Student Support: Networking

FAS Network Operations offers four tiers of support for network issues:

  • Tier 1 - Service Desk troubleshooting: Network Contacts and end-users can call the FAS Service Desk with basic requests such as checking the status of a particular network jack.
  • Tier 2 - Technical Operations escalation for cases which cannot be resolved at the Service Desk level.
  • Tier 3 - Network Engineering for advanced problems requiring high-level expertise.
  • Tier 4 - Senior Network Management escalation for issues requiring decisions on a management level or requiring special projects be formulated.

IT Contacts

FAS-IT Technical Operations will work with departments to identify network-savvy staff to assign as a Network Contact within the department. This contact will be added to the network contact list which is used to disseminate news on network maintenance, upgrades, news, and outages. Network contacts can also keep track of network connections on a departmental level in order to better communicate issues to the Network Operations Center.

To assign a Network Contact, the interested department should contact the FAS Service Desk at 617-495-9000 or by writing to help@fas.harvard.edu with the name of the person wishing to be the contact.

Student Automatic Registration

FAS-IT Technical Operations has implemented automatic registration (AutoReg) for end-user personal computers . AutoReg is designed to allow users to register their computers on the FAS Network quickly and with very little or no knowledge of network settings. Users wishing to register their computers should only have to plug their computers to an activated jack and open up an internet browser. The browser should automatically redirect the user to a registration page which will use PIN authentication to identify the user and associate the machine with them.

AutoReg automatically scans your computer for basic security (such as an activated firewall) and will provide instructions for meeting any security requirements which require additional settings changes. Once registered, the computer can be used on any "roaming" jack on the FAS Network without the need to re-register.

Computers (or other devices ) requiring registration to a non-"roaming" jack should be brought to the attention of the local Network Contact, who should have the tools to register the machine. Any assistance needed with AutoReg can be reached by calling the FAS Service Desk at 617-495-9000 or by writing to help@fas.harvard.edu with the relevant information. Networked Printers and other devices which may require static IP addresses can also be registered with the assistance of a Network Contact or the FAS Service Desk.

Wireless Access

Wireless is access is currently available to approximately 75% of the Cambridge campus, including student dormitories, common areas, dining halls, as well as many lecture halls. Registration on the wireless network is achieved through AutoReg and assistance is also available through the Service Desk.

FAS wireless access is 54Mbs in most areas as a shared connection. Residential areas also share 54Mbs connections. Due to high-traffic during peak hours, the actual connection speed at each individual desktop may vary.

FAS IT recommends that applications with high-bandwidth requirements, and/or requirements for a higher level of security use the wired connection as their preferred method of connectivity.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

FAS Network Operations offers VPN connectivity for users who require a more secure connection on or off campus. FAS Networking strongly encourages VPN use for any staff, faculty, or student who plans on doing official university work over the internet. Virtual Private Networks allow users to establish an encrypted connection to the FAS network and as a result, use systems and applications which are normally only accessible from "on campus" connections. The VPN client can be found at the following download site: downloads


Firewall Services

FAS Network Operations offers customized firewall services for administrative and research purposes. Network firewalls allow for a higher level of security by limiting the connections to a specific system or groups of systems from the outside network. Parties interested in establishing a firewall at the departmental level should use their Network Contacts to coordinate with FAS Network Operations to determine the details of any such implementation.

FAS Networking has established a firewall on the student networks in order to block well-known exploited ports in order to give a basic level of protection to student users on both wired and wireless connections. This firewall should not prevent normal traffic, but may interfere with non-academic network usage such as gaming or music sharing services.