UUIDs and passwords
E-mail
Computer accounts
Computer laboratories
Wireless computing
“Smart classrooms” and other instructional computing resources
Virtual private network

UUIDs and passwords

Access to any computing facility ordinarily requires a user name and a password. At The University of Memphis, these are a Universal User ID (UUID) and password which are created for every member of the university community. At present, many of the facilities require separate log-ins using the UUID and password, but the university is working toward a system in which eventually a single log-in to the myMemphis portal will give access to all computing facilities.

You should be informed of your UUID and password at some time during your orientation to the university. If not, visit the Helpdesk in 100 Administration Building.

Your UUID is a matter of public record, but you should guard your password carefully. For safety, you should change your password periodically, and you should change it immediately if you suspect that it has been revealed to anyone. You may change your password by using http://iam.memphis.edu/ or by visiting the Helpdesk in 100 Administration Building.

For more information about UUIDs, go to the Information Technology Divison page about UUID.

E-mail

All persons at The University of Memphis are automatically assigned e-mail accounts. Your e-mail address is UUID@memphis.edu (where UUID is your Universal User ID as explained above). University offices that need to send you e-mail will assume that you are using your university e-mail account and will send the messages to it. If you never use it, preferring to use an outside account, you will miss these messages unless you arrange for automatic forwarding. You may go to the Web site http://iam.memphis.edu/ to set up forwarding to your preferred address.

Your UUID is unique, and the university pledges that no other person at the university will ever be assigned the same UUID. To ensure that uniqueness, the system often truncates a person’s name, leaves out vowels, or adds numerals, so many UUIDs end up giving little indication of the person’s “real” name (who in the world might geschnb7 be?). Now you may use http://iam.memphis.edu/ to choose a more meaningful user name for your e-mail. While some refer to these as “vanity” user names, you cannot choose literally any user name you would like — the system will offer you a lengthy list of possibilities, based on various combinations of your name or possible nicknames, some of which may be rather far-fetched. Many persons will probably choose a straightforward user name (our Administrative Associate chose Karen.Bradley, which is easier to remember and recognize than her official UUID, klbradly).

Points to remember about the “vanity” user name:

• It works only in e-mail addresses. You cannot use it instead of your official UUID to log-in to computing facilities.
• Once you have selected a “vanity” user name, persons who send you e-mail may use either it or your official UUID on the address line. Either one will work for them.
• Your “vanity” user name is temporary. It is not guaranteed to remain unique forever. But if you claim one, it will not be issued to anyone else as long as you have it registered with http://iam.memphis.edu/. If you change to another “vanity” user name or leave the university, the one you give up by making the change may be issued to someone whose “real” name is similar to yours. (But remember that your official UUID will remain unique forever.)

On campus you will ordinarily use Microsoft Outlook to access your e-mail account. Off campus the usual way to access it is through the Web at https://ummail.memphis.edu/, through a mail reader such as Mozilla Thunderbird, or on a smartphone. During the summer months of 2011 the university moved its e-mail services to Microsoft’s Live@edu system. Information Technology does not officially support third-party mail readers, so if you want to use one you may have to experiment to find the proper settings. It does have instructions for making the transition to Live@edu for Microsoft Outlook and various smartphones. If you experience any difficulty, call the Helpdesk at 901.678.8888 or visit the Helpdesk in 100 Administration Building.

For more information about e-mail, go to the Information Technology Division page for e-mail.

Computer accounts

All persons at The University of Memphis automatically have accounts on UMdrive, giving 250 megabytes of storage for files. Because UMdrive is Web-based, these files are accessible from any point on the Internet. If you wish, you may allow others access to your files, so UMdrive is very useful for sharing information. (UMdrive has complete online help, and there is a brief consideration of the basics of UMdrive in our document entitled Creating personal Web pages.) You will access your UMdrive account using your Universal User ID and password.

In addition, you have access to 25 gigabytes of storage on Live@edu known as SkyDrive. Although it works in much the same way as UMdrive, SkyDrive is completely separate from UMdrive and does not replace it in any way. Like UMdrive, it is Web-based, so your files are accessible from any point on the Internet. You will access SkyDrive by logging in to Live@edu with your Windows Live ID and password and choosing SkyDrive from the menu of resources at the top of the screen.

Computer laboratories

Students at The University of Memphis pay a Technology Access Fee, which is used to fund computing and audio-visual equipment in various laboratories and classrooms. Numerous computing laboratories are funded by the TAF. Most, but not all, of them are on the TigerLAN system and give access to a wide variety of software applications as well as access to the Internet. The laboratory in the University Center is available 24 hours a day except Sundays during regular terms. To locate laboratories and see inventories of the equipment in them, consult the complete list of computing laboratories.

The facility that is most convenient to persons in the Department of History is in 401 Mitchell Hall, which is on the TigerLAN system and has 24 Dell computers and a networked laser printer. This laboratory is closed during the summer months. Scheduled public hours are posted at the beginning of each semester.

During the Spring 2013 semester, the scheduled public hours are 8 am-noon, Monday through Friday. The laboratory is not open on Saturday or Sunday.

At times the laboratory may be reserved for class instruction; during those times it is not available to the public. (If you are enrolled in the programs of Student Success Programs (SSP) you may use its computing laboratories on the fourth floor of Mitchell Hall, but these laboratories are not available to the general public.)

Other than the TigerLAN laboratories, the Learning Commons in McWherter Library has computers and peripheral equipment, group workstations with clusters of multiple computers, and group study rooms with white boards. The Learning Commons is open during regular library hours.

Wireless computing

All buildings on the campus of The University of Memphis offer wireless access to the campus network. To use it, you must have an active Universal User ID and password, and you must register your wireless computer or handheld device on the network. The Information Technology Division page on wireless computing has links to any information you might need.

“Smart classrooms” and other instructional computing resources

Twenty-one of the rooms in Mitchell Hall are “smart classrooms”: 200 (auditorium), 203, 205, 209, 211, 305, 307, 309, 315, 317, 319, 323, 325, 403, 407, 409, 417, 421, 423, 425, and 427. Information Technology maintains a list of “smart classrooms” in Mitchell Hall with links to descriptions of the classrooms and “quick start” guides for their use.

The department has several “smart carts” which offer most of the facilities of a “smart classroom” and can be used in any room that has network connectivity (most of the carts can connect wirelessly). They must be reserved for use through the departmental office, 219 Mitchell.

The department has several video carts, with large television screens, VCRs, and DVD players, and there is also a collection of instructional videos (MS Excel). The carts and videos may be checked out from the departmental office.

Virtual private network

The University of Memphis has a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which allows secure access to restricted university data from an off-campus computer. You should never use the VPN when accessing restricted data from an on-campus computer. UMmail and UMdrive are both secured sites, so you do not need to use the VPN with them even when you access them from off campus.

If you need to install software on your off-campus computer to use the VPN, you can find the information you need at the Information Technology Division page on Virtual Private Network, the VPN FAQ (Virtual Private Network Frequently Asked Questions), and instructions on VPN client installation.

Although it takes a fair amount of technical knowledge, ability to follow detailed instructions, and/or daring to do it, you can use the VPN to access your own campus computer from an off-campus computer. In addition to installing the VPN client software on your off-campus computer, it requires that you set up your campus computer to use Remote Desktop. If you have the need to do this, you can find the entry page for the procedures at the Information Technology Division page on Remote Desktop Access.