Computing Resources for the Department of History

UUIDs and passwords
E-mail
Computer accounts
Computer laboratories
Wireless computing
TigerText
“Smart classrooms” and other instructional computing resources
Virtual private network

Your entry point for information about all aspects of computing at The University of Memphis is the Information Technology Services home page.

You may find answers to many questions online in the Ask Tom database.

You may be able to handle some questions or problems by calling the Helpdesk at 901.678.8888 or by filing a ticket with the Helpdesk at https://umhelpdesk.memphis.edu/, but other things may require that you pay a visit in person to the Helpdesk in 100 Administration Building.

UUIDs and passwords

Access to any computing facility ordinarily requires a user name and a password. At The University of Memphis, these are a Universal User ID (UUID) and password that are created for every member of the university community. At present, many of the facilities require separate log-ins using the UUID and password, but the university is working toward a system in which eventually a single log-in to the myMemphis portal will give access to all computing facilities.

You should be informed of your UUID and password at some time during your orientation to the university. If not, you can look it up online.

Your UUID is a matter of public record, but you should guard your password carefully. For safety, the system requires that you change your password periodically (at least once a year), and you should change it immediately if you suspect that it has been revealed to anyone. You may change your password by using http://iam.memphis.edu/ or by visiting the Helpdesk in 100 Administration Building.

NOTE: It is easy to confuse similar-sounding things, so be careful.

E-mail

All persons at The University of Memphis are automatically assigned e-mail accounts. Your e-mail address is UUID@memphis.edu (where UUID is your Universal User ID as explained above). University offices that need to send you e-mail will assume that you are using your university e-mail account and will send the messages to it. If you never use it, preferring to use an outside account, you will miss these messages unless you arrange for automatic forwarding. You may go to the Web site http://iam.memphis.edu/ to set up forwarding to your preferred address.

Your UUID is unique, and the university pledges that no other person at the university will ever be assigned the same UUID. To ensure that uniqueness, the system often truncates a person’s name, leaves out vowels, or adds numerals, so many UUIDs end up giving little indication of the person’s “real” name (who in the world might geschnb7 be?). Now you may use http://iam.memphis.edu/ to choose a more meaningful user name for your e-mail. While some refer to these as “vanity” user names, you cannot choose literally any user name you would like — the system will offer you a lengthy list of possibilities, based on various combinations of your name or possible nicknames, some of which may be rather far-fetched. Many persons will probably choose a straightforward user name (our Administrative Associate chose Karen.Bradley, which is easier to remember and recognize than her official UUID, klbradly, and has the added advantage of spelling her name correctly).

Points to remember about the “vanity” user name:

• It works only in e-mail addresses. You cannot use it instead of your official UUID to log-in to computing facilities.
• Once you have selected a “vanity” user name, persons who send you e-mail may use either it or your official UUID on the address line. Either one will work for them.
• Your “vanity” user name is temporary. It is not guaranteed to remain unique forever. But if you claim one, it will not be issued to anyone else as long as you have it registered with http://iam.memphis.edu/. If you change to another “vanity” user name or leave the university, the one you give up by making the change may be issued to someone whose “real” name is similar to yours. (But remember that your official UUID will remain unique forever.)

On campus you will ordinarily use Microsoft Outlook to access your e-mail account. Off campus the usual way to access it is through the Web at https://ummail.memphis.edu/, through a mail reader such as Mozilla Thunderbird, or on a smartphone or tablet. University e-mail uses the Microsoft Office 365 system. There are instructions for setting up access from desktop computers (pdf) and from mobile devices (pdf). If you experience any difficulty, call the Helpdesk at 901.678.8888 or visit the Helpdesk in 100 Administration Building. (Information Technology does not officially support third-party mail readers, so if you want to use one you may have to experiment to find the proper settings.)

For more information about e-mail, go to the Information Technology Division page for e-mail.

