Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Information Technology

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Use this Page

This compilation of frequently asked questions (FAQ) is designed to help you answer your own questions. Immediately below these introductory paragraphs, you'll see a group of general subjects such as E-mail, Network IDs, etc. These subject lines are links that point to Q & A about that subject. Some links point to Q & A within this document, and others point to external documents. Choosing a given subject line takes you to either an internal Q & A group or to an external document. Browse through the Q & A pairs. The Top button at the end of each answer returns your view to the top of the FAQ page; your browser's Back button returns to your point of origin. You can also electronically search this page with the search option built into your browser (Edit | Find). If you're unfamiliar with a word or phrase you need to know more about, look in our online glossary

Topics

E-mail, General
Network IDs and Passwords
Web Browsers, General
Web Pages, Creating
Web Pages, Searching
Network News (Usenet, Newsgroups)
UNIX and Mainframe Computing
Miscellaneous Topics
Computer Learning Centers (CLC) (external page)

E-mail, General

Q: Users of the SIUC e-mail system have been warned about virus/malware that pretends to be from SIU. We are told not to open it. How can someone have a fake return e-mail address from our domain (siu.edu), as in support@siu.edu?

One can hardly be blamed for opening attachments from within our own domain. Is there any way we can recognize this as a faked return address?

The return e-mail address is easily faked (also known as "spoofed") due to limitations in the original specifications for E-mail. It is a method viruses use in their attempt to trick you into opening attachments or taking other harmful actions. Tips and education helps in how to handle these types of issues. Viruses will try many methods to trick you, such as pretending to be from someone that you know or someone from your bank/school/computer staff/etc. warning you of some dire consequence if you don't open the attachment, pretending to be mail that you sent but could not be delivered, and the list goes on.

While viruses can (especially within Microsoft e-mail client programs) hide within the body of an e-mail message, the majority of them will be hiding in attachments. Any properly-configured mail server will block many attachment types that can be used to carry viruses, but it is difficult to ensure usability while still blocking the malware.

Note that we depend on the campus LAN administrators to be proactive against viruses in every possible way. We recommend a daily update of your antivirus application--this information can be found in your anti-virus documentation.

All mail servers on campus and all desktops should be using an anti-virus program. If a department is not using anti-virus on their mail server, please contact Curt Wilson (curtw at siu.edu ) to discuss how to resolve that situation.

Q: I graduated from SIUC last semester and am back home in another state. How can I check the mail in my SIUC mailbox from my home?

A: Your SIUC account will remain active until approximately six weeks into the semester following your last semester of enrollment at SIUC. You can simply connect to your mail account at SIUC as you always have, using whatever internet connection you have back home. You are also welcome to check you mail via SIUC’s webmail server. Please be aware that after the ID is taken down, some time around the sixth week of the Spring or Fall semester after you graduate, your mailbox at SIUC and all its contents will be deleted and cannot be retrieved.

The long-term solution is to establish an account with a service provider. Your new provider will tell you how to point your e-mail program (Eudora, etc.) to your new mailbox. You will need to ask the system to forward your e-mail to your new mailbox as soon as you know what it is. Point your browser to SIUC's webmail server and select the Intelligent Inbox link. You will be taken to the Intelligent Inbox page, click the Mail Forwarding link and fill in the data fields. Your mailbox will still be destroyed at the six-week point, but your e-mail will be forwarded to your new box for six months from the date you request forwarding.

If you need an account from another provider, but do not have one, some offer free services, such as "Hotmail" from Microsoft, Inc., "Yahoo Mail" from Yahoo, Inc., or "GMail" from the Google, Inc.

Q: How can I find out someone's e-mail address at SIUC? Is an e-mail search available?

A: Point your browser to (Information Technology's home page) and select the People Finder link at the top of the page. This link will bring up a web page you can use to search for anyone at SIUC.

Q: When I'm traveling off-campus, is there any way to send and receive e-mail through the SIUC mail servers without having to make long-distance calls back to Carbondale?

