Al Ain University

How do I log on to workstations in the LABs?

Students registered to use the IT Services computing facilities can follow these instructions:

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL keys at the same time. This will display the Logon Information dialog box.If the Unlock Workstation dialog box is displayed, then the computer you are trying to log on to is in use by another user who has just moved away from the computer without logging off. Find an unused workstation or ask for HELP from ITC.
2. In the Username field, type the user name given to you by IT Department
3. In the Password field, type the password given to you by IT Department
4. In the Domain field, select AU
5. Click OK to logon. Shortly the standard windows desktop will be displayed.

If you fail to log on to the system as indicated above, seek assistance from IT Department Support staff.

How do I change my LOG ON password?

1. Log on to any workstation by using your user name and password.
2. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL keys at the same time. This will display a menu containing bottom called “Change Password”.
3. You should write the current password.
4. Enter the new password you want.
5. Confirm the password.

Passwords should be at least 8 characters long. It is advisable to include characters in uppercase and lowercase, and also numbers. This will make it difficult for others to guess your password.

Do not disclose your IT Services password to anyone. In case of doubt, you are strongly advised to change your password. Access to your password enables anyone to view your personal data, and to make use of the resources allocated to you.

If you forget your password, you are kindly requested to call personally Ext 319 or 349.

Passwords are not sent via email due to security concerns.

What software is available on IT Lab workstations?

All IT Services workstations have the following software:

1. Internet Explorer - an Internet browser program.
2. MS Word - a word-processing package used for preparing essays, project reports, dissertations etc.
3. MS Excel - a spreadsheet package used for manipulating numeric data, preparing charts etc.
4. MS PowerPoint - a presentation/graphics package used for preparing onscreen presentations, overhead transparencies, slides etc.
5. MS Access - a database package used to manipulate data, prepare forms and reports etc.
6. SPSS - a statistical package used to analyze and report on data collected from questionnaire surveys etc.
7. Adobe Acrobat - a program used to convert files to a universal file format [PDF] which may be viewed on any computer having free Adobe Acrobat® Reader®. PDF files are compact and preserve the look of the original files.
8. Adobe Photoshop - an imaging program used to prepare and edit graphics for printing and posting to the Web.
9. Visual studio
10. Oracle 11g

What should I do when I finish using an IT lab workstation?

Do not switch off the computer when you are done with it. Log off as indicated below:

1. Close all application programs.
2. Click Start button.
3. Click Log off. The Logon Information dialog box will be displayed. The computer now may be used by another IT Services user.

How do I browse the World Wide Web (WWW)?

1. Double-click the Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox shortcut on the windows desktop. This will start the browser, which gives you access to the World Wide Web.
2. In the Location field, type the URL (address) of the website you want to visit.
3. Press ENTER key. Provided you entered the correct URL, the web page is available on the web server and there are no problems with Internet connections, the requested web page will be displayed.

- Email

All faculty members, staff and students at AAU are given an email address. By using this account the client can access all IT Services available at AAU based on his rank and position such as log on to workstations, digital library access, online courses ….etc.

For the academic and administration staff, the account will be activated when ITC receives an email from HR mentioning the full name, position and duties of the new staff.

The format of academic and administration staff is as follows:
Firstname.lastname@aau.ac.ae

And for students it is:
Student ID@aau.ac.ae

1. Accessing and Reading email
   1. By using Web access

      Please follow these steps to access your email:

      1. open your internet browser;
      2. write the following URL:http://aau.ac.ae;
      3. go to e-services;
      4. e-mail account;
      5. put your user name and password.
   2. By using outlook

      To access your mail via outlook express, you have to configure your outlook first. The IT department will configure outlook for all clients at AAU or you can download IT guide to configure it yourself.

2. Forgotten and Change password
   1. Forget your password
      If you forget your password, you have to place a request on HelpDesk or you have to come in person to the IT Department to reset your password.
   2. Change your password

      To change your email password, please follow these steps

      • Log on to your email
      • Go to settings then click Account
      • Click on change password
      • Put the old password then put the new one
      • Save your setting
        
        
3. Mailing list

   A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to recipients by using one email address.
   If you are a faculty member or an administrative staff and you want to create a mailing list consisting of a group of students, staff member or any AAU member, please place a request on help desk or send an email to bassam@aau.ac.ae with the following Excel format.

   Group Name	Student/Client Name	Email Address

   By special permission, college departments and student groups will be granted a single account to facilitate connections between the department or group and interested parties. The department or group must identify one person to be responsible for the account and to act as the contact person. In addition, student organizations must be registered with Student Support Services before an account will be granted.

4. Email Backup

   To backup your mail, please refer to ITC guide.

5. Shared Documents

   This term refers to global documents can be accessed on and off campus i.e. the academic and administration staff can access these documents from any internet access. For more information see ITC guide.

6. Staff Website

   ITC provides a website for all AAU members. This site can be accessed by logging on to your mail account. For more information, see ITC guide.

