CIS IT Systems Guide

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) #

Most topics are covered in depth on subject specific pages (please see the main index); the FAQ page collates miscellaneous information that doesn't fit well elsewhere.

General #

I've forgotten my password! What can I do? #

I've lost/replaced my phone and can't use MFA (multi-factor authentication) any more! #

Please contact the university central IT helpdesk, who will be able to reset your MFA enrolment so that you can add a new device.

Is there a web page that will show me information associated with my CIS account? #

Our Local Account Management page groups together a lot of the information accessible via the local.cis.strath.ac.uk website.

How can I change my password? #

You can change your university DS password online - please see the central IT Helpdesk's How to reset your password page.

My Gitlab or devweb database password doesn't work! #

If you're using the initial password that we sent by email, please make sure you copy/paste the password using the clipboard (i.e. highlight the password in the email, right click -> copy (or press Ctrl-C), then at the password prompt paste the password). When pasting, you may need to press Ctrl-Shift-V in some terminals, or simply right click (your terminal may not display right click menu but will paste from the clipboard directly).

If you have changed your password, please make sure you're typing it correctly, that you haven't accidentally left Caps Lock on and that your keyboard layout is the same as it was on the machine where you changed your password (e.g. if you changed your password on a lab UK English QWERTY keyboard but are now typing it on your laptop on a French AZERTY layout, your password may contain keys that are in different places on each keyboard).

If you are still unable to login, contact us and we'll reset it for you.

I didn't receive my Gitlab or devweb database password! #

Please check your junk/spam folder or Other Inbox (if you have that feature enabled in Outlook). Devweb and Gitlab accounts are created upon request; if you or your lecturer/tutor did not request one then you should contact us to request one.

Can I access my University H: or I: drives from home? #

Yes. See the university guidance on remotely accessing your H: and I: drives for details.

How do I connect to the University's wireless network? #

Information about how to connect to the university's wireless network (Eduroam) can be found on the university wireless network help page.

If you are having problems connecting then please contact us.

How do I connect to the university VPN? #

For most resources (like OneDrive, email, Gitlab and some parts of devweb), you won't need to use the VPN. However, in order to access some things like devweb databases and research workstations, you may need to use the VPN.

Please see the university's guidance on using the VPN for more information.

Can I connect to the CIS wired network? #

For undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, wired access to the CIS department's open network is available in the level 11 open areas, if you have a cable. If you don't have a cable you can borrow one from our office in LT1307. You must authenticate via a web browser when you use this network - to do this simply start a browser and you will be taken to the login page.

You must not try to connect anywhere else and you must not unplug any Departmental equipment to plug a laptop in.

Please do not unplug any departmental equipment without explicit authorisation from a member of staff. Disconnecting equipment like network switches and PCs can cause distribution for staff and students.

Linux #

How can I change my Linux shell? #

You can change your shell (to /bin/bash (default) , /bin/tcsh, or /bin/zsh) at the shell change page.

Can I change my DS password from Linux? #

Yes, you can. You can run the command line program kpasswd (Kerberos password) to achieve this, or alternatively please see the central IT Helpdesk's How to reset your password page.

How can I reduce my disk space usage? #

If you are receiving messages about "excessive disk space usage", you should cd to your home directory (e.g. cd ~/) and run du -sh | sort -h. This displays a summary of your disk usage in from smallest file/folder to largest (largest at the bottom, with units increasing from bytes (B) -> kilobytes (K) -> megabytes (M) -> gigabytes (G)). You can cd into folders and rerun the command to narrow down the where space is being wasted, and rm (permanently remove) any files you no longer require.

You could also run du -k | sort -h to recursively show all files (with sizes in kilobytes), but this is likely to generate a lot of output and can be slow if you have a large number of files.

Email #

What's my email address? #

Staff email addresses are generally in the format: firstname.surname@strath.ac.uk.

Taught student email addresses are in the format: firstname.surname.year@uni.strath.ac.uk, where year is the year you started. For example: joe.bloggs.2022@uni.strath.ac.uk (please note that the domain is uni.strath.ac.uk and not strath.ac.uk).

How do I access my email via IMAP/SMTP? #

To access your email via IMAP/SMTP, your mail client must support OAuth2. Examples of compatible clients include Apple Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook. The IMAP settings are as follows:

Is there a CIS Departmental wide address book? #

Yes, the Department has an LDAP based address book. The address book is on the host addressbook.cis.strath.ac.uk. You will need to use either SSL (port 636) or TLS (port 389) to access it.

The Base DN should be set to ou=people,dc=cis,dc=strath,dc=ac,dc=uk

The User/Bind DN (Username) should be set to the value that can be obtained from your Local Account Management page.

Ensure that you have sub-tree searching enabled.

The required password is your normal DS password; The authentication method should be "simple" and not "SASL".

The address book is only accessible on-campus or by using the VPN.

For help and support with CIS IT systems, please email cis-support@strath.ac.uk.

Department of Computer and Information Sciences
University of Strathclyde