Logging In to Information Technology Resources (ITR) Lab Machines

Since the beginning of Semester II 2001 PC users also have to log in using their Novell login as opposed to their email username and password. From Semester II 2003 this also applies to centrally administered lab Macintoshes using OSX.

What Username and Password should I enter in the Novell Logon window to authenticate against the University's directory tree?

You should use your Novell username and password. The Novell username is the same as your POP account (email account) username. This can be found on the top right-hand corner of your Enrolment Statement, as can your initial Novell password. This password is only temporary and must be changed by the user within five log ins or the account will lock the user out.

What do I do if I've lost my Enrolment Statement or don't have it with me when I want to use a PC in an ITS managed lab?

Contact the Service Desk. On sighting of your student card, you can be provided with both your POP account, your NDS username and initial NDS password.

What advantages will the Novell/NDS provide me?

Staff and some students are provided with server storage space. Also any server drives or services that you normally connect to will also be available wherever you log in within the Novell network. Personal directories (“P drives) will eventually be available for lab Macintoshes but not at the time of writing.

Financial Management Information System (FMIS)

Basically the FMIS works on Netscape or IE and if users experience
problems they are to ring ext. 7512.

Proxy Settings

If installing IE or any browser for the first time it will be necessary to ensure you have the correct proxy settings to access any web site outside the University (Mozilla will inherit your old Netscape settings).

The proxy server is an intermediary between your machine and the internet. It stores frequently-accessed web pages which are then accessed in place of the originals. Because these copies are kept on our local intranet, they are accessed much faster than the originals.

Your proxy settings need to specifically exclude the University web site to avoid unnecessary traffic on the proxy server. Staff and students accessing the Web via Tas Access Service/iiNet need to set their browsers to direct connection to the Internet.

Printer Problems

IMPORTANT! if for any reason your first attempt to print does not succeed DO NOT keep trying. This only makes the problem -whatever it is - worse and with the PUPs printing system you may well end up paying for multiple printouts you don't want.

Why is my printer not printing?

Do you have an active PUPs printing account? You can activate your PUPs account by making a payment at the Service Desk and obtaining a username and password (EFTPOS only, minimum of $5) or at the Contact Centre in the Union Building. Students at the North West Centre should go to the Administration Centre to make payments which may be cash. In Launceston it’s the Library Help Desk (EFTPOS only), Student Association Resource Centre (Cash) and Student Association Cafeteria Resource Centre (Cash)

Have you entered your PUPs username and password correctly? It is the same as your email username and password. If you are unsure you need to come to the Service Desk on your campus with your student ID.

Ensure that the printer is on and one green light is on. If a red/orange light is on then there is either a paper jam, it's out of paper or it's out of toner. If the printer is in a centrally administered university lab contact the Service Desk on extension 1818, otherwise your departmental secretary.

Are you sure that your computer is printing to the printer you want? What is the name of the printer in the print dialogue box when you select print?

Have you set Page Size to A4 in the Page Set up? To check this, choose "Select All" (usually under Edit) and select page set up. Ensure A4 is selected as page size.

Turn the printer off for about ten seconds and then on again.

• If this fails, try restarting the computer or try another computer.
  
• PDF (Acrobat) files are notoriously hard to print via the PUPS printing system. At worst the printer will take your money and not deliver a print. If this happens notify the Service Desk and either ask for a refund or have them print the document for you.

Ring the Service Desk on 1818 to confirm a problem with a PUPS printer or to get a job deleted from a PUPS queue

Non-networked printer (ones usually used at home or a staff member's office)

• Check that all the cables are correctly plugged in. Check that the printer is turned on.
  
• On a Mac try printing just the desktop by being in the finder and selecting Print Window under the File menu. On a PC you can print a test page by right button clicking on the printer in the printing control panel, go to Properties and the 'print test page'.
  
• On a Mac check that the printer is correctly chosen in the Chooser (from the correct printer port printer/modem port on the back of the machine). Swap over the port being used on the Mac for the printer cable (change in the Chooser). If you are using Desktop printing icons they may be corrupt so trash them and reselect the printer in the Chooser.
  
• Turn both the printer and the computer off, restart the printer and then the computer and try again.
  
