Other Services

Standard Maintenance Windows

The Watson Computing group has formally adopted a Standard Maintenance Window for system patching and updates to reduce system vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

To minimize interruptions, the College Maintenance Windows will mirror the ITS Standard Maintenance Windows scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6:00 am - 8:00 am.  Please plan accordingly and know there could be service interruptions at these times.   Major outages can be viewed at itstatus.binghamton.edu. 

Chargeback rates 

The Watson College has established chargeback rates that can be used to help calculate research grants funding requests and recovering cost of goods and serviced used by another University Unit.  A detailed list of approved chargeback rates can be downloaded from the Accounting Office, Chargeback page.

Network Drives

To access network drives you must:

  • be using a computer with an on-campus IP address
  • If you are using a wireless computer, you must be connected to "eduroam"
  • If you are not physically on the Binghamton University campus, you may access network drives after connecting to the VPN

Mapping a research folder on Lightning file server

On-Campus (Signed in using your BU account)

  1. Open File Explorer "The Folder Icon"
  2. Right Click on "This PC" (Windows 10)
  3. Select "Map network drive"
  4. Select any drive letter from the dropdown
  5. In the folder box copy and paste "\\lightning.bu.binghamton.edu\YourProfessorsResearchDrive"
  6. Click "Finish"
  7. You are now connected to your network drive

Off-Campus

  1. Go to http://ssl.binghamton.edu/
  2. Sign in with your BU account
  3. Download and install "Ivanti" VPN client appropriate for your system
  4. Once installed add the server "ssl.binghamton.edu"
  5. You will connect with your BU account, make sure to change the domain drop down to BU
  6. Once a VPN connection has been established, open File Explorer "The Folder Icon"
  7. Right Click on "This PC" (Windows 10)
  8. Select "Map network drive"
  9. Select any drive letter from the dropdown
  10. In the folder box copy and paste "\\lightning.binghamton.edu\YourProfessorsResearchDrive"
  11. Check "Connect using different credentials"
  12. Click "Finish"
  13. In the "Windows Security" windows please use this format
    • username: BU\YourBUUsername
    • password: YourBUPassword
    • Select "OK"
  14. You are now connected to your network drive

You should now see this network drive in "This PC" and be able to save and load data from it.

Connecting to a Network Printer

Campus printers

The University provides public printing stations for student access.  For information on how to print to them using your computer: https://www.binghamton.edu/its/helpdesk/printing/index.html

Department printer

In order to use a department printer, you must:

  • Obtain permission from the department
  • Use a computer with an on campus IP address
  • If you are using a wireless computer, you must be connected to "eduroam"
  1. Open "Computer"
  2. Select the address bar at the top so you can type
  3. Type "\\ravenclaw.bu.binghamton.edu" and hit enter
    1. If you are on a personal computer or laptop, you will be prompted to login. If you are connecting to a Watson printer and are a faculty member, type "BU\" before your username and then use your BU password. For students connecting to a Watson printer, or for anyone connecting to a BU printer, you type "BU\" before your username and then input your BU password
  4. Browse the folder for the printer you wish to print to, and double-click it
    1. You must also have been added to the permissions list of the printer
  5. Wait for Windows to install the print driver
  6. You may close the print queue window that pops up and now use the printer

Bingview Virtual Desktops

Information Technology Services (ITS) provides students faculty and staff with access to virtual desktops via the Bingview connection broker.

The Watson Computing group maintains "Applications" desktop pool on Bingview

The Engineering Applications pool allows access to the following software:

Ansys Arena
ExpertFit Jack
LT Spice Matlab
Mathematica Microsoft Office
Minitab Pspice
Putty Python
R for Windows SAS
Simio SPSS
VisSim Weka
Xming  

For more information on campus BingView environment visit the ITS website.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Information Technology Services offers software that allows for secure  access to campus resources while not physically on campus.  For more information: Click here.