 May 1999 |
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Related Links University Computing and Information Systems (UCIS) |
Online Computer Systems May Enable You to Work from HomeBy Emily YaghmourWorking from home has its appeal: you can stay in your pajamas all day and you don't have to waste time on the road. Most importantly, you can often accomplish more when you are away from all the distractions in the office. Linda Westphal, director of Human Resources, says that university policy does permit employees to telecommute, providing they have approval from their supervisors. Of course, some job responsibilities cannot be performed from home, but, thanks to online computer systems, employees who spend much of their time working at their computers may be able to work from home as easily as they can from the office, providing they have the proper equipment and software. Most employees are probably aware that it is possible to access their George Mason e-mail accounts from their home computers. Instructions on how GroupWise users may access their accounts are available at http://masonlink.gmu.edu/ucisweb/keywordcontent.cfm?contentid=83. Pine users who have Windows 95 or 98 should go to http://masonlink.gmu.edu/ucisweb/keywordcontent.cfm?contentid=96 for instructions on accessing their accounts from home. One of the most important capabilities for a George Mason employee working from home is to access files on the LAN, which includes (among others) the "H" drive, a small part of which each employee has exclusive access for file storage, and the "S" drive, which is a shared drive to which many users have access. Fortunately, employees will soon be able to access their files on the LAN, according to Kathy Gillette of University Computing and Information Systems (UCIS). Novell 4.11, the university's current networking software, does not support Internet Protocol or IP, the data transmission format necessary for accessing files on the LAN, but the successor to Novell 4.11, Novell 5.0, does support IP. UCIS begins to install this upgrade this summer, and Novell 5.0 is expected to be up and running sometime this fall, she says. Although this upgrade will give you access to files on the LAN, it will not give you access to the software on the network. You must have the necessary software installed in your home machine to open the files you create at work. UCIS administrators are, however, looking into the costs of making certain software systems on the network available to users dialing in from home, Gillette explains. Ubiquitous software packages, like Word, WordPerfect, and PageMaker, however, will not be made available to dial-in users. You may not be aware that many of the university's centralized computer systems are already accessible from your home computer by dialing in through a George Mason modem. To find out how to set your computer up to dial in through the university's modem lines, go to http://www.gmu.edu/departments/ucis/help_search.html. The following systems are available through Administrative Systems Online and can be accessed through Mason modem lines by going to http://IDMSgate.GMU.edu/IDMSgate:
You will be required to enter your social security number and your four-digit personal identification number (PIN). If you do not know your PIN number, contact Human Resources at x32600. The Personnel Information Application is accessible to all employees, but the Financial Reporting System, Personnel Transaction System, Employee Tracking System, and Centralized Applications are only available to users with special access. Other systems that can be accessed by dialing in through a George Mason modem include the Student Information System, WebCT, and Townhall. Access to the library's databases is available either through George Mason's modem lines or simply through an Internet service provider. If you choose to go through an Internet service provider, you must first set up a proxy server so that the system can verify that you are a George Mason employee. Go to http://magik.gmu.edu/lso/proxy.html to find out how to set up the proxy server. You can always perform a keyword search of the UCIS online Help Center files at http://www.gmu.edu/departments/ucis/help_search.html for information on accessing a system from home. If you have difficulty, you can call the UCIS Support Center weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or e-mail a question or request to support@gmu.edu.
Computer systems require constant maintenance and are occasionally unavailable to users during maintenance hours. Maintenance activities, however, are usually scheduled in advance and not during business hours. If a system is down during regularly scheduled hours, you can go to http://www.gmu.edu/departments/ucis/announce.html to find out how long the system is expected to be down.
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