The University Network

Wired ethernet connections and wireless networks are now widely available throughout the University and colleges. If you are unsure which is available in your college room, or whether your computer supports ethernet or wireless networking, seek advice from your College IT staff.

Your College will provide college-specific advice on how to setup your computer to use the college network. Some departments also support private computers connecting to the departmental network. Please contact your local IT staff for information. The OUCS Network pages describe how to configure specific computer systems to use the ethernet and internet.

The wireless network around the University is known as the Oxford Wireless LAN or 'OWL' for short. General information about this service is available on the OUCS OWL Service web pages. These also include information about Eduroam which Oxford University members can use. Eduroam is an international federation of academic institutions which allows its users to visit other organizations and use the same username and password as they would use at their home institution. Please refer to your local IT staff for college or department-specific advice on connecting to this service. You need a Remote Access account and Virtual Private Network (VPN) software to use Eduroam/OWL. See below.

Some of the libraries use the ouls-reader network for wireless access.

Most recent computers are supplied with an ethernet port and wireless capability. If not, you can buy ethernet cards, cables and wireless cards from local computer retailers such as PC-World, Staples, etc.

If you have the choice of using a wired ethernet socket or a wireless connection, the wired connection is usually preferable as it will generally give a higher speed and more stable connection.

Email and internet access are also available from computer clusters located in colleges, some departments and OUCS.

Away From Oxford

Some services, such as Outlook Web Access or the OLIS library catalogue, are accessible from off-campus in the usual way. Virtually all electronic library resources are available away from Oxford through an Oxford Single Sign-on (SSO) login. However, some internal services are only available from outside via OUCS Remote Access Services and the Virtual Private Network (VPN) service (e.g. over a broadband connection). VPN requires a Remote Access username and password. The Remote Access Service is not part of SSO so you will have to register separately and set a different password. (see Registration Services).

For VPN access, only the Cisco VPN client software is supported. This includes the VPN client built in to the iPhone and iPod Touch so iPhone/iPod users do not need to download any additional software. Download the VPN software from the registration web site. Follow the Configuring VPN on Your Computer notes on the OUCS web site.

Restrictions On Networked Applications

The University network has a finite data capacity which is shared between all members of the University. Restrictions are placed on some 'Peer-to-Peer' (P2P) applications to avoid excessive consumption of limited shared resources.

If you use Skype, it is a University requirement that Skype voice-over-IP software is set up as described in Configuring Skype for Use on the Oxford University Network .

You are also reminded that file sharing of copyrighted material is illegal and could result in prosecution.

Bringing a Smart Phone?