS utilized the funding by offering $15,000 for faculty software requests, contributing to the campus computer lab maintenance costs, purchasing a new storage area network and several new servers, implementing a secondary internet conection, paying the annual maintenance costs for current equipment and systems, upgrading computers across campus, and providing a portion of the support for MCS.
There are many Technology Plan items still awaiting base funding including faculty/staff office equipment, infrastructure, mediated classroom services, maintenance contracts, and other supported software.
Scott Arnst - ITS
Mary Deibis - Graduate Programs
Donna Fry - Physical Therapy
Jay Gandhi - SSEM
Linda Hicks - CSESP
Kui-Bin Im - Library
Gerard Voland - Associate Provost & Committee CHairperson
Harvey Sherman - ITS
Bethany Taylor - Student
New telephone service, including voice mail, as well as changes to existing telephone services should be reported directly to ITCom. Campus-wide outages should be reported to ITS at (810) 762-3123. Individual technical difficulties (static, etc.) should be reported directly to ITCom.
ITS Supported Software Training at UM-Flint
Individual software consultations, group & departmental trainings are available for faculty and staff (including student workers) on all university supported software.
Please contact the ITS Helpdesk @ (810) 766-6804 and place an ITS Training ticket for your training needs.
Microsoft Office 2007, 2010 & 2013 (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word). Students, faculty and staff who are having a specific problem while using one of the Microsoft Office software packages may call the ITS HelpDesk at (810) 766-6804 for assistance.
In order to enhance our students' learning experience, ITS would like to invite faculty and staff to schedule a visit to any of the mediated classrooms for a hands-on demonstration of the Crestron MediaManager and Smart Cart presentation equipment that is available for classroom use.
Additional ITS resources are available for faculty and staff (including student workers):
The Quicknotes are an easy and fast way to learn campus-related technology. For a complete listing of Quicknotes, please visit http://www.umflint.edu/helpdesk/.
A Uniqname is a general identifier used by UM-Flint. Your uniqname allows you to log in to your computer on campus and also provides the first part of your email address. Some services such as library catalogs and antivirus software which use the uniqname may require the UMICH (also called Ann Arbor or Kerberos) password. Your uniqname and other information will be listed in U-M Ann Arbor's Online Directory at http://directory.umich.edu/.
The UM-Flint User Advocate Committee is an ad-hoc committee charged with reviewing alleged violations of University policies concerning information technology and determining appropriate penalties. Committee membership includes students, faculty, and staff members (including one staff member from the Department of Public Safety) from UM-Flint.
The User Advocate Committee utilizes various online resources when reviewing alleged violations of University policies.
To report a suspected copyright violation, please consult information from the UM-Ann Arbor Information Technology (IT) User Advocate site located at http://www.umich.edu/~itua/copyright/index.html.
To report any other suspected violation of information technology for UM-Flint faculty, staff, and students, please use the online User Advocate form located at http://www.umflint.edu/its/user-advocate-form
Spam is unsolicited junk email sent out to a large distribution list. It runs the gamut from health products and replica watches to get-rich-quick schemes.
A phishing email is a spam email that attempts to trick the receiver into revealing confidential information—such as birth date, credit card/banking information, passwords, or social security number—by claiming to be an organization that the receiver trusts. If this information is given to the phisher, it can be used to steal money from the person’s bank account or compromise their identity.
Identity theft occurs when someone impersonates you by using your name or other confidential information to steal your money or commit other crimes against you or in your name. To find out more about what to do if your identity is stolen—including how to place a “fraud alert” with the credit reporting companies—the Federal Trade Commission has an Identity Theft site at http://www.onguardonline.gov/articles/0005-identity-theft
What is University of Michigan doing about all these spam/phishing emails?