7. Students Information System (SIS)

   ITC provides an ERP system for all academic and administration staff. ERP consists of 3 modules, registration, finance, and HR.
   To get a user name to access this system, please send an email to DBA@aau.ac.ae to get more information about how to use the system please see ITC guide or call ITC department.

8. Help Desk

   Web-based software used by ITC to receive all requests, incidents and complaints from all AAU members. This software works on intranet and internet. By placing your request on this system, you will see a ticket number showing you the date and time of placing your request and when the technician will come to fix your problem.

9. Expiry of the University Email Address

   Staff email addresses will remain active for the entire duration of employment at the University and will be used for the University online staff directory. The notification of expiry of the address will be sent by email.

- Home Folder

Home folder, It’s a shared folder accessed by faculty members and students of the college via LAN i.e. from the campus only. So you can put any file you want to share with your students. If you want to use a shared folder over the internet, you can use Web Document.

How can I access Home Folder?

Al Ain Campus:

Double click on My Computer, then Click on:

• Drive P for Pharmacy
• Drive L for Law
• Drive B for Business
• Drive I for Information technology
• Drive E for Education

Abu Dhabi Campus:

• Double click on My Computer
• Double click on home Network Drive (Business, ELC, General, Law)

Who can modify this drive?

Only the faculty member can change the content of this drive.

Who can access this folder?

Faculty member with read, write and change permissions;
Students with read permission only.

Why do I have to use a home folder?

It is the easiest and fastest way to share files with students. Instead of plugging in students’ flash drives into your computer to transfer files, you can place the file in the home folder and ask the students to access the file and download it.

Is Home folder available off campus?

No, it’s only available on campus. If you want to access documents off campus, you have to use “Shared Documents” available at AAU mail.

- Online Courses

ITC uses Moodle as a tool of E-learning. This software enables the academic staff to use tools to make the communication with students easier such as uploading lecture notes, exams, and assignments in addition to chatting with students. At the same time, this software enables students to download lecture notes and submit their assignments online. They can also get their grades via this software.

Moodle is a web-based software published over the internet and linked to AAU website. All academic staff and registered students can access this software with a different level of privileges where each instructor has a dedicated area fully controlled by the instructor and where (s)he can decide who can access this area.

This software is designed to give support for the educational process via making the material of any course available online and accessible anywhere and anytime.
ITC is responsible for creating a username for all staff and students, courses and group (sections) for all courses while the faculty member is responsible for enrolling students into the courses and uploading the documents such aslecture note, assignments, grades and online exams.

For more information about Moodle please email ITC@aau.ac.ae. ITC will be glad to assist you using Moodle.
All the grades and marks published on Moodle are not official. The only official way to get your grades and marks is from the Admission and Registration Unit.

- Antivirus

ITC uses Symantec antivirus for all workstations, laptops and servers. Faculty members and administrative staff are not allowed to uninstall AAU antivirus. This antivirus is available for the following operating systems:

• Windows server 2008 ( 32-bit or 64-bit)
• Windows XP (32-bit or 64-bit), SP2
• Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit), SP1
• Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

AAU students can install Symantec edition on their personal computer. This edition is free for personal use.

Note: Any personal laptop is not allowed to connect to AAU network without installing the antivirus.

For Gateway Antivirus, all incoming and outgoing email from/to AAU Servers is checked by Symantec firewall and antivirus, so any infected email will be caught by semantic guard and will be blocked and cleaned before sending it to the recipient’s junk mail. The user will be informed about the action taken by Symantec guard by email to continue receiving the email or reject it.

- Software

ITC provides a collection of different license software available on the following address \\172.18.1.13. For Abu Dhabi Campus, the address is: \\172.19.1.14

1. Windows xp sp3 32/64bit
2. Windows 7 32/64bit
3. Windows server 2003 and 2008 32/64bit
4. Office 2003, 2007 and 2010
5. Visual Studio 2003, 2007 and 2010
6. Symantec antivirus 32/64bit
7. Acrobat Reader
8. Winrar
9. Oracle 11g
10. Sharepoint
11. SQL 2003 and 2005
12. Exchange Server 2010

For the key, please call ITC on 319 or 349.

- Printing Service

ITC provides a network printer for each college and department. Individual printers are not usually provided for each person. It is provided to deans and heads of department. Also, other peripheral equipment such as scanner and color printing are given to secretaries and service staff.

Any faculty member can install the printer by double clicking on the printer belonging to his/her department as follows:

• \\172.18.1.2
• \\172.18.1.3

For Abu Dhabi Campus:

• \\172.19.1.18

Note: Printer installation can only be done on campus.

- Wireless

IT Services manage a number of wireless hotspots in designated areas on campus. The service enables University students and staff to connect to the campus network using laptops and PDA that support wireless connections.

The wireless network service provides University students access to:

• online information available on the University intranet, including the Library catalogues and SIS, and Internet;
• email;
• IT Services printing facilities.

Once connected to the wireless access point, users can start using the service by first launching a web browser and authenticating using their IT User Id. and password. There are no charges associated with the use of this service.