Cookies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue.

Computing and Information Services

Wireless Service - Usage Guidelines

Practical Considerations

Users of the Wireless Service in the Bill Bryson Library are requested to use their laptops with consideration for others. The Library is a study environment for the whole academic community in which people expect to be able to study and research free from disturbance from other users and the equipment they bring into the Library.

  • Laptops, when not used under their own battery power, must be used at desks immediately adjacent to a power supply to avoid trailing electrical cables which are a safety hazard.
  • Users bringing laptops into the Library do so at their own risk; personal possessions should not be left unattended at any time.
  • Use of laptops in the Library is covered by Section III.7 of the Library Regulations
    http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/university.calendar/volumei/current/regs.library.pdf

Security Considerations

Wireless communication over a shared medium is vulnerable to third parties receiving data broadcast over the wireless medium. The Durham University Wireless System employs security features to provide some protection against such activities but in addition to these in-built features the use of secure applications is strongly recommended when communicating sensitive information over a wireless link. Secure applications further encrypt the data at the application level, adding another layer of security.

  • Where possible choose to use secure (https) connections to web based services
  • Use secure shell (SSH) communications protocol when logging in to a CIS Unix computer. SSH offers increased security: all the data that is transmitted (including your password) is encrypted.  PuTTY is a client for Microsoft Windows and allows you to access Unix machines remotely using the SSH protocol. PuTTY is available in the Durham Network folder.
    http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/its/info/infosheets/158putty.pdf