• Reinstall the printer drivers
  
• If possible, try a different printer cable or the printer on a different machine or with a different printer (same printer type) on the same machine to isolate which component is faulty.
  
• Contact whatever technical support you may have.

Printing Format Problems:

Word Processing document looks OK on screen but messy/unaligned when printed.

• Check that Page Set-up is on A4, sometimes Word or web browsers default to US Letter.
  
• You may be using a non-postscript font (e.g.. New York and Chicago). These fonts are not postscript fonts and will not necessarily print the way they look on the screen. This may also occur if you are using fonts which the printer does not recognise. Select the whole document and choose either Times, Times New Roman, Palatino, Helvetica, Courier, Bookman (or any other Postscript font etc.)
  * ensure that you use tabs, margins and justification to align text vertically and not just using the space bar (It may help to click on the option).

Email (Eudora, Webmail)

Please note that Helpsheets for both setting up Eudora and using Webmail are available online from this site and on paper from the Service Desk.

Why does it take so long to respond when I get my password wrong?

The POP (email) protocol defines a 10 second time-out for incorrect password, this time-out for failures is the same for all POP clients - "Eudora, Netscape, Webmail"

Why does webmail on webmail.utas.edu.au seem slow?

The webmail session you are using is encrypted so that your password and private mail can not be snooped at by other users on the Internet. This encryption puts a load on your client browser which may result in slow downloads of e-mail depending upon the speed of your desktop machine. You can see that you are running in secure mode by the locked key at the bottom of the browser. Basically the faster the client machine the better reading your e-mail will be.

What URL should I use to check my email ?

http://webmail.utas.edu.au - the rest is done automatically.

What return address should I use?

For students your return address will always be of the form "smith@postoffice.utas.edu.au". Staff are provided with an additional formal return address which will be of the form firstname.lastname@utas.edu.au or some combination of your initials @utas.edu.au. The Service Desk can provide you with your correct details.

Why is my email address not in the University Directory?

Currently only University staff members can have their email address advertised. This is a privacy and security issue. If you are a staff member and your address is not visible in the directory then you need to contact the Service Desk to determine the problem.

I can not read my PDF, Word, excel, gif file in webmail.

Make sure the helper application for the file you want to view is installed, e.g. for a PDF file Acrobat Reader should be installed.

I can not log into my email account, It says it is locked.

These lock problems sometimes happen with POP (for instance if you checked your mail in two places and forgot to log out of the first before attempting the second), if you wait 15mins the lock files are cleared for any problem POP accounts. This is the same for webmail.

My webmail account say it is locked.

When you finished your last webmail session you left it logged in rather than clicking on logout. You will need to wait 30mins before the webmail server logs you out.

"Error with the Domain..."

Check POP account, Real Name, Return Address, SMTP address. These are found in the Settings menu under Special in the Mac version and Options in the PC version. Call the Help Desk on 1818 to check that you have these details correctly. They are usually on your notice of enrolment form.

• It is essential that both in "incoming" and "outgoing", or "pop" servers be either postoffice.sandybay.utas.edu.au or postoffice.newnham.utas.edu.au
  
• The network connections may be down. Check that the connections at the back of the computer are fine and then check the computer next to you (if possible). See if your web browser works and/or (if you are on a Mac) see if you have zones in your Chooser window.

Can't download e-mail

One message may be huge or corrupt - ring the Service Desk on 1818 and ask them to arrange to delete it from your mailbox.

Password is incorrect or can't remember it?

• Were you typing with caps lock on? If so, turn it off and try again.
  
• If you have just changed your password but the new one does not work remember that a changed email password takes five to ten minutes to work for email, up to an hour for databases and 24 hours for WebCT
  
• Go to the Service Desk (with your ID) and get a new one. For security reasons we cannot give passwords over the phone or by email. If you are on a remote campus or a distance student ask your departmental secretary to identify you and request a new password for you by fax.

Mail box corrupt (Eudora)

• Rebuild it if possible (if Eudora gives you that option) or set up a new one by removing that mailbox from the Eudora folder (you lose access to the messages from within Eudora but can usually get into the text of them with Word)
  
• Go to the Service Desk and ask them to fix it.

