0. Summary

You are about to receive a "computer account" on a facility managed by the UC Davis Department of Physics. The following document lists your rights and responsibilities in some detail. Briefly, they are as follows.

0.1 You are entitled to use your computer account only so long as you maintain an active affiliation with the Physics department. Your account is not to be shared with other people.

0.2 To continue to enjoy the privilege of using one of the Physics Dept. computers, you may be required to confirm your affiliation with the department from time to time. When and if that happens, the details will be publicly advertised.

0.3 You have the responsibility to use your computer account for educational and research purposes only, the responsibility to protect your own password, files, etc., and the responsibility to keep resource consumption within reasonable limits. You have the right to assume that other users of the system will do likewise.

0.4 The staff who maintain the computing equipment in Physics have the right to monitor and control any and all aspects of the Physics systems. This includes but is not limited to stopping your running programs, removing or compressing your files, etc. It also includes, in cases in which there is a reasonable cause for suspicion, and with explicit approval of the Chair, the right to examine the contents of your files and your electronic mail.

I agree to abide by all elements of the Physics Department Policy on Computer Access and Use, as stated both in the summary above and in the detailed version of the Policy, which I read at the time I signed this document, and which can be found on the Physics World Wide Web page at http://everest.ucdavis.edu. A printed copy is available upon request.

I understand that upon violation of this policy, the System Manager retains the right to deny access privileges, and that if warranted, further disciplinary action may be taken by the University, including prosecution under applicable state and federal laws.

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The Department of Physics at the University of California at Davis operates and maintains the Physics Computer Network (PhysNet) to support its instructional, research and administrative missions. The PhysNet computing systems include various PC-based computers, running some form of linux, or some version of Windows. It includes a number of Macintosh computers, now primarily running Mac OS X. It also includes computers from Sun Microsystems, running a version of the Solaris operating system. It includes computers some computers running OpenVMS.

Peripheral equipment includes disk drives providing hundreds of Gigabytes of disk storage, tape drives, laser printers and ink-jet printers, an optical scanner, and other special-purpose peripherals. These systems are interconnected via a local-area network within the Department of Physics to form PhysNet. A network connection is also maintained to the rest of the University campus, and, in turn, to the Internet.

The policy presented here applies to all computer systems of the PhysNet, regardless of their operating system or manufacturer. As used in this policy statement, the term "user" refers to any person consuming resources on PhysNet facilities. The term PhysNet refers to computing and associated facilities specifically assigned by the Department of Physics to PhysNet staff for operations and maintenance. The term PhysNet staff includes full- and part-time professional staff and part-time student employees who work in the areas of basic software system support, hardware maintenance, operations, and user support.

2. Advisories

PhysNet makes available to faculty, staff, students, and others, computing facilities consisting of hardware, software and documentation. The use and operation of these facilities is subject to the following advisories.

2.1 Data and files residing on personal computers, such as Macintosh and PC-based Windows machines, are not backed up by PhysNet staff. Data and files stored on such systems should be considered "volatile". It is the responsibility of the users of the individual systems to backup information that they consider to be important.

2.2 Every effort is made by the PhysNet staff to prevent loss of data in the event of hardware or software failure or through human error. This is done by making backup copies of data stored on the PhysNet timesharing systems to magnetic tape or other media. It must be recognized, however, that in some cases it may not be possible to restore the latest version of every data file from these backups, and some data loss may occur. Because these cases are outside of the PhysNet staff's control, the staff cannot be held liable for any loss of data arising directly or indirectly from the failure of hardware, software, or from human error.

2.3 Because the goals of the PhysNet are primarily educational in nature, computer systems are generally open to perusal and investigation by users, and security controls may be less restrictive than they would be in other environments. Although an appropriate effort is made to maintain system security, unauthorized access to information is possible through malicious mischief. The PhysNet staff cannot guarantee against loss of privacy, theft of information, damage, or loss of data arising directly or indirectly from the absence or failure of system security protection mechanisms.

2.4 Much of the software used on the PhysNet is purchased from third-party vendors, usually without source code. This limits the PhysNet staff's ability to repair bugs in this software, or to modify the software. In many cases, several software packages of similar purpose are provided to attempt to serve a broader range of needs. However, the PhysNet staff can make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the computing services offered or their fitness for any particular purpose.

3. Access to PhysNet Facilities

When applying for access to PhysNet facilities, a valid University identification card must be presented. Students may also be required to present a current class schedule.

3.1 The facilities of the PhysNet are made available to the faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Physics, generally without charge. Facilities may also be made available to student organizations and other faculty and staff by special arrangement.

3.2 Only properly authorized persons may access PhysNet facilities; proper authorization is provided by PhysNet staff members or their designates in the form of an account issued in the name of the authorized person.

