Data Wall Jacks
The Matthews and Daniels wings have more data wall jacks installed than available ports on the network switches installed by campus data services. Thus, not all jacks are active. If you need to activate a jack in order to connect a device via Ethernet, please send a message to CompHelp with your request, and include the full jack ID number (e.g. 9379-DB120), and the room number in which it is located.
File Server
The department maintains a file server (waldorf.chem.wisc.edu) with an array of redundant disks for data safety. The system periodically snapshots the state of the filesystem, so it is possible to recover older versions files that have been accidentally deleted, over-written, or otherwise corrupted. The server synchronizes to a second, identical server (statler.chem.wisc.edu) hourly.
(As of July 19, 2023, the server has 165TB of available space.)
Windows
Open a File Explorer window, right-click on This PC in the sidebar on the left to bring up the context menu, and choose ‘Map network drive…’ In the window it brings up, enter \\chemistryfs3.chem.wisc.edu\Groups, select ‘Connect using different credentials’, and ‘Finish’. In the authentication window, enter your user ID, and your Chemistry password. Check ‘Remember my credentials’, and continue. This will create a permanent connection to the server on your computer, using the drive letter you chose. (‘Z:’ as the default)
Mac & Linux
The network address for Mac and Linux is ‘smb://chemistryfs3.chem.wisc.edu/Groups’. On MacOS, use the ‘Go > Connect to Server’ menu item in the Finder, enter the network address, and follow the instructions to connect.
Different Linux environments vary in the user interface to connect. For GNOME on Ubuntu, the file browser window has an ‘+ Other Locations’ option in the sidebar, which brings up a ‘Connect to Server’ option, where you can enter the above network address.
Personal Devices
For security reasons, personal devices should not be connected to the building ethernet network. If you need to access department resources from your own computer, please connect to the UWNet or EduRoam Wi-Fi networks, and use the Chemistry VPN portal. The VPN portal enforces some security measures, including requiring supported operating system versions, with security updates enabled.
VPN Access
Access to the campus network from elsewhere on the Internet works through the GlobalProtect VPN. See the article WiscVPN – How to Install, Connect, Uninstall, and Disconnect WiscVPN Palo Alto GlobalProtect for information how to install it, and links to the software download for most platforms. The department has its own portal at chemistry.vpn.wisc.edu, to which you can log in your Chemistry account.
Wi-Fi
The Div. of Information Technology (DoIT) provides the Wi-Fi services for all campus buildings, including in the Chemistry complex. The ‘UWNet’ SSID is an unencrypted connection available to anyone with a valid NetID. For greater security, DoIT recommends using the WiscVPN service on UWNet. The ‘eduroam’ SSID is an encrypted connection available to anyone with login credentials from any participating eduroam institution around the world.