External, Online access to the University

The University has outsourced its modem pool to Tasmanian Access Service who offer special rates to students and staff. Tas access has agents on the reception desk of the Student Association in Launceston and the Student Union in Hobart. Tas Access is the only Internet Service Provider who can offer direct access to POP3 email. Other ISPs may be used in conjunction with Virtual Private Network (VPN). The web address is www.tassie.net.au.

Error Messages

Error messages are many and varied - if the meaning is not obvious to you and restarting is not practical or does not help, ring the Service Desk on (6226)1818 for advice.

"application which created this document could not be found"

• Double-clicking doesn't always work: try to manually find the application in the hard disk ("My Computer/C drive" on a PC, the hard disk of a Mac)
  
• Use the "Find" command to try to find it (under "Start" on a PC).
  
• Will another program open it? (e.g. Word will open most text documents but you must open Word first and select the document via the "Open" command under "File", web browsers will open any GIF or JPEG files and PICT, BMP, TIFF and JPEG files can be inserted into Word using the Insert command to view them. Quicktime's Pictureviewer will open many image files)

"Error with the Domain..."

See Eudora problems. Check you are connected to the network.

Crashes

How do I restart my computer?

• Has the program locked up but your mouse pointer still moves? For a PC try "control-alt-delete" and click "end task" in the resulting task window - otherwise turn it off and on again after a 10 second pause. On a Mac to "force quit" the program hold down option, apple key and escape (esc) - click 'okay' when it asks if you want to quit?
  
• If this fails newer eMacs have a restart button on the right hand side just beyond the cord connection bay (G4s on the front). Hold the button in until the machine indicates it is restarting.
  
• Do not press any keys until your PC computer has completely restarted, ignore any invitation to do otherwise until the login window (on a lab machine) is visible
  Remember that a PC will not start with a floppy in it’s a drive as it will attempt to boot from the floppy - remove the floppy and press any key to complete the restart.

Repeated crashing of the machine

* Ring the Service Desk on (6226)1818

Disk Problems

Can't get disk out

• On either a Mac or a PC if your disk is stuck in a drive and normal ejecting methods do not work ring the Service Desk on (6226)1818. Do not attempt to remove the disk by inserting anything in the drive as this may damage the drive. A common cause of disk jams is the metal cover plate which may be sticking up sufficiently to prevent the removal of the disk. Forcing things may result in the metal cover plate being left in the drive, thus disabling it for other users.
  
• On a Mac make sure you have quit out of the program you were using and drag the disk icon to the trash. If this doesn't work restart the Mac and hold down the mouse button when it reboots until the disk ejects. If this doesn't work, check for a problem with the keyboard and mouse cables or connection at the side of the Mac. If all else fails on an iMac or later model with an external floppy drive, manually eject the disk and then restart the machine. With OS 9.1 or later the Eject command under Special WILL eject the disk and not ask for it back.

My disk /File is unreadable

Bring the disk to the Service Desk immediately (i.e. don’t add anything else to it) and we will attempt a recovery but can make no promises regarding our success. Usually it is possible to recover plain text only, but if you have a recent printout we will show you how to create a new document from that using character recognition software (OCR).

I can't save to my disk

• Your disk may be locked (on a Mac a padlock icon appears in the top left of the disk window but basically if you can see through the little square on the front top right of the disk it is locked) - eject it, close and reopen the locking switch on the top right of the disk (from the front), reinsert it and try again.
  
• Make sure you are not trying to save to the hard disk of the computer which on a lab machine will be locked. Go to "Save as" and confirm your disk or the A drive are selected
  
• Are you trying to use a Mac formatted disk in a PC? IBM formatted disks will work in a Mac but not vice versa.
  
• Try saving to the Temporary folder on the PC, or the Guest folder on a Mac, and then drag the document to your disk window or disk icon.

Nothing working

When I double click on an application, nothing happens.

On a Mac the application is probably already open without an open document. Select the application from the menu on the top right of your screen to bring it to the front then use the application "File" menu to Open or start a New document - on a PC an already running program that has been minimised will appear on the task bar at the bottom of the screen. Note that a PC can start the same program twice or more. NOTE: applications can lock on either platform without necessarily crashing the computer - try CONTROL-ALT-DELETE on a PC and OPTION-COMMAND (Apple)-ESCAPE on a Mac to force the application to quit.