3.3 A user may not permit any other person, including other authorized users, to access PhysNet facilities through his or her account.

3.4 Those persons who have been issued keys, access cards, or combinations to obtain access to PhysNet facilities may not use these items to allow other persons to access the facilities. Keys, access cards, and combinations may not be lent or given to others.

3.5 Users of PhysNet may be required to confirm their continuing affiliation with the Physics department from time to time. This would typically be done by appearing in person at the Physics Main Office with appropriate credentials, but the exact time, place, and procedure will be publicly advertised on the various PhysNet systems well in advance of account expiration.

Users who are required to be out of Davis for extended periods (for research at remote sites, for instance) may, at the discretion of the PhysNet staff, be allowed to confirm their affiliation by other means besides appearing in person.

4. User Rights and Responsibilities

A user of the Physics Computer Network has the following rights and responsibilities.

4.1 To enable the PhysNet staff to accurately maintain information about the user of each account, each user is responsible for supplying current information to the appropriate PhysNet staff member (usually the departmental System Manager) including school or department affiliation, degree program (undergraduate or graduate), expected graduation or termination date, and University position (faculty, staff, or student).

4.2 Providing false or misleading information for the purpose of obtaining access to PhysNet facilities is a violation of University policy.

4.3 Each user is responsible for any and all activity initiated in or on PhysNet facilities by his or her account.

4.4 Users are responsible for selecting a secure password for their accounts and for keeping that password secret at all times. Passwords should not be written down, stored on-line, or given to others. Passwords should never be given out to someone claiming to be a PhysNet staff member; authorized PhysNet staff members have full-access privileges and do not need to know individual users' passwords. A password should meet the following criteria. It must be six or more characters in length, it must not be a word commonly found in a dictionary (English-language or other), and it must not be a password you have used within the last year. Furthermore, the password should not be any part of your name or usercode, or the name of a spouse, child, or significant other. It should not be the name of a pet. It should not be the name of your make or model of car. In general, your password should not be a word that some other party would naturally associate with you. Nor should it be a minor variation of such a word! (If the username is "jones", and terms such as "jones7" or "senoj" as the password, the password WILL be guessed.)

You can change your password at any time. The procedure for doing so depends on the operating system, and, even for a given operating system, the procedure varies over time. If you need help to change your password, please send email to help@physics.ucdavis.edu or stop by the computer-support office (room 536).

4.5 Users are responsible for protecting their own files and data from reading and/or writing by other users, using whatever protection mechanisms are provided by the operating system in use. Users are responsible for picking up their printer output in a timely fashion to avoid theft or disposal.

Special attention should be paid to protecting spreadsheets and other files containing student registration numbers, names and grades. Leaving these file on publicly accessible disks may constitute a violation of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Title 20, Section 1232(g) of the United States Code, the State of California Education Code, Title 3, Div. 5, Chapter 13, Sections 67100-67147, and UCD Policy and Procedures, Section 320-21.

It is permissible to encrypt your own files, email, etc., as a means to protect your own privacy. But it is required that you decrypt such objects if requested to do so by a member of the PhysNet staff during the course of investigating suspicious activity. This is subject to the restrictions set forth in section 5 of this document; i.e., a request to decrypt your files cannot and will not be made frivilously or unilaterally by a staff member. Refusal to decrypt your files in such situations will be considered to be, in and of itself, a serious infraction of the PhysNet rules, subject to the penalties discussed in section 8 of this document, regardless of the actual content of the files.

4.6 Users are responsible for reporting any system security violation, or suspected system security violation, to the PhysNet staff immediately.

4.7 Most PhysNet facilities are made available on an unmonitored basis. It is the responsibility of every user to act in such a manner as to not cause damage to the physical equipment. Accidental damage, or damage caused by other parties, should be reported to the PhysNet staff as soon as possible so that corrective action can be taken.

4.8 Users who borrow hardware, software, or documentation from PhysNet lending collections are responsible for its proper care and for returning it in a timely fashion.

4.9 Users are responsible for obeying all official notices posted in terminal rooms, attached to PhysNet equipment, and displayed in the log-on message of the day.

4.10 Users who are affiliated with the Department of Physics may not be denied access to PhysNet facilities by someone who is not using the facilities for instructional, research, or administrative purposes or who is not a faculty, staff, or student member of the Department of Physics. A user affiliated with the Department of Physics may ask the offending person to relinquish the resource, or may ask a PhysNet staff member to intervene on his or her behalf.

4.11 Users have the right not to be harassed while using PhysNet facilities, whether it be physical, verbal, electronic, or any other form of abuse. Harassment should be reported to the PhysNet staff.

4.12 Above all, users of the PhysNet facilities are responsible at all times for using them in a manner that is ethical, legal, and not detrimental to others.

