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.