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Computing and IT

The IT Team & facilities at Exeter are here to enable you to get the best out of your time in College. We pride ourselves on providing an excellent support service to students, so please contact us if you have any problems.

Contents

Facilities and Services

Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Facilities and Services

About

As a Collegiate University, IT is a mixture of College, University and Departmental Systems but the Exeter IT Team will be your first point of contact for any issues you have:

The University provides access to centralised systems such as:

  • Identity and authentication services (Single Sign-On)
  • Email (Nexus 365)
  • Canvas
  • Internet connectivity.

College IT provides:

  • The infrastructure to enable you to access University systems
  • Computing & printing facilities
  • College systems.

While the Exeter College IT Team are your primary point of contact for assistance, support is also available via the Central IT Service Desk. The IT Services website also contains lots of useful information, including a Getting Started with IT page.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

This is the most important account you will use. The SSO account provides access to University systems such as email and Canvas, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment, and is created automatically once the University receives your signed contract.

Your username and an activation code will be sent by email to the address held by the University. If you have not provided a working email address, the information will be sent via internal mail to Exeter College. Your SSO is normally your College followed by 4 digits, e.g. exet1234.

For added security, Multi-Factor Authentication is enabled on all SSO accounts. This means you will need to verify your account using a second factor, such as a code from an Authenticator app or text message. This will be in addition to your normal SSO password. Further information about Multi-Factor Authentication, including how to set up a second factor, can be found on the IT Services Multi-Factor Authentication help page.

Please see the IT Services website for more information about the SSO account.

Email

The University email system is provided by Microsoft Office365 and is often referred to as Nexus or Nexus365.  Your email account will be generated on creation of your University Card and is accessed using your SSO account.

Your email address will normally be in the format of: firstname.surname@exeter.ox.ac.uk.

You can access your email via a web browser or by adding the account to your preferred email client, such as Outlook.

For more information about University email please see the IT Services website, which also includes guides for adding your mailbox to various email clients.

Canvas

Canvas is a virtual learning environment platform which is supported by the University. Lecture slides, reading lists and other information about your course can often be found on your subject’s page there. Please see the help pages for more information about Canvas.

College Facilities

As well as access to the University systems, Exeter College also provides the following services for students to use:

Internet Access

There are 2 WiFi networks you can access:

Eduroam

Eduroam is the primary WiFi network at Oxford and will enable you to have internet access in all Exeter College and University of Oxford buildings, as well as other institutions worldwide.

To connect to Eduroam you will first need to register for a Remote Access Account. Once your account is created, follow the Eduroam connection guides on the IT Services website. Here you can also find an Eduroam troubleshooting guide. Posters are also available in the College Computer Rooms.

MyExeter

MyExeter is an alternative to Eduroam and is available in all College buildings. This network is particularly useful if you want to connect devices to the internet that won’t work with Eduroam, for example games consoles, wireless printers and smart devices. Follow the steps below to use this network:

  1. First connect to the ‘WelcomeToExeterCollege’ WiFi network. This will automatically take you to a registration page. If this page doesn’t appear you can access it by browsing to https://eu1.cloudpath.net/enroll/ExeterCollege/Connect/process.
  2. Accept the terms and conditions, select the ‘WiFi – I have an Oxford SSO and affiliation to Exeter’ option, then enter your SSO username (e.g. exet1234@OX.AC.UK) and password.
  3. You will be given your own unique password you can use to connect to ‘MyExeter’. This password will work on multiple devices. A copy of your password will also be emailed to you.

The College also subscribes to Sky WiFi/_TheCloud – this is provided for visitors to the College and is not suitable for use by students due to inactivity timeouts and slower speeds.

For help with WiFi at Exeter, please email us at helpdesk@exeter.ox.ac.uk or visit the Turl Street IT Office.