Computer accounts

In addition, you have access to 7 gigabytes of storage on Microsoft OneDrive (formerly known as SkyDrive). You will access OneDrive by logging in to https://login.live.com/login.srf with your Windows account ID (formerly known as Windows Live ID) and password. (This should be the same ID and password as for the e-mail system.)

Computer laboratories

Students at The University of Memphis pay a Technology Access Fee, which is used to fund computing and audio-visual equipment in various laboratories and classrooms. Numerous computing laboratories are funded by the TAF. Most, but not all, of them are on the TigerLAN system and give access to a wide variety of software applications as well as access to the Internet. The laboratory in the University Center is available 24 hours a day except Sundays during regular terms. To locate laboratories and see inventories of the equipment in them, consult the complete list of computing laboratories.

Other than the TigerLAN laboratories, the Learning Commons in McWherter Library has computers and peripheral equipment, group workstations with clusters of multiple computers, and group study rooms with white boards. The Learning Commons is open during regular library hours.

Wireless computing

All buildings on the campus of The University of Memphis offer wireless access to the campus network. To use it, you must have an active Universal User ID and password, and you must register your wireless computer or handheld device on the network. The Information Technology Division page on wireless computing has links to any information you might need.

TigerText

TigerText is an optional (but highly recommended) emergency alert text-messaging service used in the event of an on-campus emergency, an unscheduled university closing, or a delay or cancellation of classes due to, for instance, inclement weather. (The university uses several other means to distribute alerts, including e-mail, Twitter, telephone, and an outdoor warning system.)

To register for TigerText, have your cell phone handy (as part of the registration process you will need to enter a validation code sent to your phone) and visit http://tigertext.memphis.edu/. Log in using your University of Memphis UUID and password. You will be forwarded to a Web page that will allow you to create an account within the TigerText system. You are warned that for security purposes, you should not use your UUID and password for this account — create an entirely different and unrelated user name and password.

Select the type of messages you would like to receive:

• Emergency alerts — to communicate emergency situations on campus
• University closings — to communicate an unscheduled university closing, or a delay or cancellation of classes due to, for instance, inclement weather
• Both types of messages

The Opt-out By field is used to indicate when you will no longer wish to receive TigerText messages. If you expect to graduate in May 2018, you might select an opt-out date of May 31, 2018 (the date can be changed in the future by logging in to your TigerText account).

When your account is created, the system will send a validation text message containing a 4-digit code to your phone. Enter the 4-digit code on the Web page and log in.

If you need help, there are several resources:

• TigerText Registration Instructions (most of the instructions above were paraphrased from this resource)
• TigerText Frequently Asked Questions
• Call the ITS Helpdesk at 901.678.8888 or Telecommunications at 901.678.2999

“Smart classrooms” and other instructional computing resources

Most of the classrooms in Mitchell Hall are “smart classrooms”: 200 (auditorium), 203, 205, 209, 211, 305, 307, 309, 315, 317, 319, 323, 325, 403, 407, 409, 417, 421, 423, and 427. Information Technology maintains a list of “smart classrooms” with links to descriptions of the classrooms and “quick start” guides for their use. From the drop-down list for Campus, click on Main Campus, and from the drop-down list for Building, click on Mitchell Hall.

For the few classrooms that are not “smart classrooms” the department has several “smart carts” that offer most of the facilities of a “smart classroom” and can be used in any room that has network connectivity (most of the carts can connect to the wireless system). They may be reserved for use through the departmental office, 219 Mitchell.

The department has several video carts, with large television screens, VCRs, and DVD players, and there is also a collection of instructional videos. The carts and videos may be checked out from the departmental office.

Virtual private network

The University of Memphis has a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which allows secure access to restricted university data from an off-campus computer. You should never use the VPN when accessing restricted data from an on-campus computer. UMmail is a secured site, so you do not need to use the VPN with them even when you access them from off campus.

If you need to install software on your off-campus computer to use the VPN, you can find the information you need at the Information Technology Division page on Virtual Private Network and the VPN FAQ (Virtual Private Network Frequently Asked Questions).