University Times

How long can you live without your wireless Internet connection on campus? If you’d rather not find out, a few moments now will save inconvenience on June 2.

Connecting wirelessly has become routine with an average of 30,000 individual users a month on the Pittsburgh and regional campuses combined, said Jinx Walton, chief information officer and director of Computing Services.

A move by Computing Services and Systems Development (CSSD) to a new provider for its security certificates for desktops, laptops and servers means that users of the wireless PittNet system will need to update their wireless settings or risk facing an error message instead of a connection on June 2.

The change also affects computer users who connect to a wired network port in classrooms, conference rooms, dorms or other public areas on the Pittsburgh, Greensburg or Titusville campuses.

Dorms on the Bradford and Johnstown campuses use a different protocol, so they will not be affected by the change. Nor will users who connect via mobile devices such as phones or tablets or on wired network ports in University offices.

CSSD is preparing for an influx of calls from people who have neglected to update their wireless PittNet setting. Instructions for making the one-time change are posted at www.technology.pitt.edu/2012-04-pittnet.html.

“It’s not hard to do and it just takes a few minutes,” Walton said, explaining that users must update their settings because Pitt is moving from using VeriSign security certificates to InCommon security certificates.

The change that will save departments money because rather than charging for each certificate, as is the case with VeriSign, the certificates — which validate the security of a computer network — are included as part of an annual cost with InCommon, a federation that serves the research and higher education community. The annual savings to CSSD and departments will be at least $290,000, Walton said.

An additional benefit to the move is that Pitt users now will be able to participate in eduroam, a service that enables faculty, staff and students to use their Pitt username and password on other participating institutions’ systems.

Eduroam eliminates the need to obtain guest privileges on other systems — essentially extending a Pitt username and password beyond the University’s system.

“It’s just convenient,” Walton said. “No forms, just access [a system] as easily as you can at your home institution.”

Eduroam also streamlines computer access for guests, such as conference participants, from other institutions who are visiting Pitt campuses.

Maps showing participating institutions are available at www.eduroamus.org.

—Kimberly K. Barlow