The University provides computing hardware, software, internet access and related services for teaching and research purposes. All faculty, staff, student and guest use of University computing and network resources should be considered subject to the terms and conditions set out in the official policy documents linked below.

Network ports and IP addresses are assigned by ECE support staff; users must not simply guess IP addresses at random in hopes of finding a free address! Also do not move computers to a new port without contacting our staff first. For help, email ecehelp (at) ece.utoronto.ca with the MAC address of your computer and the jack number where you need to connect. (For “tier 3” user-managed networks with IP address space beginning with 142., your professor is the contact for address assignment.)

The port assigned for your Tier 1 or Tier 2 computer to connect is reserved for that device only - do not connect any other computers such as your own laptop or those of friends or colleagues. Do not use your PC in 'bridge' or 'gateway' mode to share your ECE connection with other devices. Users with a Tier 3 network port should consult their supervisor about connecting devices. All connections and all users are subject to these Terms & Conditions for Access; if you give access to anyone else on a Tier 3 port, please ensure they understand and observe these terms. Under no circumstances is it permitted to use any device that can act as a wired or wireless network router or gateway that can “hide” network connections behind it.

If you receive a new computer please contact inventory[AT]ece.utoronto.ca with the MAC address, jack number, and your supervisor's name. Do not manually reassign the Tier 1 or Tier 2 IP of your currently assigned PC to a new PC nor to any other device. Do not modify or erase the installed operating system or network settings on any Tier 1 PC - instead contact ECEHELP for these changes. If you are on Tier 1 and want to reinstall your own O/S, you must transfer to Tier 2; you must notify ECEHELP and obtain your supervisor's permission BEFORE doing so.

User login accounts on ECE servers are assigned for research purposes and should be treated accordingly. Never share or reveal your password to anyone else. Accounts are intended for the sole use of the account holder and should not be shared. For both security and privacy reasons, always choose long, strong passwords and do not reuse passwords on multiple services.

Much of the software used in ECE is licensed from commercial software publishers. Many publishers offer special licensing terms for classroom or for academic research use; these generally exclude use for any commercial or for-profit purposes. Your I.T. support group can point you to the exact terms of use for each title we license.

Please respect the copyright of software publishers and content creators. Do not take or share with others copies of University or department supplied software, installers, license keys, or other intellectual property.

Bear in mind that some research within ECE is done under non-disclosure agreements with third parties; awareness of these terms and maintaining proper security practices are important to fulfilling the intent of such agreements.

Both UofT and ECE network policies prohibit user-installed wireless access points. All ECE office space is covered by the “UofT” wireless-N network, accessed using your UTORid. (The former departmental “Colubris”/“ECE Secure” wireless network has been decommissioned.)

UofT network wireless connectivity is very heavily used, and is intended solely for transient or short term wireless connectivity for portable laptops and tablets and smart phones; and is not intended to provide constant connections for desktop computers or other “permanent” installations.

The University's Office of the Vice-President and Provost publishes policy documents for the university community. Two policies are relevant to computer usage:

• Code of Student Conduct (relevant to students)

• Appropriate Use of Information and Communication Technology (relevant to all)

The second document says, in part:

There are two fundamental principles that the University follows in determining
when usage of its ICT is unacceptable. One is the quantity of resources consumed;
the other, the quality of the information transmitted. The former is primarily an
issue of fairness – of the equitable distribution of ICT resources; the latter is
an issue of the legality and potential harmfulness of the information content,
which is assessed according to the policies, codes and external laws that govern
behaviour within the University.

A brief (incomplete!) list of some inappropriate uses include:

• violation of the laws of Canada and Ontario
• violation of policies of the University
• Copyright, Trademark and intellectual property rights violations
• plagiarism
• attempts at intrusion on data or resources to which you are not authorized for access
• using peer-to-peer (“P2P”) software (a.k.a. “torrents”) used for file-sharing
• large downloads, unless proven to be related to academic work

Full details are available at the two links, above.

Some violations could cause the University's Computing and Network Services group to disable a computer's network connection. Serious offenses could result in academic discipline up to and including expulsion from the university, and legal action.

Here are links to some more pages where the University sets out policies which touch on information and communication technology:

• UofT Network Security Policies

• UofT Network Traffic Monitoring

• Website of UofT Computer Security Administration

All computer security incidents occurring within ECE must be reported to ECE’s Director, Information Technology, for periodic reporting to ECE’s Chair, senior management team, and others as required. It is critical that any system log files (in case of security breach or other unauthorized access) and full email headers (in cases involving the use of email) are saved. Detailed logs should include information such as date and time of incident, IP numbers, protocols used, etc. If necessary, incidents will be reported immediately to ECE’s Chair and senior management team, and/or the faculty’s Associate Director, Information Security and Enterprise Systems.