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Visitor Access to UCInet

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UCInet Mobile Access

1-Day Access

Visitors to the campus who need temporary access to the internet with a laptop or mobile device may make use of Express Registration for the UCInet Mobile Access network.  In order to do this, the visitor should go to a wireless access location, open a web browser, and connect to any web page.  (See list of wireless locations). This will direct the visitor to our registration process.  Access is granted for 24 hours, and this access will only be granted seven times in a 30-day period. Visitor access is restricted to Web, email, and secure shell (SSH).

4-Week Access

There is a second option for visitors who need access to UCInet beyond the restrictions of Express Registration.  Manual Registration is a process by which UCI faculty, staff, or graduate students can authorize access for a visitor.  The authorizer will need to use his or her own UCINetID and password, and will need the MAC address (the unique address of the network card) of the visitor’s laptop or other mobile device.  More information on these two options can be found at the UCInet Mobile Access Registration page.

Longer-Term Access

Another option is available for guests whose visit to UCI will be longer than a month.  (Examples include visiting scholars, volunteer faculty/staff, or those who may be employees of a different UC campus but are teaching here.)  In these cases a faculty or management-level staff member may request a Sponsored UCInetID for the visitor.  This is essentially a normal UCInetID, but it is only valid for as long as the sponsor authorizes it — typically one to four quarters.  Note that the Sponsored UCInetID request form is now online and requires the sponsor to log in with his or her own UCInetID and password.

Eduroam

Visitors from participating educational institutions may choose to gain access to UCInet using their home-campus network identities via the Eduroam secure federated network access service.  For eligible visitors, this option may be a better choice given the requirements and restrictions of the alternatives listed above.

In Brief July 2011

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latest news

  • As of July 20, 2011, POP access to email will be granted on an opt-in basis only. If you are already using POP, you will not be affected by this change.
  • Apple has released Mac OS X Lion. This is a significant change, and you should upgrade only after consulting with your local support.
  • UCI is hosting DrupalCamp LA again this year on August 6 & 7. (Drupal is a Web content management system widely used at UCI.) You can register for this free event at the DrupalCamp LA web site.

Digital Signage System

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Digital sign

The Visix digital signage system was introduced with 5 displays in the Student Center  when it re-opened after the new construction in the Fall of 2007.  The displays were used to list event times and locations, advertise special events such as Wayzgoose and sales in the Bookstore, campus trivia, weather, and more.

Over the past 4 years, the system has grown to comprise 23 displays managed by a wide range of departments from across the campus, including the Visitor’s Center, Environmental Health and Safety, the Cross Cultural Center, Financial Aid, two Bus Shuttle stops, Social Ecology, Medical Education, Engineering, and the UCI Libraries.

All displays are coordinated by a centralized server located in the Student Affairs data center and managed by Student Affairs IT (SAIT), now part of OIT.  Departments create their content on SAIT’s server using a web-based system.  Content can be configured to launch at any desired date or time.  A “player” system owned by the department communicates with SAIT’s server to get content and timing information, and controls its local display.

The content creator determines how long each slide is shown, the order that slides will run, and its transition to the next slide.  The look and feel of the layout is also completely customized.   It is very easy to upload, configure, and manage content.  Technical staff typically does not need to be involved after the initial setup.

The Student Center is planning an expansion of the system to support small LCD displays located at each conference room with up-to-date details of meetings and events that are taking place at that time.   Our hope is that the digital signage system will continue to grow and provide current information in a visually appealing format to an ever-broader campus audience.

Interested departments are invited to consult with SAIT regarding the equipment, set-up, and licensing costs.

OIT and Team-Up UCI Build Collaborative Spirit

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Team Up UCI

Team Up UCI

OIT staff, newly working together under the IT Consolidation framework, collaborated with Campus Recreation’s Team Up program to improve working relationships and reinforce their commitment to the increasingly broad and dynamic team that OIT has become.

Over a dozen members of OIT worked together to overcome stressful and challenging obstacles on a high-wire course erected near the Anteater Recreation Center.  While demanding and exhausting, participants had a positive and successful team-building experience.  Here are some of the individual reflections on the program.

Heinz Yu: “It’s the day after and I’m looking back at our adrenalin-filled afternoon and I can’t stop myself from smiling and recalling the many (white knuckle, death-grip) moments.”

Randall Morgan: “I really had a blast getting to work with all of you, and thanks to those of you that helped me along the way.”

Sonja Elson: “Thank you all for an unforgettable experience and for teaching me so much so high up. I certainly ‘got by with a lot of  help from my friends!’ ”

Deborah Ahlheim: “A big thank you to all my ‘men’ that got me across the lines, your encouragement, strength and understanding got me to push myself past my fear and doubt. I will never forget this life changing experience !!!!”

Carmen Roode: “I too enjoyed the event tremendously, and feel that extra special bonding with all of you.  These are memories I will cherish and I know will come back to me throughout my life.  I learned something new about each of my colleagues and myself and boy was this a fun way to learn!”

Brian Bucker: “It was a wonderful experience and I’m very thankful I had the opportunity to experience it with all of you.”

Kim Gerrard: “Pain is temporary. Glory is forever!   Our first task was our name tags; to write the one thing we brought to the group…I started out with ‘Trepidation’.  But after a while, it became ‘Cautious Optimism’.   And now it is ‘Ropes Evangelist’!”

IT Consolidation Update

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Consolidation

Consolidation

UCI’s IT Consolidation initiative continues to move along.

On April 20th, about 120 staff from units affected by consolidation attended a “Town Hall” meeting to hear a status report and ask questions.  Presenters included Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Michael Gottfredson, Dean Sharon Salinger, and several staff from the Office of Information Technology.  Materials from the meeting, including the presentation slides accompanied by speaker audio, and a summary of the questions and answers discussed, are available online.

In summer, 2009, Academic Affairs Computing Services, Administrative Computing Services, Graduate Division IT, Network and Academic Computing Services, and Office of Research IT joined forces as the Office of Information Technology.  The desktop support, help desk, data center, and security teams in these units have been consolidated and work on integrating services is ongoing.

In the spring of this year, IT staff from Distribution and Document Management, University Advancement, Design and Construction Services, Parking and Transportation Services, and Athletics were moved organizationally into OIT.  In addition, the reporting relationships of IT staff in Student Affairs outside of Enrollment Services, were changed to report into OIT, through full or affiliate relationships.  Enrollment Services IT will move organizationally into OIT sometime this summer after the recruitment for an Enrollment Services IT Director completes.

OIT Director Allen Schiano has been conducting a series of meetings with the academic unit computing directors to review OIT services that the schools require.  CIO Dana Roode has been asked to coordinate a campus-wide discussion starting this fall regarding how academic units might benefit from IT integration efforts.

The IT Oversight Committee continues to meet monthly to receive updates on consolidation activities and to review longer term IT priorities.  The Committee has developed a set of IT Principles to help guide IT decision making at UCI.

Questions or feedback on the consolidation initiative may be sent through email to IT-Consolidation@uci.edu.