5. PhysNet Staff Rights and Responsibilities

The PhysNet staff generally may do whatever is necessary to carry out its responsibility to maintain effective operation of the PhysNet facilities.

5.1 The PhysNet staff has the responsibility to make every reasonable effort to maintain the privacy of a user's files, electronic mail, and printer listings.

5.1.1 Student files as kept on PhysNet facilities are considered "educational records" as covered by the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Title 20, Section 1232(g) of the United States Code, also referred to as the Buckley Amendment). These rights are implemented on the Davis campus by UCD Policy and Procedures Manual, Section 320-21, "Disclosure of Information from Student Records." However, this does not preclude disclosure of these files to University officials with a legitimate educational interest. Whenever appropriate and possible, the PhysNet staff will seek prior approval from the student before any such disclosures are made.

5.2 In the normal course of examining and repairing system problems, and when investigating instances of improper use of PhysNet facilities, the PhysNet staff may need to examine users' files, electronic mail, and printer listings. The PhysNet staff has the right to do this, subject to item 5.1 above, and with the explicit approval of the department Chair or the designee of the Chair. In other words, the PhysNet staff can examine your personal files, email, etc., but only after obtaining what amounts to a "search warrant".

5.3 Investigations that discover improper use may cause the PhysNet staff to: limit the access of those found using facilities or services improperly; disclose information found during the investigation to University or law enforcement authorities; initiate disciplinary actions as prescribed by University policies and procedures. The PhysNet staff has the right to do this, subject to item 5.1 above.

5.4 In order to protect against hardware and software failures, backups of all data stored on PhysNet timeshare systems are made on a regular basis. The PhysNet staff has the right to examine the contents of these backups to gather sufficient information to diagnose and correct problems with system soft ware, or to investigate instances of improper use of PhysNet facilities, subject to item 5.1 above.

5.5 With reasonable cause for suspicion, the PhysNet staff has the right to monitor any and all aspects of a system, to determine if a user is acting in violation of the policies set forth in this document, subject to item 5.1 above.

5.6 The PhysNet staff may, with or without prior notification, alter the priority or terminate the execution of any process that is consuming excessive system resources or objectionably degrading system response.

5.7 The PhysNet staff may, with or without prior notification, remove or compress disk files that are not related to Department of Physics missions or which are consuming large amounts of disk space.

5.8 The PhysNet staff may terminate login sessions that have been idle (unused) for long periods of time, in order to free resources. The definition of a "long period" of time may vary from system to system, depending on resource availability.

5.9 The PhysNet staff has the responsibility to provide advance notice of system shutdowns for maintenance, upgrades, or changes so that users may plan around periods of system unavailability. However, in the event of an emergency, the PhysNet staff may shut down a system with little or no advance notification. Every effort will be made to give users a chance to save their work before the system is taken out of service.

5.10 PhysNet staff members have the responsibility to report any violations of University policy, state law, or federal law pertaining to the use of University computer facilities to the appropriate authorities whenever such violations come to their attention.

5.11 The PhysNet staff may refuse or restrict access to any person who has violated the policies set forth in this document, or who has violated the policies of other computer facilities belonging to the University.

6. Proper Use

The PhysNet facilities are provided for use by faculty, staff, and students to support the missions of the Department of Physics. All faculty, staff, and students using PhysNet facilities are responsible for using these facilities in an effective, ethical, and lawful manner.

6.1 Many resources, such as disk space, CPU cycles, printer queues, batch queues, login sessions, and software licenses, are shared by all users. No user may monopolize these resources.

6.1.1 Users should consume as little disk space as practical, making use of available means for compressing files and archiving unused files off-line.

6.1.2 Users should not load the system in such a way that others cannot perform useful work. Only a single instance of large, resource-intensive programs should be executed at one time.

6.1.3 Long printer jobs (such as theses) should not be printed during periods of peak printer demand.

6.2 PhysNet facilities are provided for academic (instruction and research) and administrative uses.

6.2.1 PhysNet facilities may not be used for any activity that is commercial in nature without first obtaining written approval to do so from the Manager of the Physics Computer Network. Commercial activities include consulting, typing services, developing software for sale, and in general any activity which is paid for by non-University funds.

6.3 The PhysNet staff recognizes the academic value of research on computer security and the investigation of self-replicating code. However, the use and development of this type of software, if not properly supervised, can inadvertently affect the operation and integrity of PhysNet systems.

6.3.1 Users may not intentionally develop or use programs which harass other users of the system.

6.3.2 Users may not intentionally develop or use programs which attempt to bypass system security mechanisms, steal passwords or data, or "crack" passwords.

6.3.3 Users may not intentionally develop or use programs that, by design, attempt to consume all of an available system resource (memory, swap space, disk space, network bandwidth, etc.).

