Introduction - IP (Internet Protocol) Restriction
Anyone may use any
of the thousands of electronic resources provided by the Library while
on the University of Chicago campus & from the Medical Center. With
only a few exceptions, no
password is necessary.
Restricting information services to authenticated user groups is done
by a method known as IP (Internet Protocol) Restriction. This allows the
Library to limit access to authorized users within our domain, meaning
those users who have uchicago.edu as part of their Internet address. This
process also enables us to enforce our license agreements with our resource
providers effectively.
Access to electronic resources both on and off campus should be transparent
to the user because the Library negotiates institutional licenses with
publishers and vendors for their products. An institutional license (or
site license, or academic subscriber license) provides the entire campus
with the online version of a book, journal, or database for a one-year
period. The vendor knows what IP addresses are included on his subscribers'
networks and restricts access to these IP numbers.
Due to these licensing agreements, remote access to electronic resources is restricted to authorized faculty, students, and staff of the University of Chicago and Hospitals. When off campus, you need to have two things in place in order to access the electronic resources.
Obtain a computing account - CNetID
University Faculty, Students, and Staff
The Chicago Network Identification (CNetID) is your username for your Networking Services & Information Technologies (NSIT) computing account. Generally speaking, you'll recognize it as the first part of your email address. When accessing electronic resources from off-campus, you will be prompted to authenticate using your CNetID and password.
Most faculty, students, and staff of the University receive an account as part of their orientation process. New faculty, students, and staff can claim their accounts online at http://cnet.uchicago.edu/cnet-instructions.html.
For more information about the CNetID contact:
ID & Privileges Office
Lobby of the Regenstein Library
1100 East 57th St.
Monday through Thursday 8:30am - 7:00pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday 9:00am - 1:00pm
Phone: 773-702-3344
Email: accounts@uchicago.edu
Medical
Center Staff
Residents, Fellows, and Physicians with faculty appointments are eligible for CNetIDs. (See directions above.)
For more information on CNetID eligibility, go to http://nsit.uchicago.edu/policies/eligibilityfaq/
Note: What Happened To Ph?
The Ph-alias is a commonly used alias or nickname for the CNetID. Historically, it could be used by University of Chicago Hospitals physicians and nursing staff (with department head permission) for authentication when using restricted resources and when dialing into the NSIT modem pool. As of December 18th, 2003, the Ph-alias can no longer be used to authenticate on the modem pool or the restricted resources.
The Ph-alias is also used as an email pointer to users' primary email account – this usage will not be affected by the changes on the modem pool.
Connect to the Campus Network
There are two means of connecting from home.
Option 1: The NSIT Proxy Server
The proxy server authenticates users with a CNetID and then serves as a "proxy" or intermediary between their machine and the resource provider's website. The first time you access University-restricted resources during any given session with your web browser, you will be prompted for your CNetID and password, then allowed access.
It is no longer necessary to configure your web browser on your home computer to use the proxy server. You are now automatically authenticated through the proxy server. If you have set bookmarks for restricted resources and they no longer work, please see the Proxy It! bookmarklet instructions.
Option 2: The NSIT Connectivity Package
NSIT's Connectivity Package, a pre-configured software package, provides a connectivity software package for use by University faculty, students, & staff calling into the modem pool. It is freely available from the Campus Computer Stores Sales & Service office at 970 E. 58th St., on the third floor of the Bookstore building, or from the ID & Privileges Office in the lobby of the Regenstein Library at 1100 E. 57th Street.
Need
help? A note on technical problems
It is not always easy to determine the exact nature of technical problems as they can arise from a variety of sources. The most frequent problems are due to:
- Problems setting up the connectivity package
- Congestion on or failure of the campus network
- Congestion on or failure of some portion of the Internet
- Problems on individual servers which host the information you are
trying to access
- The publisher or vendor we have a license with (oops) forgot that
we have a subscription to their product.
Technical support issues such as "How do I configure PPP?" or "How do I check my uchicago.edu email?", or problems installing the NSIT Connectivity Package, should be directed to the NSIT Support Line. Regardless of whether you have a University or Hospital appointment, all technical support issues related to the NSIT Proxy Server should also be directed to NSIT:
NSIT Support Line
Monday through Friday; 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM
Phone: (773) 834-8324
Email: support@uchicago.edu
If you experiencing difficulties accessing or using Library resources, please contact Library staff. We will try to identify the source of the problem and resolve it in a timely manner, referring you to University or Medical Center technical support staff as appropriate.
Crerar Library Reference
773-702-7715
If you have any
questions about resources or services available to the biomedical sciences
community please contact Deb Werner,
Biomedical Reference Librarian or Christa
Modschiedler, Biomedical Bibliographer & Reference Librarian. You
may also email the Crerar Reference Staff.
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Due to licensing agreements, remote access to electronic resources is restricted to authorized faculty, students, and staff of the University of Chicago and Hospitals. When off campus, you need to have a current computing account with a unique log-on profile, known as a CNetID, in order to access electronic resources.