The Residential Networking (ResNet) Program is the utility that provides a high-speed data connection to the campus network and the Internet for every student living in University owned housing. The locations include all of the seven on-campus residence halls (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Nicolas, San Miguel, San Rafael, Manzanita), plus Santa Catalina, El Dorado West, Westgate, Santa Ynez, West Campus, and Storke Apartments.

The ResNet program has three locations to serve you. If you are experiencing computer problems, please bring your computer by one of our two locations (if you have a desktop, you only need to bring the tower itself no monitor, mouse, or keyboard). For more information on how to contact ResNet, please see "How do I get help?" below.

The ResNet services and connections are provided free-of-charge to all students living in campus-owned housing and apartments.

ResNet provides each student with wired and wireless network access to campus computer resources and the Internet. Students using wired access must provide their own computer, network card (also called an Ethernet card or NIC), and Ethernet cable (also called a network cable or CAT5 cable). Students using wireless access must provide their own wireless network card updated with the latest manufacturer drivers.

ResNet is NOT responsible for computer maintenance, repair, software upgrades, e-mail accounts, personal printers, hardware installation, or anything else not related to student residential network connections.

• Technical support and troubleshooting may be obtained from the original computer vendor, or students can use the computer repair services in Kerr Hall, room 1150 (for a fee). The Kerr Hall telephone number is 805.893.2102.
• Additional campus computer resources include Instructional Computing’s UMAIL undergraduate e-mail accounts, student web pages, and the Gaucho OnLine Database (GOLD) for student access to campus records.

ResNet operates three Service Centers that are open daily to help students having problems connecting to the Internet. For on-campus students, the Service Center is located on the ground floor of San Nicolas and San Rafael Tower, right across from the Front Desk. For all off-campus students living in apartments or in Santa Catalina, the ResNet Service Center is located on the lobby floor of Santa Catalina, in the breezeway between the North and South Towers.

If you experience connection problems that you are not able to repair on your own, please bring your computer (if you have a desktop, please just bring the tower, no monitor, keyboard, or mouse) to one of our Service Centers for diagnosis and repair. Service Centers are open daily.

When a student computer becomes infected, compromised, or exhibits malicious or suspicious behavior, it is UCSB's policy to immediately shut off that computer's network connection. Because of this, it is in every student's best interest to practice safe and smart computer maintenance techniques. There is nothing more frustrating than needing your Internet connection to help study for finals, only to discover that you've been shut off!

There are several simple and quick steps you can take to help ensure that your computer is fully patched, protected, and up-to-date. Most students use one of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. Unfortunately, Windows is *amazingly* vulnerable to security compromises and virus infections. The recognized authority on computer infections is the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). As of August 2004, they warn of 1152 serious or critical vulnerabilities in Windows -- those are just the serious & critical holes.

The first and most critical step is to enable Windows Update on your PC. You should allow Windows to automatically check for, download, and install any available updates on your computer. It is a simple, one-time process, but it is definitely the most important - remember, windowsupdate should be checked every single day.

ResNet highly recommends every user to install and maintain an AntiVirus client as an added element of protection. Many brand-new computers come with a trial or "free" version of AV software; don't be fooled! Most of these programs are time-limited trials, or you have to pay extra for AV updates. ResNet recommends that users uninstall such trial versions and install the full version of the AntiVirus program they trust. Once installed, every AntiVirus program needs to be configured to check the vendor's site for updated "virus definitions". Often times, these definition updates can come out as often as once per day. It is critical that you verify that your AV program is configured to get updates at least once per day to minimize the risk of virus infection.

PLEASE NOTE: ResNet traditionally provided an AntiVirus client to residents free of charge. Due to issues related with the management and support of the software, ResNet has chosen to discontinue this practice. We feel our users will be better served and protected by providing their own trusted antivirus solution.

E-mail: Do not open an attachment from anyone, ever! Unless you have specifically requested a file from someone, do not open it! Many new e-mail viruses try clever social engineering attempts to get you to open up infected files. The messages are often disguised as having come from someone you know (your parents, siblings, boyfriend or girlfriend), and can actually seem quite convincing. However, unless you have confirmed that this person sent you a file that you've requested, you should *never* open an e-mail attachment. If you use Microsoft Office products (like Outlook, or Word) to send/receive e-mail, be sure to keep any MS Office products fully up-to-date at all times (office.microsoft.com).