Printing, Photocopying and Scanning

All students can print, copy and scan using our College photocopiers. There are 6 of these devices available in the following locations:

Turl Street

  • Balsdon Computer Room (Mono/Colour A4/A3)
  • Jackson Library (Mono/Colour A4/A3)
  • JCR Computer Room (Mono/Colour A4)
  • MCR Computer Room (Mono/Colour A4)

Cohen Quad

  • Dakota Café (Mono/Colour A4)

Exeter House

  • Computer Room (Mono/Colour A4)

Each student is allocated £7.50 of print credit at the start of each term. Once your credit has expired all further printing costs are charged to your end of term battels using the prices below. There is a 25% discount for duplex/double-sided printing:

  • A4 Mono Per Page: 5p
  • A4 Colour Per Page: 7.5p
  • A3 Mono Per Page: 10p
  • A3 Colour Per Page: 14p

You can check your current balance at https://print.exeter.ox.ac.uk/user (please note this page is only accessible from Exeter College and University networks).

There are a number of printing options available in College:

Web Print

Visit https://print.exeter.ox.ac.uk/user and login using your Oxford SSO account. Select ‘Web Print’, then ‘Submit a Job’. Select the format (e.g. A4 colour duplex) and the number of copies you need, then upload the document you want to print. Please note this service is only accessible from Exeter College and University networks.

Email to Print

Using your Exeter College email address, attach the documents you want to print to a new email and send it to one of the following addresses, depending on the format you need:

You will receive a confirmation email when your print job has been received. Please note this service will only work using an exeter.ox.ac.uk email address. Depending on the file size/complexity of your documents it can take a few minutes for them to be ready for release.

Computer Room PCs

To print to any of these devices from a Computer Room PC, login to the PC and when printing your document select ‘Follow Me Print’ as the printer.

All print jobs will be held in a queue for up to 24 hours and can be released at any of the devices listed above by scanning your University Card.

Computer Rooms

Exeter College has a number of 24-hour access student computer rooms equipped with a mixture of PCs and Hub Monitors you can use with a personal laptop:

  • Balsdon Room (Basement of Staircase 9, Turl Street) – All students
  • JCR – Undergraduate use only
  • MCR – Graduate use only
  • Exeter House Block E– Iffley Road residents only

To log onto the PCs you will need to enter your SSO username followed by @OX.AC.UK (e.g. exet1234@OX.AC.UK). Please note this is case sensitive.

Support

Contact Details

The Exeter College IT Team prides itself on offering a first class support service to our students. Our contact details are below:

  • Email: helpdesk@exeter.ox.ac.uk
  • In Person: Turl Street IT Office (located in the Balsdon Computer Room, Basement of Staircase 9) Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm Mon – Thurs, 9am – 4pm Fri)

Hardware Problems

While we cannot repair hardware faults we can help to identify the problem and refer you to local repair centres.

We have a limited supply of laptops we can loan to students whose own laptops are faulty, please contact us if you would like to borrow one.

Security

Staying safe online is very important, not only in terms of virus prevention, but also to protect your identity and personal data. Phishing email scams and ransomware are increasingly common.

The University’s Information Security Team have lots of good advice on their website about securing your accounts, devices and data. Visit the Information Security website for more information.

It is also very important to take regular backups of your data to ensure it is safe in the event of a hardware failure or software corruption. If you require further information on how to secure your data, then please contact us.

Software

As a member of the University of Oxford you are entitled to the following software:

Anti-Virus

If you don’t have any up to date anti-virus software on your computer the University provides a free copy of Sophos Anti-Virus.

Office365 and OneDrive

Your SSO account will allow you to install a free copy of Microsoft Office on up to 5 personal devices. It also includes 100GB of OneDrive storage – please see the IT Services OneDrive page for more information.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Cisco Secure Client VPN software is available if you need remote access from a personal computer to the University Network: https://register.it.ox.ac.uk/self/software?swp=vpn. This will enable you to access websites and resources that require a University IP address. More information about Cisco Secure Client can be found here: https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/vpn

Rules & Regulations

While using Exeter or University IT systems you are obliged to follow the rules, regulations and Acceptable Use Policy of the College.

Internet Access

Please view the Jisc website for the full Internet Access Acceptable Use Policy.

Acceptable use consists of:

  • Use for academic purposes
  • Reasonable private use.