Yes. Simply set up your SIUC account in the e-mail client of your choice (we recommend the Thunderbird email client from the Mozilla project, see www.mozilla.com and follow the links to download the Thunderbird client). Create an account with your SIUC network credentials and password, the Computer Support Center (CSC) help desk can assist you with the rest of the settings, infotech.siuc.edu or by phone at 618-453-5155. Or if you are travelling and you cannot use your own computer to connect to the internet while on the road, use the SIUC WebMail application. No matter where you are in the world, just point your browser to http://webmail.siu.edu/. This page lets your browser function like an e-mail program.

Q: Sometimes friends attach very large files, like images and word processing documents, to e-mail they send me, and I have problems trying to open this mail (with MIME types and so on). It also causes my mailbox to fill up quickly. Information Technology advises using something called "FTP" to send large files rather than e-mail. How do I "FTP" a file?

A: FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. It was designed to allow computers to send files to each other across the Internet. Computer type and file type do not matter. Using an FTP server for large files will make sending data easier for you and take some of the load off the mail server, and we strongly recommend it. To use FTP:

You will need a SIUC Network ID (with UNIX access) to access the compute server. As a test, click telnet://fatman.siu.edu, the compute server, and try to log in with your Network ID and password (the same pair you use to dial in and open your e-mail). If you're told that "You entered an invalid log in name or password," you will need to activate UNIX access for your ID.

To do that, go to the Information Technology home page. Look for the "Quick Links" menu in the middle of the page. Select the "Network ID Update (UNIX/Email)" option. Type your Network ID and password, check the small box beside the "I have read and agree to follow ..." policy agreement, and then select the “ Yes, Activate for UNIX” service. This then queues a request to open an account on the server called "fatman.siu.edu." The request will be completed automatically and will be active about twenty minutes after you receive the "Your request has been successful" message.

Once this account is created, a directory similar to your mailbox on the mail server, or the directories/folders you routinely create on your desktop computer will be available for your use on the fatman.siu.edu server. You can connect to it via "Telnet" (INSECURE! NOT recommended!) or "SSH (Secure Shell)" (VERY SECURE - Recommended). This server uses the UNIX operating system, so after you log in, you will be able to use standard UNIX "shell" commands. FTP is one of these commands.

To send a file to someone, you must get that file into this account. You can log in to the account and create the file from scratch with a UNIX text editor, or you can send the file to your account using an FTP program. The Computer Support Center recommends that you use "CoreFTP" which is available from the SIU FTP site, HERE.

"fatman.siu.edu" is the host name in the CoreFTP program, and your network ID and password. You will then be able to send files to your UNIX account on the fatman server.

Q: I'm an SIUC student. While I'm home on break, am I permitted remote access to my e-mail? I know a firewall is set up, but I still have people sending e-mail to my SIU account that I would like to read from my commercial account. Is this doable?

A: Yes, you can check your mail when you're away from SIUC. Connect to your local Internet Service Provider (ISP), and set your e-mail client's IMAP mail account to yourname@saluki-mail.siu.edu, where yourname is your SIUC network ID. Also make sure your outgoing mail (SMTP) server is set to the SMTP server on your local ISP, or to the SIUC SMTP server saluki-mailhub.siu.edu with TLS encryption and username authentication turned on. The firewall you mentioned (a type of security filter you must pass through) will prevent you from downloading any software from the SIUC FTP server unless you provide your SIUC network ID login credentials at the security prompt, but it will allow you to check your e-mail. Also, the SIUC web mail server, which allows you use your web browser as an e-mail program, is available at webmail.siu.edu. (Top)

Q: I've been receiving unwanted e-mail lately, such as unsolicited advertising from commercial businesses, and other stuff I would call "junk" mail. I find this very annoying. What can I do to keep this electronic junk out of my mailbox?