Keyboard not typing/ Mouse not Moving

• Reboot the machine
  
• Check the cables
  
• Try to isolate the defective component by using a different keyboard or mouse with the computer or try using the keyboard on a different machine
  
• Ring the Service Desk on (6226)1818

Staff Web Kiosk

The Employee Web Kiosk is an "off the shelf" product supplied by Talent2 Works (previously Concept Systems Australia), the same company that supplies the Human Resource Management System (HRMS). It is designed for use in conjunction with the HRMS to deliver services and information to employees via the University's website.

Accessing the University Staff Web Kiosk
Access to the Kiosk and all associated documentation is from one central page, which should be bookmarked as the only entry point to the Kiosk :
http://www.admin.utas.edu.au/hr/kiosk/kiosk.html

This page also provides information regarding the availability of the Kiosk, as it may be unavailable at certain times for regular processing jobs, maintenance or upgrades. If the Kiosk is unavailable, and there is no message of unavailability on the login page, please try again later. If you continue to encounter problems please contact the Service Desk at : http://www.utas.edu.au/servicedesk/staff/
or on extension 1818 Support services will only be available during normal working hours.

The Kiosk may be accessed from home or any other location outside the University that has internet access, providing the minimum browser requirements are met and, if iiNet (Tas Access) is not your ISP, VPN software is installed on your machine. For instructions on installing VPN software, go to the following link:
http://www.utas.edu.au/itr/vpn/

Kiosk Functions
The Employee Web Kiosk provides view access to selected pay and personal information, and in some cases the option to update this data also.

In cases where there is an option to both view and change information, your data will only be changed if you specifically elect to do so (using the Update or Delete buttons). By simply going in to view your details, you will not inadvertently change anything.

The functions currently available in the Kiosk are :

• Pay Information view and print payslips (current and 6 periods prior)view payment summary information (current and 4 years prior)
  
• Personal Information view & change address and telephone detailsview & change emergency contact details
  
• Leave Information view current and projected leave balances (annual & long service leave)view leave bookings (annual & long service leave)
  
• Occupancy Information view current occupancy information including substantive, concurrent and HDA appointments

Browser Requirements/Specifications
In order to use the Kiosk, your browser must be configured to :

• accept cookies
  
• be frames capable
  
• support Java and JavaScript

Technical documentation from the supplier indicates the following platforms and browser combinations are supported:

Mac Browsers PC Browsers

• OS 9.0.0 IE 5.0 Windows NT IE 5.0x, IE5.5, Netscape 4.73
  
• OS 9.1 IE5.0 Windows 98 IE 5.0x, IE 5.5, IE 6.0 Netscape 4.73, Netscape 7.0
  
• OS 9.2.2 IE 5.0 Windows 2000 IE 5.0x, IE 5.5, IE 6.0 Netscape 4.73, Netscape 7.0
  
• OS 10.2.x IE 5.2 Windows XP Professional IE 6.0

Local testing was successfully conducted on the following platforms and browser combinations:

Mac Browsers PC Browsers

• OS 9 IE, Mozilla, Netscape 4.77 Windows 2000 IE 6.0.2800.1106, Netscape 4.77, Netscape 6.2.
  
• OS 10 IE 5.2, Mozilla Windows XP IE 6.0.2600.0000

Login information
Each Kiosk user is provided with a Web User ID and a Password. You will be advised of these details by e-mail.

Your web user ID determines the functions and information that are available to you within the Employee Web Kiosk. Your ability to enter the Kiosk is controlled by your password. You are allocated an initial password, but you will be prompted to change your password after logging in for the first time, so have a new password ready before you log in. Guidelines relating to the composition of passwords are detailed in the next section.

Treat your password like your banking PIN number. Do not disclose your password to anyone or let anyone else use it, and do not write it down and keep it near your computer. These points are very important in ensuring that no one can gain unauthorised access to your personal details. There is nothing here that most employees have not been made aware of in accessing other University systems to date. It is essential though, that users are fully aware that the security provided by your web user ID and password is only as effective as you make it by adhering to these types of guidelines.

