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NWE Help: Intro: Account: Account FAQ

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Here are some of the questions we most often get regarding NWE accounts.

Are there any restrictions regarding my account?

Yep. Please refer to our account usage policies page for a full description.

Failure to adhere to account policies can result in the loss of your account for the remainder of the semester, as well as notification of the UF administration of potential violation(s) of University of Florida policy.

If you have question about these policies, contact the NWE staff.

 

What is the NWE policy about making web pages?

All students using the NWE have the ability to make web pages. Each student has a web site located at http://www.nwe.ufl.edu/~username/ (Your instructor will give you a login and password).

Often, instructors require their students to post work on the web. While there are no web space restrictions to student accounts, there are some rules regarding what you may or may not post to an NWE web page.

All work that you want accessible via the Internet must be placed in your public_html/ directory. The contents of your web space are accessible from all over the Internet even if the files in question aren't "linked" to your home page. Therefore, you should never put anything you wish to keep private in your public_html/ directory.

The files you keep in your directories should be related to your class work. NWE pages and public_html directories may NOT be used for:

  • Commercial purposes
  • Hosting business related material
  • Storing or displaying pornographic or racist material
  • Storing sound and video files
  • Downloading software

You are allowed to place sound or video files in your directories only if they are related to class work. Violations of this policy could lead to the deletion of those files without warning and if the abuse of policy continues, violations could lead to the enforcement of quotas on web space.

 

Does the NWE have disk or printer quotas?

The NWE does not have disk or printer quotas, but we ask you to be prudent about disk and printer usage. Printing or storing materials not related to your classwork on NWE servers puts a tremendous strain on the system. Please do not:

  • Make the NWE a copy center for making flyers advertising parties or garage sales
  • Copy large sound or movie files to your account on the NWE servers
  • Download and 'hoard' files on NWE servers.

Our servers do not have the capability to play movie or audio files and should not be used as a storage place for files which are not related to course work or research. If you store such files in your home directories, they are subject to deletion without notice.

More than one thousand students use NWE accounts each semester. Account abuse can lead to broken printers or servers with full disks. If you create a problem through excessive use of a printer or the file system for non-class work, you will prevent hundreds of students from being able to complete required classwork. Please remember the first rule listed above!

 

Can I keep my account at the end of the semester?

No.

Your account is good for one semester only. Unfortunately, there can be no exceptions to this policy. We encourage you to use the permanent computer accounts for UF students supplied by CIRCA.

 

When can I access the labs?

Rolfs Hall is open during the day, in the evening and on weekends at the times printed in our Classroom Schedule. Generally speaking, you can use any classroom lab anytime it is open, as long as you are not disturbing a class or special event. Always check the class schedules posted on every classroom door to ensure you will not be interrupting a class in session.

Lab assistants are available at the times listed at the top of our Classroom Schedule page; you'll usually find them at the desk in Rolfs Hall room 114.

You can also access your NWE files from home. See our Remote Access help pages for more information.

 

Can I access my account from CIRCA or from my home computer?

Yes, but you need to use your Gatorlink password in the CIRCA labs, then connect to the NWE. You cannot log in to NWE computers with your CIRCA password--you must have a valid NWE account to use our resources. See our Remote Access pages for more help.

If you have further questions, please refer to the CIRCA home page, especially the handouts, or send your question via email to the UF Help Desk. (You can call the UF Help Desk at 392-HELP as well.)

 

I've heard a rumor about hackers.
Will they do anything to my account?

Probably not. There are a few simple things you can do to make sure.

1. Keep your password a secret.

YOU SHOULD NOT SHARE YOUR PASSWORD WITH ANYONE. Nor should you use passwords that are easily guessed. Proper nouns followed by a number (for example, billy1), your name spelled backwards, and short passwords (less than 8 characters) are all poor choices. Of course, any word you could look up in any dictionary is not good.

As mentioned above, you should never email your password to anyone -- even us. Email is inherently insecure, so sending your password out in email just makes a hacker's job easier.

The passwords you are assigned at the beginning of the semester have been carefully constructed to be uncrackable and have proven to be effective.

2. Always log out when you finish using an NWE terminal.

Though it's unlikely, a malicious hacker could read your email or modify your files if you leave your computer logged in when you leave Rolfs Hall. They could also send mail AS YOU to other people, like your instructor, the President, etc. Please make sure to log out by clicking on the NWE menu and selecting "Logout" before you leave the classroom.

3. Use common sense.

If someone asks you about our system or asks for your password, don't give them any information! If they ask by email, please forward the mail to help@nwe.ufl.edu, or contact one of our staff in Rolfs 113 or 111.

 

I need help with my home page! What should I do?

Because we're only five or six people, and y'all are 1,600 students, we need you to help yourself as much as possible. If you need help using the NWE system, here's what we suggest:

  • If you suspect a problem with NWE hardware or software, contact the NWE help staff.
  • If you need help learning the nuances of a program, how to write HTML, or how to finish an assignment, follow these steps:
    1. Consult the documentation on these web pages.
    2. Ask your instructor to help you.
    3. If all else fails, seek help from the NWE system staff.

 

The printer jammed. Now what?

Contact the NWE help staff and we'll fix it as soon as we can. If you're in the lab after hours, you can ask the lab assistant in Rolfs 115 to help. Please DO NOT try to fix a printer yourself. You can destroy a laser printer by Schwarzeneggerizing the paper out.

If you need to print something ASAP, go to another classroom or a CIRCA lab.

 

I deleted a file! Can you restore it for me?

Unfortunately, no. We support 1,600 students and more than 100 instructors every semester, and there's no way we could offer this service to everyone. To be on the safe side, back up your files to a diskette from a CIRCA PC, or on your home computer, if you own one. If you use the asWe HTML editor to create web content, look for a ".bak" file with the same name--these automatic backups can be handy.

 

I have forgotten my password.

Are you sure? If you're trying to log in from a Rolfs terminal, press the "reset" button on the login screen and try again. Also, make sure the caps lock key isn't pressed -- passwords are case sensitive.

Your instructor should have a copy of your password. Ask for it. If your instructor does not have your password, she can mail us and we'll make a new one. Then your instructor can come by Rolfs 111 during normal business hours and get the new password, or you can do the same (if you bring a picture ID).

We cannot "look up" passwords. We can only make new ones.

We will NOT email you or your instructor a new password. Email is not secure. There are no exceptions to this policy.

 

I need a stapler. Where can I get one?

You can buy a stapler at any office supply store.

Don't ask the people with offices on the first floor of Rolfs for a stapler. If you're lucky, they'll just tell you to go away. If not, they'll bite your head off.

 

I just got email about a new virus!
Shouldn't I forward it to my class list?

Nope. Odds are it's a hoax, or a practical joke that's getting old fast. Here's a good site to bookmark: http://www.vmyths.com/.

Check this site before you forward virus warnings, chain email messages, "good cause" requests, offers that look too good to be true, etc. Chances are the email is a hoax, and information is already on the above site (or a similar site). You can usually recognize hoax mail by characteristics such as numerous forwarding headings left in the message, screaming all-caps "READ THIS!!!" statements in subject lines and in the messages themselves, insufficient detail, and unsupported, overblown, and/or unverifiable claims. And, of course, such messages urge you to forward them to everyone on the planet.

Our sysadmins and help staff keep their eyes and ears open for real problems. They'll spread the word if there is a genuine need for alarm.

 

How can I learn more?

Use the World Wide Web to learn more about our system. If you have specific questions regarding the use of the system, or if you wish to report a problem with hardware or software or comment on the Network Writing Environment, please see our help pages, or contact the NWE help staff.