A: There are steps you can take, regardless of the type of unsolicited e-mail.The Internet is not regulated with anything like the USPS strictness, but there are things you can do. This is a fairly extensive list, so Information Technology's postmaster has described them in a separate document. (Top)

Network IDs and Passwords

Q: How do I change my Network ID/e-mail password?

A: Point your web browser to this link. It will open a page of commonly requested services. On that page look for the "Change your Network ID Password" link, select it, and answer the prompts. Please be aware that your new password must meet strict requirements; for example, it should be at least eight characters long, it must be have at least one uppercase, one lowercase, one number, and one special character, and it cannot be a dictionary word, even if spelled backward. Also be aware that you are changing the password not just for checking your e-mail, but for all other network functions, such as dialing in, signing on to Ethernet, or logging into a computer in one of IT's computer learning centers.

Q: Whom do I contact when I have a dial-in problem?

A: Call the Computer Support Center (CSC), 453-5155, anytime you are unable to connect to Information Technology's public dialup server (453-2888) or the preferred service number (536-2900).

Q: When does my Network ID activate or expire?

A: Your Network ID usually becomes active immediately upon creation, or, in very busy times, you may need to wait 20-30 minutes for it to be propagated throughout all the servers on the SIUC campus area network (CAN). This also applies to password changes, except for IT's dialup servers; a password change will not take effect on the dialup servers until it has been propagated to that server, which may take up to thirty minutes. (This is a recent change, it used to take between twelve and twenty-four hours for changes to propagate.) Your computer account, or Network ID, will be deleted from the SIUC systems six weeks into the Spring or Fall semester following your last semester at SIUC.

Q: Does the Computer Support Center have an e-mail address I can send questions to when your phones are not available?

A: Send e-mail to infotech.siuc.edu

Web Browsers, General

Web Pages, Creating

Q: I want to create my own web page. How do I go about doing this?"

A: This question raises a number of issues that are addressed at http://news.siu.edu/tools/web/faq.html.

Web Pages, Searching

Q: How can I limit a search of World Wide Web pages to the SIUC site only?

A: Point your browser to the IT home page (www.infotech.siuc.edu). Find the Intranet link and click it. After you arrive at the Intranet page, you will see a "Search SIUC" window at the top of the page. (Top)

Netnews, Usenet, Newsgroups

Q: Does SIUC have a newsgroup?

A: Yes. Simply point your newsgroup reader, Outlook, Thunderbird, etc, to schooner.siu.edu.(Top)

Q: I read that there are more than 20,000 newsgroups in existence on the web now. How can I find out what's going on in that many newsgroups?

A: Point your browser to groups.google.com.(Top)

UNIX and Mainframe Computing

Q: How do I log in to the SIUC mainframe?

A: You'll need software on your computer to convert to the mainframe "3270" format. This software emulates an IBM mainframe "terminal" on your PC or Macintosh. If you don't have this software on your computer, you can download it and its installation instructions from the SIUC FTP server. Choose the link that matches your operating system (Macintosh, Windows, etc.). For more information, please check the Mainframe Systems web site.(Top)

After you have installed this 3270 terminal emulator, write down its disk/directory/program name pathway, e.g., C:/TCP3270/WIN3270.EXE">C:\TCP3270\WIN3270.EXE -A -P default -H. (The options, -A -P default -H, are unnecessary, but they'll speed up your connection.) Then create an icon on your computer desktop that points to the software. (Top)

Q: I'd like to use the UNIX "XC" editor to create and modify files in my account on the compute server. How can I find out how to use it?

A: The XC editor is a UNIX clone of the VM/CMS Xedit editor. The command set that works in Xedit also works in XC, so if you're familiar with Xedit, you'll know how to use XC. You can teach yourself XC at a site like the one at the University of Delaware.

Miscellaneous Topics

Q: I would like to FAX documents directly from the word processor I use with Windows. Is there a way to do this?

A: Yes. You must install a FAX program which is compatible with your telephone modem, and your modem must be capable of handling the FAX format (most are). This software is usually bundled with your modem or system "accessory" software, check with your hardware vendor for exact instructions and other details.

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