Access to external Internet sites

Staff have to log-in to access external (non-Monash) Internet sites. They will not be blocked from any external sites, but they will need to login using their Authcate accounts. This is known as Mandatory Proxy Authentication.

Authcate | Software | Internet Access | FTP | Logs | Costing | Exemptions

Introduction

Why was Mandatory Proxy Authentication implemented?

Accurate account keeping and billing were the major reason behind the change. Mandatory Proxy Authentication enables accurate records of Internet usage to be kept, allowing accurate billing for usage on a departmental basis.

What are the other benefits?

1. Reduce overall costs to the University for Internet usage by storing recently used web sites on local Monash storage space. Therefore the most popular web pages are accessible without paying repeated Internet download charges. There are reports from other universities that this has presented savings of up to 40%.

e.g. In a student computing lab it is likely that a group of students will access the same external web site in a short space of time. These pages are stored in the Monash web cache (local storage) and will not need to be downloaded from the external site. This saves substantially on Internet costs, and the cost is averaged across the students/staff accessing the web pages stored in the cache.

2. Provide accurate reporting, enabling faculties and other organisational units to investigate suspected abuse of Internet downloads and to take remedial action.

3. Enable a new network environment to be implemented where staff and student laptops can be moved and used easily at any network point across the University e.g, tutorial rooms, library, cafes, and lecture theatres.

Authcate

Are Staff required to enter their Authcate password whenever an external Internet site is accessed?

No. Staff using the Monash Proxy Service are prompted to enter their Authcate username/password combination the first time they attempt to load an external web/ftp page only. The username/password combination is stored by the web browser meaning that subsequent authentication will only be required if the user shuts down and restarts their web browser and then attempts to access external sites. Staff using the Monash Socks Proxy Service are prompted to enter their Authcate username/password combination the first time they attempt to access any external site. The username/password combination is stored by the Monash Socks Proxy Service client meaning that subsequent authentication will only be required. Authentication will not be necessary at all within the Monash domain.

How do I get an Authcate account?

As a staff member, you have an Authcate account if you use MMS (the Monash Messaging System) for email. Your MMS account is your Authcate account. If you don't have an Authcate account or you are not sure, please contact your local IT Support person or an ITS Servicedesk.

Software

How do I configure my Browser to work for MPA?

Detailed instructions on how to configure Netscape Communicator and MS Internet Explorer to use the Monash Proxy Service and Monash Socks Proxy Service can be viewed at: MPA Browser Configuration
Staff members who have installed a recent version of the Monash Customised Netscape Client will not need to make any changes to their browser configuration for MPA as it is preconfigured to use the Monash Proxy Service. Staff connecting to the web from home via a Monash modem account are unlikely to have the customised version and should consult the web page above for instructions

Will MPA affect the operation of any software installed on my computer?

Monash Proxy Service: Some software packages which attempt to contact a home server for newer versions, updates etc may be adversely affected by MPA. Information on the affects of MPA on some commonly used applications at Monash can be found at MPA Effects on Software

Internet Access

Does Internet access via the Monash Proxy Authentication result in slower performance than direct connections to the Internet?

Are users browsing the web via SNG, or other UNIX machines, able to bypass the Proxy servers?

No. Blocking is implemented at the network level forcing all http and ftp requests to go via the proxy servers irrespective of operating system.

How does external Internet access via the Monash Modem Pool work with MPA?

Student modem accounts are restricted to the Monash domain only and proxy authentication is therefore unnecessary. Staff/postgraduate external access require users to go via the proxy farm to access external web pages

FTP

What about people who are off campus, and wish to ftp files to their SNG account?

Only packets which originate from inside Monash are blocked. This means that staff/students who wish to ftp files to SNG from home are required to authenticate.

Can staff ftp files to and from Monash?

Files transfer to and from Monash servers such as SNG, Linux Monash ftp etc while on campus will seem like a direct connection, using standard ftp clients such as ws-ftp and cute-ftp, or ftp via the command line. However, transferring files outside of the Monash domain does require authentication. Unfortunately many of the standard ftp clients are unable to do this however ftp will be possible to external sites using Netscape's graphical ftp interface.

Netscape can be used as an FTP interface to connect in an identified (i.e. non-anonymous) way to an external server. Simply type the FTP address in the location window in the format: ftp://username@host where username is your username on that host eg: ftp://fblo3@sng.its.monash.edu.au. You will then be prompted for your password on that host. Once you connect you will either see your home directory for the host or the top-level of the directory hierarchy for the host (depending on the configuration of the host system). Navigate to the directory you want.

From this point you can either get files (download) or put files (upload).To get files, click on the link for the file you want. To put files, select Upload File... from the File menu. You may need to reload the page to see files in the directory listing once you have uploaded them.

If you need to use ftp other via clients other than Netscape, please check the Software Effects and Exemptions web pages for more information.

Logs

Does Mandatory Proxy Authentication mean that records of sites individual users have visited are kept? If so, who will have access to this information?

Yes. While detailed logs are kept, the information of primary interest to Monash is total Internet usage by staff on a faculty-wide basis. Individual usage and content records are only accessible by faculty administrators upon request.

What reports are provided to Faculties and organisational units?

Additional Technical information regarding Mandatory Proxy Authentication can be view on the Technical FAQ's for Mandatory Proxy Authentication web page.

Costing

How are the Internet costs allocated ?

Following advice from Budgets and Statistical Services, Internet charges for each student are allocated based on owning or parent Faculty based on MUSIS/Callista data, and in the case of double degrees will be split 50:50. For staff, the Internet costs are allocated to owning Faculty or organisational unit based on SAP data.

Exemptions

Is an Exemption possible?

Monash Proxy Service: Yes. Exemptions can be granted under certain circumstances for a particular computer or subnet. Please check the Exemptions web page for further details.

Is a list of exempted services available?

A list of processed MPA exemption requests can be viewed at MPA Exemptions List