You can read about what we do to block spam and phishing emails here: http://www.umflint.edu/helpdesk/perm/email/proofpoint-quick-reference/
Yes! We recommend that you add a spam filter to your Outlook email. Directions are here:
Quicknote: Creating a Spam Filter for Outlook 2010
Quicknote: Creating a Spam Filter for Outlook 2007
Quicknote: Creating a Spam Filter for Outlook 2003
Quicknote: Creating a Spam Filter for Outlook 2011 (Mac)
Quicknote: Creating a Spam Filter for Entourage 2008 (Mac)
Please file a ticket with the ITS HelpDesk at (810) 766-6804 or ITSHelpDesk@umflint.edu, sending us the original email as well as the message headers. You can learn how to do it here:http://www.umflint.edu/helpdesk/perm/microsoft-office/finding-internet-headers-for-phishing-emails-in-outlook-20032007-2/
Thanks for helping keep our network safe!
All UMF students, faculty, and staff are eligible to receive free anti-virus software. For more information on how to obtain the free anti-virus software please refer to this article regarding Usage of Antivirus Software.
For recent notices from ITS Security Services please visit the ITS Security Services blog at http://blogs.umflint.edu/itssecurityservices/.
For information from on Phishing Alerts from Ann Arbor please visit: http://safecomputing.umich.edu/main/phishing_alerts/
During Winter 2005, a team of ITS staff, lead by Harvey Sherman, began experimenting with Voice Over IP (VOIP) technology. The main purpose of this initiative is to provide campus telephone access in the classrooms at no cost to the University.
Several ITS staff have been interviewed by Channel 12 about either using or working with VOIP technology.
In Fall 2005, several VOIP phones were installed in general classrooms in the William S. White Building. The phones are located on the wall in the front of the room and are wired into the campus network.
In Winter 2006, all phones are installed in WSW and MSB.
Faculty and staff now have the ability to create and maintain a blog hosted on university servers. To create or view the blogs, please visit http://blogs.umflint.edu.
Currently students can not create blogs hosted on university servers, but they can link to personal blogs hosted on other sites through the Homepage Gallery here: http://homepagegallery.umflint.edu/.
For large projects and other university related needs current UM-Flint faculty, staff and student organizations can utilize the CD/DVD duplication service provided by ITS. For more information please refer to the CD/DVD Duplication homepage.
Students, faculty, and staff, and students can create personal webpages using space provided by the university on their H: drive. For information on creating your personal webpage please refer to Quicknotes located here: www.umflint.edu/helpdesk
The ITS webmaster, in conjunction with University Relations Department content advisors, provides assistance for departmental web pages.
The Drupal should be used for creating web pages within the www.umflint.edu domain. Information about Drupal and Drupal Open Sessions can be found on the UREL blog here: http://blogs.umflint.edu/universityrelations/
Web-based forms and database development is another area where several units within ITS can offer expertise and assistance.
Department intranet and committee sites are available at http://portal.umflint.edu which utilizes Microsoft Sharepoint technology
Wireless networking is the use of radio frequency signals to connect portable workstations - such as laptops or PDAs - to an Ethernet LAN. The present standard for wireless Ethernet is called 802.11b and specifies an 11 Megabit/second data transmission rate.
Today's wireless networks are composed of two primary components, an access point and a wireless PCMCIA adapter. An access point converts the wired Ethernet signals to radio waves and are typically installed in ceilings or mounted high in a wall. The wireless PCMCIA adapter looks and acts like a regular Ethernet card but the antenna protrudes slightly from the laptop and the battery life of the laptop is slightly decreased.
A wireless network offers the freedom and convenience of being able to connect to the network with a portable computer from virtually anywhere on campus. However it is important to remember that wireless access is intended to supplement wired ethernet access, not replace it.
Even though wireless networks look attractive for use everywhere, wired networks still give the best performance and speed. In general, a wireless connection works just like a wired ethernet connection. Wireless access may be up to 11 megabits per second. This bandwidth, however, is shared among all users connected via wireless in a given area. This means that network speeds may be noticeably slower when many people are using wireless, and generally will not be as fast as wired ethernet. For permanent network connections, a wired network is the best solution.
