Welcome to the SHASS IT Documentation (and Support Wiki) Page
Information on the SHASS IT Support Model can be found here: SHASS IT Support Model Details.
Click here to go to the SHASS IT Homepage.
For the latest support news and critical security bulletins go here.
To help you on your way, we've set up this IT Documentation Wiki page as a helpful one stop IT resource.
Frequently Requested IT Resources and Services
Basic Services
- Get MIT Certificates and Get MIT Certificate Authority
- Change Kerberos Password
- How to Setup Your MIT Email
- How to Setup Exchange Email in Apple Mail
- Request static IP address/addresses from IS&T
- Register your computer to MIT's network (All new machines must do this registration or they will stop connecting to the network properly after a few weeks. You must do this separately for the wireless AND wired connections if you're using DHCP. Machines using static IPs don't need to be registered.)
- How to connect to MIT Secure (MIT Secure WiFi or direct ethernet cable connection to MITnet is required for printer access)
- Set up an email mailing list
- How to set up a mobile device at MIT
- Set up your MIT voip phone
- Connecting to VPN from off campus
Getting Started
- How to Set Up Your MIT Email
- How to Setup Exchange Email in Apple Mail
- Proper Care and Feeding of your Exchange Email and Calendaring
- How to use Spam Quarantine to stop spam emails
- If you're using Spam Quarantine, you should turn off Apple Mail's Junk Mail filter
- What new hires need to do IT-wise before their start date to ensure they hit the ground running
- Safe Computing at MIT Best Practices: Safe Computing presentation.pdf
- How to create your own DLC or personal website with MIT's Drupal Cloud Service
- Travel safely with these IS&T Traveler's IT Tips and information from MIT's OSP
- In accordance with Massachusetts state law, all administrative staff are required to adopt recommended practices to protect sensitive data. In particular be vigilant of PHISHING attacks.
- How to add an office network printer via IP address in Windows 10 (for this you will need the printer's actual IP address. All printers at MIT start with 18.#.#.#)
- How to add an office network printer via IP address in Mac OS X (for this you will need the printer's actual IP address. All printers at MIT start with 18.#.#.#)
- How to set up Time Machine backups on a Mac (external HD is required)
- How to set up Windows Backup in Windows 7 (external HD is required)
- Sign up for MIT's Dropbox
- Step by step set up of MIT's Dropbox
- IS&T's Dropbox for Business Initial Set up Page (general help with all aspects of MIT dropbox)
- How to install and connect to MIT's VPN on a Mac from off campus.
Purchasing
- How to plan the purchase of computer hardware to last the necessary amount of time
- MIT IS&T recommended computer hardware
- SHASS Printer recommendations
- SAP Web Purchasing (will be discontinued on February 15, 2014)
- ATLAS Purchasing (replaced SAPWeb on February 15, 2014)
- For Licensed MIT software downloads see below.
Preventative Maintenance and Security
- Proper Care and Feeding of your Exchange Email and Calendaring
- How to use Spam Quarantine to stop spam emails
- Safe Computing at MIT and Best Security Practices: Safe Computing presentation.pdf
- MIT users should install Sophos to protect against malware and virus attacks
- All Macs should be using Time Machine to provide local, disaster recovery backups for your Mac. The Time Machine software comes on your Mac. All you need is an external hard drive connected to your Mac to run the backup. If you work with private client information, please contact either Albert or Dan first so we can make sure the drive you're using is encrypted.
- All Windows 7 users and later should be using Windows Backup to provide local, disaster recovery backups for your Windows computer. Like Time Machine on the Mac, all you need is an external hard drive connected to your Windows computer to run the backup. If you work with private client information, please contact either Albert or Dan first so we can make sure the drive you're using is encrypted.
- For a secondary internet off site backups for just your data files, we recommend everyone use IS&T's newly adopted Crash Plan. We recommend everyone use BOTH Time Machine or Windows Backup AND Crash Plan to make sure all of your files are 100% backed up and secured.
- Lifehacker has a great resource on how to stay safe on public WiFi.
- Unsure if the network you're connecting to is safe? F-secure has an online router checker to attempt to verify.
- What is crypto? Here is a great primer on the nuts and bolts of encryption and why it's important.
- Best practices for travelers to secure their work, personal, and research data overseas.
Troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting 101: The easy stuff to do to hopefully get your computer quickly working again.
- Proper Care and Feeding of your MIT Email and Calendaring
- How to remove old certificates from Firefox. Do this only after quitting and relaunching Firefox (after renewing your certificates) doesn't work. Then you will need to get your certificates again.
- IS&T has a guide to troubleshooting renewed certificates that don't work.
- How to unset a hard drive from Time Machine on the Mac if you accidentally make it a backup drive.
- Should you update to Mac OS 10.12 Sierra and how to approach Sierra problems when you run into them.
- There are these Notification bubbles that keep appearing in the upper right corner of OS X. How do I turn Notifications off?
- How to connect from off campus to MIT via VPN on a Mac or Windows machine
- How to connect using DUO authentication to all MIT services that require it
Equipment Disposal
- Please contact your section's SHASS IT Liaison if you would like any old equipment removed. They will contact Albert and Dan who will happily take care of all steps of equipment deactivation, secure data wiping, and disposal.
- If you're comfortable having equipment removed yourself, go to Atlas and fill out a Campus->Service Request->Create Request form for recycling. Before discarding unwanted equipment, please make sure that if the device has an MIT asset tag that it has been properly deactivated and that all confidential data has been securely wiped. Please contact your section's SHASS IT Liaison if you are uncertain how to do these steps.
Status Information
- Check 3Down to find out what MIT services are up or down
Business Help
- Dan and I are not allowed access to many confidential business systems (Atlas, SAPGui, BioQuery, Cognos, etc) used by administrative staff in the areas we support.
For issues involving the use of these business systems, users should contact MIT IS&T's Business Help Team or call 3-1101 and ask for Business Help. - How to configure printing in SAPGUI to print to your printer.
- Cognos is generating a blank PDF report page.
- SAPGui for Mac won't quit or cancels shut down of Mac.
- Opening Data Warehouse Reports in BrioQuery on the Mac.
- The Data Warehouse Reports can also be found on reports.mit.edu via Cognos as well. Cognos is slated to eventually replace BrioQuery as the way to access Data Warehouse reports.
Software Downloads
- Download MIT licensed software from IS&T (Office, Sophos, etc). MIT certificates are required.
Exit
- If an employee is leaving MIT, there is an Employee Departure Checklist areas should use to make sure you capture all the information you may need after they leave.
- IS&T has a Leaving MIT informational page on things to think about when an employee leaves MIT.
IT Administrator Resources (for Systems Administrators)
About Us
SHASS IT is run by the Dean's Office of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at MIT.
This group is staffed by Systems Administrator Lead Albert Wang (wangal@mit.edu) and Systems Administrator Daniel Irvine (dirvine@mit.edu).