For any questions or problems regarding your e-mail account, please visit their website. ResNet cannot assist with e-mail questions or problems and is not affiliated with Umail.

MP3, movie, and software sharing may be the rage, and all of your friends may be doing it, but did you know that it is also an extremely likely method of picking up infected files that compromise your entire computer? Aside from the legal, moral, and ethical problems (not to mention that you will lose your ResNet connection for a minimum of 30 days the first time you are caught in a copyright violation), viruses, Trojan horses, and infected files run rampant through most peer-to-peer networks.
DC++, KaZaA, Gnutella, Limewire, eDonkey, Morpheus, Bearshare, Audiogalaxy, Aimster, Grokster, Blubster, and Kontiki are just some of the dozens of p2p programs that are out there. If you think that since everyone does it, it's okay to use, think again. In 2002-2003, ResNet terminated over 250 connections due to Copyright violations. Thanks to our zero-tolerance policy adopted in 2003-2004, we only had to terminate 60 student connections last year.

As mentioned earlier, in addition to being used for illegal purposes, these programs also propagate viruses and Trojan horses on a massive scale. During Spring Quarter of the 2003-04 year, we had over 700 student accounts disconnected within 24 hours due to a severe Trojan infection/compromise. All infected PC connections were immediately terminated, and over 700 students were left without Internet connections right in the midst of midterm exams. What did all of these users have in common? They got infected from a file downloaded through DC++.

Another step ResNet strongly encourages our users to take is to discontinue their use of Internet Explorer as their default web browser. IE has hundreds of vulnerable security holes and exploits, with more coming out on a frequent basis.

ResNet supports and recommends Mozilla Firefox, a fully featured, fully compliant, and very cool-looking web browser for Microsoft Windows. Every year, dozens of student computers become so bogged down with Spy-Ware and other illicit programs that they become nearly unusable. In addition to using Firefox, we recommend that all students install a copy of SpyBot and Ad-Aware.

All of these programs - the Firefox Web Browser, SpyBot S&D, and Ad-Aware - are available for free download.

Good luck out there...be safe, and be smart!

ResNet requires that you create and maintain a unique login and password. When a student is on campus, all they have to do is open a browser window and their computer will be automatically directed to the registration site. You cannot register prior to arriving on campus. At the beginning of the school year, all students must register their computer in order to receive ResNet service. Every quarter, all registrations are deleted, and students must re-register their computers. This ensures accurate and up-to-date records for our systems.

This is the most frequently asked question - as well as the most difficult to answer. The rapidly changing computer industry changes what a 'good' computer is every day. Most computers on the market today will be adequate for use at UCSB. The real trick is to purchase one that will fill the needs of a student for all four years of college. Our advice is to purchase as much computer as you can within your budget.

When purchasing a new computer, pay attention to the warranty. If you purchase a computer from a 'computer show' at the local fair grounds, you will most likely be supporting the computer yourself. Many computer vendors today will include competitive hardware replacement warranties and even on-site repairs in some cases. We recommend purchasing these types of warranties if you are not comfortable repairing and upgrading your own computer.

Every computer sold today is "network ready", so unless you have an older computer, you probably do not need to purchase a third-party Ethernet and wireless card. Be sure to check with your computer vendor that an Ethernet and wireless card is already installed on your system. If your computer has an OS that has had support discontinued by Microsoft, ResNet may not be able to resolve the incompatibility (Windows 95/98/ME/NT). It is every student's responsibility to provide their own System or OS CDs.

The UCSB Bookstore sells a variety of network ready computers, which are ready to connect to ResNet. They have both Macintosh and Windows computers at competitive prices.

ResNet may be able to provide limited support for some older versions of Windows (98, ME) or the Classic Mac OS. Linux platforms are not officially supported (no assistance can be guaranteed to users).

ResNet operates three Service Centers that are open daily to help students having problems connecting to the Internet. For on-campus students, the Service Centers are located on the ground floor of San Nicolas and San Rafael Tower, across from the Front Desk. For all off-campus students living in apartments or in Santa Catalina, the ResNet Service Center is located on the lobby floor of Santa Catalina, in the breezeway between the North and South Towers.

You can also send a message to ResNet at resnet@housing.ucsb.edu.