You can use wireless with your laptop computer for E-mail, web browsing, home directory access (web or FTP), and gaming. You should not use wireless for streaming audio/video, very large downloads or very intensive graphic websites.
Any computer equipped with a wireless access card that conforms to the Wi-Fi™ standard (otherwise known as IEEE 802.11b) for wireless internetworking is compatible. Although most people use this technology with laptop computers, desktop computers can also be made compatible through the use of adapters.
Absolutely. In fact, Apple's AirPort™ system is probably the best-known Wi-Fi™ system in use today. And even if you didn't purchase an AirPortTM card with your computer, you can still purchase a card and add it to your computer to establish wireless access.
Currently, students' hand-held computers (PDAs, Palms, etc.) are not supported for wireless network access.
You will need to purchase a wireless card that conforms to 802.11b specifications that is Wi-Fi™ certified. We are recommending the Cisco 350 card as this has proven to perform the best with our access points. Visit your local computer store to purchase a wireless card.
No. You need to be an authenticated user with a LAN ID in order to connect to the wireless network.
Just like the wired network, authentication exists on the wireless network to ensure that only registered students are able to use the network.
There is currently network connectivity throughout all buildings that house student activities. These are French Hall, the University Center (UCEN), the Thompson Library, the William S. White building, the Murchie Science Building (MSB) and the University Pavilion. This will allow personal computers equipped with wireless cards to be used throughout each building. Students and faculty should find the added bonus of some outside coverage north of the Library by the river and south of UCEN in the plaza.
Yes. Be aware that a laptop's batteries will deplete much faster while using Wireless.
You can check your Network Connectivity status by looking at the Status and Activity indicators on the Wireless PC Card Antenna. The Status light will blink when a connection is made. The Activity light will blink when data are transmitted.
SSID stands for Service Set Identifier. The SSID, also called the Network Name, is a name that identifies a wireless network. Each wireless network in any given area will have a unique SSID. In order to connect to a wireless network your computer must know the SSID for the network you want to use. Depending on your system this name can either be automatically configured or you may need to specify the SSID manually.
As a current UM-Flint student or employee, you are able to access to the UM-Flint Wireless Network using your laptop computer. Currently, students' hand-held computers (PDA, Palm, Pocket PC, etc.) are not supported for wireless network access. Faculty and staff may reserve a mobile laptop cart which contains 30 wireless laptop computers for students to use in class. When you are connected to the wireless network you are able to access the following services:
For further assistance on how to set up your computer to access the wireless network, please select the appropriate link from the right for your operating system.
Most wireless cards that are 802.11b compatible can be used with the UMF wireless network. Visit your local computer store to purchase a wireless card.
An AirPort-ready Macintosh (iBook, iMac, PowerBook G4, or Power Mac G4) with an AirPort Card is required. You can easily install the AirPort Card in an AirPort-ready computer. Simply use the AirPort Setup Assistant software to walk you through the setup process and it will automatically configure your computer for Internet access.
Please contact the HelpDesk if you have other questions or concerns.
Work tickets are requests given through the ITS HelpDesk to different units within ITS when intensive work or repair is needed for univeristy problems. Tickets are also opened in the event that a HelpDesk consultant is unable to troubleshoot a call session any further. When a work ticket is placed, you will be given a ticket number to use if you wish to update or follow up on the work request.
If at any time you are having problems with your computer, your university account, an application you are working on, or any other technical question please do not hesitate to contact us through one of the outlets below. As always, it is best if you contact the Helpdesk yourself as many inquiries can be handled immediately through the Helpdesk.
Immediate Response During Business Hours:
Non-Urgent Requests and Questions:
Standard response time is one hour during non-peak times. We ask that for urgent help requests you either call or come in to one of our Helpdesk locations.
When contacting the Helpdesk for assistance through any of the means above we will need the following information in order to expedite your request. Leaving out any of the information below can delay the processing of your request.
For steps on how to find your service tag/serial number please reference the following quicknote: http://www.umflint.edu/helpdesk/perm/what-is/locating-your-service-tag-or-serial-number/