Unacceptable use consists of, but is not limited to:

  • Streaming or downloading via peer-to-peer systems, or any other method of obtaining illegal material
  • Use for any illegal purpose
  • Use for any commercial enterprises
  • Creation or transmission of any material containing obscene, offensive or indecent material.

Copyright infringements can be detected, reported and will invoke a fine.

Use of Computer Rooms

The Computer Rooms are shared spaces, so users are reminded to respect others working in the environment and to leave the rooms as they would expect to find them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is my login for Exeter College computers?

A: This is your SSO username and password, but the username must be followed by @OX.AC.UK (e.g. exet1234@OX.AC.UK). Please note this is case sensitive.

Q: I have forgotten my University Single-Sign On (SSO) account password, how do I reset it?

A: You can reset your password by visiting the Webauth website and selecting option 2 ‘Reset your password’. To complete the process, you will need to answer the security question you set when activating your SSO account.

Q: I have forgotten my Remote Access (Eduroam Wi-Fi) password?

A: You can reset your Remote Access password by visiting the Self-Registration website. Login with your SSO account and you will see an option for ‘Change a Remote Access (eduroam Wi-Fi) account password’. You will need to allow 10 minutes for any password change to take effect.

Q: How do I access my University emails?

A:  You can access your emails via the Nexus website or using email software like Outlook.

Q: How do I add my University emails to my email client?

A: This will differ depending on your client but the IT Services website has instructions for adding your University email account to a number of popular email clients.

Q: How do I add my University emails to my smartphone or tablet?

A: This will differ depending on your email client but the IT Services website has instructions for adding your University email account to Apple and Android devices.

Q: How do I connect to the internet?

A: The Eduroam and MyExeter WiFi networks are the primary method of connecting to the internet within College. Please see the Internet Access section of this page for instructions on connecting to these networks.

Q: Can I use a wired internet connection?

A: WiFi is the primary method of accessing the internet in College but if your studies require the reliability of a wired connection please email helpdesk@exeter.ox.ac.uk with the following details:

  • Your Room Number (e.g. Staircase 1, Room 1)
  • The Number on your Room’s Ethernet Socket (e.g. 1A01)
  • Your Device’s Ethernet MAC Address

Please be aware that a wired connection is not possible in all locations.

Q: How do I print to the College printers?

A: Please see the Printing, Photocopying and Scanning section of this page for instructions.

Q: Can I use my own printer in College?

A: Wireless printing is not possible via Eduroam but you can connect your printer to our internal WiFi network MyExeter instead (see the Internet Access section of this page for instructions). If your printer doesn’t support WiFi we also have a limited supply of USB cables we can lend to you.

Q: Do you have a copy of Microsoft Office I can use?

A: A free download of Microsoft Office365 Pro Plus is available to all University members. More information is available in the Software section of this page.

Q: Do you have any Anti-Virus software I can use?

A:  All students can download a free copy of Sophos Anti-Virus to use on their personal PCs. More information is available in the Software section of this page.

Q: My computer is faulty. Can you repair it?

A: We are happy to look at your computer and diagnose any faults with software or hardware. We are unable to repair hardware faults ourselves but can refer you to a local repair centre.

Q: Do you have a computer I can borrow?

A: We have a limited number of spare laptops that can be borrowed for short periods. Please email the IT Department at it-servicedesk@exeter.ox.ac.uk with your request.

Q: I have received an email asking me to validate my SSO account details, is this genuine?

A: It’s very likely to be a phishing attempt. Please forward us the email and we will check it for you. Be very careful when following links or downloading attachments from emails asking for personal information. More information is available in the Security section of this page.

Q: How do I manage my Multi-Factor Authentication methods?

A: Please visit the Microsoft Security Info page and login with your SSO account to add or remove Multi-Factor Authentication methods.

Q: I have lost access to the phone I use for Multi-Factor Authentication, what do I do?

A: Please email the IT Team at it-servicedesk@exeter.ox.ac.uk so we can verify your identity and reset Multi-Factor Authentication on your SSO account.