6.3.4 Users may not intentionally develop or use programs designed to replicate themselves or attach themselves to other programs, commonly called worms or viruses.

6.3.5 Users may not intentionally develop or use programs designed to evade software licensing or copying restrictions. Users who believe that they have a legitimate reason to use or develop programs in the above categories must give prior notice to the PhysNet staff. Special arrangements can be made to provide an adequate environment for conducting the research without risking damage to or impairment of other systems.

6.4 Files owned by individual users are to be considered private property, whether or not they are accessible by other users.

6.4.1 Just as an unlocked door or window does not implicitly grant permission to strangers to enter your house, the ability to read another user's files does not implicitly grant permission to read those files.

6.4.2 Under no circumstances may a user alter a file that does not belong to him or her without prior permission of the file's owner. The ability to alter another user's files does not implicitly grant permission to alter those files.

6.5 Because this is an educational environment, computer systems are generally open to perusal and investigation by users. This access must not be abused either by attempting to harm the systems, or by stealing copyrighted or licensed software.

6.5.1 System-level files (not owned by individuals) may be used and viewed for educational purposes if their access permissions so allow.

6.5.2 Many system-level files are part of copyrighted or licensed software, and may not be copied, in whole or in part, except as needed as part of an educational exercise.

6.5.3 The same standards of intellectual and academic honesty and plagiarism apply to software as to other forms of published work.

6.5.4 Making copies of software having a restricted-use license is theft. So is figuring out how to "beat" the license.

6.5.5 Deliberate alteration of system files is vandalism or malicious destruction of University property.

6.6 Game playing, and the development of computer games, is permitted on PhysNet systems (subject to local policies). However, these activities must be limited to times when demand for system resources is low. Work in pursuit of the goals of the Department of Physics has priority over game playing and development.

6.7 Harassing or defamatory material may not be sent via electronic mail or posted to electronic bulletin boards and news groups from PhysNet systems.

6.8 PhysNet facilities and network connections may not be used for the purposes of making unauthorized connections to, breaking into, or adversely affecting the performance of other systems on the network, whether these systems are University-owned or not. The ability to connect to other systems via the network does not imply the right to make use of or even connect to these systems unless authorization is given by the owners of those systems.

6.9 Other organizations operating computing and network facilities that are reachable via the PhysNet may have their own policies governing the use of those resources. When accessing remote resources from PhysNet facilities, users are responsible for obeying both the policies set forth in this document and the policies of the other organizations.

7. Software Copyrights and Licenses

The software used on PhysNet facilities is operated under license agreements with Microsoft, Inc., Sun Microsystems, Apple Computer, Wolfram Research, and others.

7.1 United States copyright and patent laws protect the interests of authors, inventors, and software developers in their products. Software license agreements serve to increase compliance with copyright and patent laws. Commercial software, and accompanying software documentation, may be copied only as allowed by the terms of the license agreement. Unauthorized use of copies is considered theft by University policy (section 210-74) and State and Federal statute.

7.2 Software in use on PhysNet facilities, unless it is stored in areas specifically marked as containing copyable software, may not be copied to magnetic tape, hard or floppy disks, or otherwise removed from PhysNet facilities. Backup copies of licensed software are maintained by the PhysNet staff; users may not make copies of licensed software.

7.3 Source code for licensed software may not be included in software that is released for use outside the PhysNet.

8. Enforcement

The disposition of situations involving a violation of the policies set forth in this document and the penalties that may be imposed for these violations are as described below.

8.1 Minor infractions of this policy, when likely accidental in nature, such as poorly chosen passwords, overloading systems, excessive disk-space consumption, and so on, are typically handled internally to PhysNet in an informal manner by electronic mail or in-person discussions. More serious infractions are handled via formal procedures:

8.1.1 Infractions such as sharing accounts or passwords, harassment, or repeated minor infractions as described above may result in the temporary or permanent loss or modification of PhysNet access privileges, and notification of a user's academic advisor or supervisor.

8.1.2 More serious infractions, such as unauthorized use, attempts to steal passwords or data, attempts to steal licensed software, violations of University policies, or repeated violations as described in section 8.1.1 may result in the temporary or permanent loss of PhysNet access privileges. In all cases, the offender's associated School or department will be notified of the infraction. If the offender is a student at the University, the case will also be referred to the Dean of Students office for appropriate action.

8.1.3 Offenses which are in violation of local, state or federal laws usually result in immediate loss of all PhysNet computing privileges, and will be reported to the appropriate University and law enforcement authorities.

8.2 Penalties may be imposed under University regulations, California law, or the laws of the United States.

Other regulations and laws may be applied as well, depending on the nature of the offense.

Approved:

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Michael Hannon,
Manager Physics Computer Network

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Shirley Chiang
Chair, Department of Physics