Passwords
Guidelines relating to the composition of passwords are as follows :

• minimum length - 6 characters
  
• maximum length - 12 characters
  
• numeric characters - none are required, but it is recommended that you use at least 1

Generally, passwords should contain a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numeric characters, and should be easy for you to remember, but not so obvious that someone else could guess them. Passwords are case specific, that is, there is a distinction made between uppercase and lowercase characters.

Passwords expire after a period of 180 days and your NEW password must be different from your old password.

Contacts
If you have any questions that are not answered in the User Guide, please contact the relevant person with your query, as indicated below.

• Pay information Pay Office Ian LockettDarren VanderpluymRuth Heatley Ext 3582Ext 3108Ext 3520
  
• Personal information& Leave information Human Resources Carolyn StaggMatthew
  
• HusbandMiriam Burgess Ext 3198Ext 3021Ext 3190
  
• Technical problems Service Desk http://www.utas.edu.au/servicedesk/staff/
  
• Password problems If you have forgotten your password, please e-mail
  
• kiosk.password@admin.utas.edu.au and you will be notified of your new password by return
  
• e-mail. Please include your date of birth and employee number for identification purposes.
  
• Other queries Human Resources Kelly RichardsonIan Sather Ext 3019Ext 3020

Top of page

Library Wireless Network

The Morris Miller and Launceston Campus libraries have wireless hot spots. More information is available at the UANA Site .

Top of page

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Virtual Private Network is useful to get pop3 access and access to the web Kiosk from Internet Service Providers different than Tassie Access. For more information please click "here". VPN is not longer needed to access Library databases from home

Top of page

Other Problems

My machine is suddenly running too slow

+
• Are you running any applications in the background as this will also slow things down a bit? Is anyone else logged in to your machine over the network
  
• Have you recently checked your hard disk for file errors and fragmentations? - for your home machine it is recommended that you buy software for this purposes
  
• Do you have current anti-virus software with the latest updates?
  
• Memory"Control Panel will slow applications down. On newer Macs (iMacs, G3’s and later) faster processing chips should avoid this problem but running too many applications at once is always risky. If this is your problem consider buying more memory.
  
• All computers require regular maintenance. It is recommended to run software that will find and repair file errors on your computer and eliminate disk fragmentation. Serious fragmentation will certainly slow your computer down but fix file errors first or de-fragmentation will make errors worse.

Applications behaving oddly.

Quit the application. If you still have problems when you open it again and you have saved recently restart the computer. If the problem persists in any case, uninstal and reinstal the software. On a Mac trashing the application’s preferences (preference folder in the system folder) may help.

Letters appearing on the screen are different to the keyboard keys.

(eg. 'q' and 'w' are swapped.) This is usually because in the control panels the keyboard is set to a foreign keyboard. Reset it to US or Australian if available (menu bar next to the time on a PC and to the right of the time on a Mac)..

System and Software Problems

To Restart the machine

• Macs have restart buttons in different places according to the model. If you can only restart fully with the Shift key held down you have a problem with your system extensions. Try using Extensions Manager to turn suspect extensions off.
  
• On a PC many problems can be fixed with Scan Disk - right button click on the drive that is giving trouble, choose "tools" under "properties"
  
• Reinstall the software and if this doesn't work check with the software distributor that there isn't a more recent version of the software available that is now compatible with your machine or operating system
  
• Reinstall the system software from the original CD - note that Mac system CDs offer either a "refresh" option or a Clean Install, depending upon how serious the problem (hold down the "C" key to boot from the CD). Windows will usually install over the top of the existing system and keep all your settings
  
• Note that both Macs and PCs require regular maintenance to fix file errors and remove disk fragmentation. Regularly rebuilding the Mac's desktop file is also recommended
  
• Inappropriate control panel settings on a Mac can be cured by resetting the Parameter Ram but consult the Help Desk before attempting this
  
• On a PC if you wish to remove software you must uninstall it - not simply delete it from the directory, otherwise the computer will give an error on restart saying it can't find files. The cure is to reinstall the program and then uninstall it.

Ring the Service Desk on (6226)1818 for advice