IT services sent out another CNAC update today. What’s CNAC, you ask? Take a look at Jeremy’s monster explanation from back in September.
Bottom line of this latest update is that anyone using a University-owned desktop computer will have to log in to CNAC again next Wednesday (11/10) and then monthly after that to use the University network.
Here’s the full text:
In a continuing effort to enhance our services and increase our information security posture, Information Resources will be implementing changes to the Cisco Network Access Control (CNAC) system. The CNAC system, which was recently deployed campus-wide to Staff and Faculty machines, helps us validate that only authorized users are able to access network resources (Banner, Internet, etc). Additionally, CNAC will help us monitor the “health” (up-to-date patches, operating systems, etc) of the desktops that are connecting to our network.
During the deployment of CNAC, end-users were prompted by the CNAC agent to enter their University username and password once, thereafter allowing them to gain access to network resources. All end-users will be required to re-authenticate to the network via the CNAC client on a monthly basis. This will initially occur on Wednesday, November 10th. End-users should expect to enter their University username and password into the CNAC agent before gaining access to network resources. This process will allow us to continually assess the validity and health of our computing environment. The CNAC re-authentication process will routinely occur on the second Wednesday of each month beginning in January 2011.
Additional information can be found in the announcements section of the my.scranton portal. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement these changes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Technology Support Center at 570-941-HELP or at techsupport@scranton.edu
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Note: Updated for clarification at 3pm 11/3/10.
I don’t think this update affects MAC users, as I have to log into CISCO every time I log into the University’s wireless network anyway. Maybe I’m the only one?
This announcement applies to desktop computers, not laptops. I’ve just updated the post to make this clearer. You’re right, you (and everyone else, PC and Mac) already have to log in to Cisco to get onto the University wireless network.
As far as I know, this CNAC announcement applies both to PC desktops and to Mac desktops – anyone know?
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