Procedures for connecting your computer to ResNet are outlined in the document "Everything You Need to Know About Using Your Computer on Campus." You should receive this document before you arrive on campus to move in. If you have not received one, one will be available from your Resident Assistant during check-in.
This process is quite simple and should not present much trouble – but if there is a technical problem or if you need assistance for any reason, the Resident Computing Assistants will be available during the move-in process to assist you.
Requirements for Network Access
2008 - 2009
The conditions outlined in this document must be met before the Buffalo State network will allow your computer to access the Internet or campus resources.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their computer meets these conditions. Students are personally responsible for normal maintenance of their PC, including operating system updates, antivirus installation and maintenance, and the avoidance and removal of spyware.
Windows Vista, XP
Requirement 1:
All Windows Critical Updates including Service Pack 2 For Windows XP
To make sure that your computer’s operating system is up-to-date, visit the Microsoft Windows Update website:
http://update.microsoft.com -or- http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Download and install all critical updates. You may need to repeat this process! Sometimes, after an update is installed you will have to reboot and visit Windows Update again (4 or 5 times, or more if you are really out-of-date).
Some users have trouble installing Windows Updates because their computers have previously been compromised by certain types of viruses or spyware. If you encounter these problems (if Cisco Clean Access reports that there are additional updates required and Windows Update reports that no critical updates are available; Windows Update fails to install any updates or work properly), simply follow the directions at the site to which you are redirected by the Cisco Clean Access agent. You may have to install updates manually or run applications which try to repair your Windows Update functionality.
If you still have trouble installing these updates, your best option may be to reinstall the Windows operating system from the discs (or system recovery hard drive partition) provided with your computer. (Make sure you back up all of your files before doing this!)
Requirement 2:
Automatic Updates enabled
After installing all of the critical updates, Windows Security Center will probably prompt you to choose firewall, anti-virus, and Windows Update settings. Set Windows Update to automatically download and install updates at a time of your choice, or if you prefer to install these updates manually, choose “download and prompt.” If you fail to install the updates when prompted, however, you’ll be denied access to the network once the Agent detects that you’re behind.
If you have already installed updates past Service Pack 2 for Windows XP , you can access the Security Center by navigating to the Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel).
Requirement 3:
Up-to-date Antivirus Software
IMPORTANT: If you have already installed Norton or another anti-virus application, you MUST uninstall it completely before attempting to install McAfee! Having more than one anti-virus product installed on a computer can cause a lot of difficult problems. If you already have McAfee installed, we highly recommend uninstalling that version and installing the version we supply to you.
Buffalo State provides McAfee Antivirus free of charge for the duration of your career at the College. Please call 716-878-3358 or email resnet@buffalostate.edu from your Buffalo State email address for more information.
We highly recommend the use of the college-licensed McAfee product and discourage the use of any other antivirus/network security package. We particularly discourage the use of all-in-one solutions such as Norton Internet Security or the McAfee Internet Security Suite. These products commonly fail to perform properly and create difficulty for users.
If you have already installed Norton or another anti-virus application, you MUST uninstall it completely before attempting to install McAfee!
Requirement 4:
Clean Access Agent
Clean Access Agent is the client application that can check certain security settings on a Microsoft Windows PC to make sure that the system is up-to-date with required security patches and report this status to the Clean Access Server. No information about the user or the content of the user’s files is sent to the server. Each user must use Clean Access Agent for his/her Microsoft Windows PC in order to authenticate and use the university network.
When you arrive and open a Web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox) – if the PC is set up properly to connect to our network (it probably is) – you’ll be prompted to download and install this small file. This program periodically checks to ensure that your computer meets our requirements.
Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us and we assure you that we can only use this tool to check for the items listed above.
Windows 2000/NT
Requirement 1:
All Windows Critical Updates including Service Pack 4
To make sure that your computer’s operating system is up-to-date, visit the Microsoft Windows Update website:
http://update.microsoft.com -or- http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Download and install all critical updates. You may need to repeat this process! Sometimes after an update is installed you will have to reboot and VISIT WINDOWS UPDATE AGAIN (4 or 5 times, or more if you are really out-of-date).
If you have trouble installing these updates, your best option may be to reinstall the Windows operating system from the discs (or system recovery hard drive partition) that were provided with your computer. (Make sure you back up all of your files before doing this!) For help with this process, contact your computer’s manufacturer.
Requirements 2, 3, and 4: See above. These requirements are the same as those for Windows XP.
Windows 95, 98, Me
These operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft and therefore can not be supported by the College. We strongly recommend an upgrade to Windows XP.
Mac OS / Linux
There are currently no requirements for Mac OS or Linux.
