Two more WTFs

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

Again: small college computer help desk monkey

The writing help center operates in the computer building. On the main floor of the building, there is a gigantic sign taking up half the hallway that says "WRITING CENTER" in big letters, with an arrow pointing to the door. And yet we will get person after person wandering down the hallway, peering at every single door, especially the ones that go to darkened offices. They usually walk past the CUS desk (within feet of the Writing Center sign) before finally asking us where the writing center is located. Sometimes they even ask us if we are the writing center, but that isn't the frustrating part. Can people not read signs? Can they not see the signs? Are people blind? Really.

Most of campus has wireless access. The older apartments have some of the best wireless of all the on-campus housing, even though it's not perfect in every room. I suppose it is because of the inconsistency of the wireless signal that Paul (not his real name) set up a wireless router in his apartment. In any case, it's plugged into his ethernet jack, and available for other kids to use.

This would be bad even if we weren't running a security system that assigned static IPs, although I am admittedly a bit shaky on why. In any case, Paul's wireless router brings down the wireless in the apartments on a regular basis. Network Services has asked him repeatedly to take it down, and checks during the day to see if he has. His tech-saavy neighbors (my coworkers) have talked to him too. Many parties have tried to convince him that he is the reason for the network outages.

What does Paul do? Turn on his router at night, when NS is not checking up on him!

It's briliant. And by brilliant, I mean that NS is going to shut down his wired access if the apartment wireless goes down again.

Meanwhile, other big chunks of campus have swotty wireless because NS is chasing down fuckers like Paul (and there are others who think they are being so leet with their own personal wireless (Airport Express can bite me).

Comments

[brutalentropy.livejournal.com]

Has he changed the default admin password for the airport?

If not, you could use the airport admin utility to just shut off the wireless... then change the password :-P

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Grab its MAC address, and if that address turns up on the network again, shut off the port it's on.

[jecook]

I'm assuming that it's in the T&C (or the user agreement) for use of the campus network that "one shall not place any wireless routing devices on the network, as [the campus] provides wireless access to it's registered students"?

It _could be brute ignorance, but probably not...

[ace-brickman.livejournal.com]

you and shifuimam would have some nice stories to tell each other about AirPorts

[ghostdandp.livejournal.com]

Better yet depending on the hardware the network is running they may be able to block that mac address all together so they don't have to go hunting for it.

[brotherflounder]

I know that at University of South Carolina, one is only allowed to use a 4-port wired switch. No wireless anything, and definitely no routers. Of course, it's going to be two years before the dorms have reliable wireless. -_-;

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

They know the specific MAC address, actually. I talked to Network Services today and they're going to do exactly that next week.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's in the user agreement, but I doubt it. The best part? Most of the dorms HAVE wireless! My apartment complex is the only on campus housing that doesn't (and the wireless in my thesis office is crap). It's just that some dorms have extra thick brick walls or other construction pleasantries that interfere with reception in some rooms. Spoiled whiny underclassmen. Back in the old days, we didn't even have wireless in the library! /wank

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

Some technology should never have been released to the masses. Some people can't even work the swipey card/One Card system.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Tell them to keep an eye on two things. Firstly, other ports on the network, in case that device gets moved around. Secondly, anything else that gets plugged into the original port - the user may be smart enough to realise the device makes his internet go bye-bye, but dumb enough to belive that plugging in a direct replacement will fix the problem.

It'd be nice to have a traffic monitor on that port that checks the MAC address every time a new connection starts, compares it to a database of known manufacturers and models, determines whether it's a genuine NIC or something 'other' (router, hub, switch, AP), and then allows or kills the connection accordingly.

That wouldn't protect against people using a PC as a gateway, but it'd raise the bar some. Not to mention causing immense frustration and possible time-and-money wasting by those who don't twig to what you're doing.

(It'd also be seriously fun to be able to call up a realtime graphic of all the student connections, dotted with little thumbnails and summaries of the exact equipment connected to each port, using only freeware.)