This is official Morehouse Information Technologies policy. It is binding.
Computer users at Morehouse College, no matter what their relationship to the College (faculty, staff, student, contractor, visitor), must use only those data connection methods provided by or approved by Morehouse's Information Technologies department.
Except as described below, the following apply to all networks and network users at Morehouse College:
Only authorized Information Technologies staff and their designees are permitted to modify the data network in any way, including, but not limited to, adding or removing hubs or switches or wireless access points, altering wiring, and configuring network hardware. Users are free to plug their computers and printers into and out of the ethernet without explicit permission.
On-campus users are not permitted to create permanent or transient connections to Internet Service Providers other than Morehouse College. Specifically denied connection methods include cable modems, DSL, ISDN, and microwave links. Anything that results in a full-time data connection to a service provider other than Morehouse is forbidden unless approval is granted in writing in advance by IT.
The only approved faculty/staff connection method is the Morehouse ethernet network. Typically, this exists in the form of an RJ-45 wall jack providing 10-meg or 100-meg ethernet, but in some areas wireless connectivity (802.11 b/g) is provided.
Wireless networks may not be established in the faculty/staff network unless authorized in writing by IT. Violators of this very important network security policy will be persued with vigor.
Faculty and staff may not access dialup Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from their on-site computers unless such access is approved in writing by Information Technologies.
The primary connectivity method for on-campus student residential areas is 10/100 wired ethernet. In some cases, Morehouse provides 802.11 b/g wireless networking in the dorms and student activities areas.
On-campus students who wish to connect to dialup Internet Service Providers other than Morehouse from their dorm rooms or from off campus (but not from non-dorm areas on campus) are welcome to do so. However, those other services may be used only while that use remains consistent with the rest of this document, notably the section on packet forwarding. The Morehouse ethernet may not be used while dialup connections are in place; ethernet cables should be unplugged while the modem is active.
On-campus students who wish to establish wireless (802.11 b/g) networking zones in their dorm rooms (only) using their own hardware may do so, provided the connectivity so generated extends only to current Morehouse students in dorm areas and does not interfere with Morehouse-provided wireless access. All support, security, and maintenance of such systems is the responsibility of the student establishing the network. It is critical that DHCP services not be provided to the campus data network! Students are encouraged to contact the HelpDesk for assistance in setting up their wireless network hardware properly. This is a touchy area: those who establish wireless networks must be extremely careful about how they do it. IT will seek out and remove bad installations.
No user may cause or allow any computer on the Morehouse network to forward network packets. Windows 2000 and XP, MacOS X, and all unix-type operating systems are capable of forwarding IP traffic; users are required to disable the packet forwarding features of their software if they are present.
Information Technologies may make exceptions to this policy at its discretion. Further, this document does not describe the entire body of possible violations involving Morehouse's computer and data network. Contact the main IT office at x2760 or the HelpDesk if more information is required.
Users found to be in violation of the policies set forth in this document are subject to any penalty available to Information Technologies, including, but not limited to, revocation of network access. In some cases, IT may involve Morehouse's legal or student affairs departments, depending on the nature and severity of the violation.
The provisions of this document are made primarily with security in mind. Opening connections to the outside world has the effect of negating almost all network security, effectively granting outside users access to the network as if they were physically on the campus. Such access can be gained most easily through static-IP permanent connections, like DSL or cable modems, but also can be gained through more transient connections like those provided by dialup.
Anyone wishing to discuss the merits of this policy or its rationale is invited to contact the IT HelpDesk.