Students are afforded the use of personal computers either in their office or available community computers. Each student is required to adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy of the Department and the University. http://www.usm.edu/infosec/policy.php/

Getting Help

Stennis Space Center Help Desk

The USM Information Technology Department (iTech) handles problems related to University owned technology equipment, i.e., computers, printers, scanners, etc.
To maintain prompt service at Stennis, iTech-Gulf Coast has a work order tracking system to assure that your work orders are followed through to completion. We ask that you follow the procedures outlined below to get your work orders properly entered into the system. All work orders involving computer hardware, software, and networking should create a work order in one of the following ways:

1. Enter a trouble ticket on the web, www.usm.edu/helpdesk , and click on "Place a Work Order" or directly at http://www.usm.edu/itech/workOrders/idchedk.php
2. Call the Help Desk, 601-266-HELP (601-266-4357). For computer problems, please have the property tag number and your employee or student ID number ready for the technician. Hours of operation: 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. (M-F)
3. Call the local iTech office, 228-688-3561, William Stianche.

Escalation procedure If you have not been contacted within two business days of initiating a work order or the problem is a work stoppage or an emergency, please follow these steps in order:

1. Call the Help Desk, 601-266-HELP (601-266-4357). Ask the technician to check on the status of your work order. The technicians working on your problem should have notes in the work order specifying its current condition.
2. Call the Gulf Park iTech office, 228-865-4500.
3. Contact David Sliman, Director of iTech Gulf Coast, Email:David.Sliman@usm.edu

Please realize that some work orders may take time to complete, especially if parts/material/equipment need to be ordered or cabling must be installed. It is our goal to have work orders completed on average within two to three business days.

University Help Desk

The University HelpDesk, located in Hattiesburg, is managed by iTech and is a resource available to answer many questions should local help not be available.

Southern Miss HelpDesk: 601-266-HELP (4356)

Services available from iTech may be viewed at the website: http://www.usm.edu/itech

E-mail Information

Incoming Mail Server — mail.usm.edu (Client software must be set to use a secure connection, SSL)

Outgoing Mail Server — smtp.usm.edu

Southern Miss Webmail — http://webmail.usm.edu

For detailed e-mail client configuration see: http://www.usm.edu/itech/email/supportedemailClients.php

All USM e-mail is scanned for viruses before it gets to the email server. You may receive emails that are blank or incomplete because of the removal of viruses. If you have any questions about a particular email, please contact the HelpDesk.

Changing Your Southern Miss E-mail Account Password

Passwords may be changed online after logging in at either http://webmail.usm.edu/ or https://mail.usm.edu/

Applications Installed On Microsoft Windows Computers

Adobe Acrobat Reader — PDF file reader
FileZilla — File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
FilZip — Compression Software
IrFanView — Image viewer
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point)
Mozilla Firefox — Web Browser
Mozilla Thunderbird — E-mail Client
SpyBot — Spyware removal software
SSH Secure Shell & File Transfer — Secure connection and secure copy
Symantec AntiVirus — Virus and Worm protection

Applications Available As Needed

Adobe Acrobat Professional
CorporateTime Calendar
MATLAB
SPSS
Other specialty software may be installed with proof of valid license.

Loaner Laptops

Several laptop computers are available for loan to students for up to three days.

To reserve a laptop computer, please contact Ms. Linda Downs, 228-688-3177.

Security Policy Information

It is to your advantage to know your rights and the rights of the University when it comes to computer security. It is also to your advantage to know how do keep your computer and its data safe. Much of what you need to know is in the Southern Miss Information Security web pages at http://www.usm.edu/infosec. You are responsible for your actions whether or not you read these pages.

Viruses, Worms, or Trojans

What are viruses, worms and Trojans? What is the difference between a virus and a worm and a trojan?

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/virus101.mspx

Hoaxes

Before you forward an interesting or troubling email, please check the following sites for Hoax, Myth, Fraud, Chair Letter or Spam:

http://www.internet-101.com/hoax/ http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://www.snopes.com/

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Software

The number of available file sharing software programs has escalated. Many free downloadable programs may create problems with e-mail, cause Internet browsers to malfunction, or corrupt your computer account. If you have any of the following programs on your computer, we recommend you remove them. This will resolve most complications with network connectivity. We strongly recommend that you do not install this software:

BearShare, Grokster, Morpheus, Imesh, KaZaa, LimeWire, SongSpy, and WinMX.

Keeping your computer free of spyware, adware and malware is becoming increasing difficult. Installing peer-to-peer file sharing programs makes your computer act as a file server. Most of these applications automatically start serving shared files as soon as the computer is connected to a network, and most do not stop the server portion of the application when the user exits the main program. Instead, the server remains active while the computer is on, and users are often unaware that they are sharing files even when away from their computers. With some programs, it is very easy for users to unintentionally share portions of their hard drives that could easily expose them to intruders who could download password files and other personal information. Many peer-to-peer programs may contain spyware, adware, or malware. The consequences of these intrusions may include identity theft, increase of "spam" e-mail, and general instability of the computer.

Stennis Telephone System

The Stennis phone system uses digital phone and phone lines, unlike the analog phones used at your home or apartment. Please do not plug in a home phone or computer modem into the phone jack in your office.