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Guest NetIDs for wireless now available

Tuesday, February 22, 2005


Campus departments can now provide a temporary NetID to visiting scholars, prospective students, seminar attendees, contract employees and others who need short-term access to UW-Madison's Wireless WiscWorld and VPN (Virtual Private Network). The service was designed in consultation with departmental IT staff.

Temporary NetIDs are generated using a Web-based application, which also produces an information sheet for the guest that lists the NetID and password, provides instructions, and refers the guest to UW-Madison's Appropriate Use policy. The NetIDs all start with the prefix "tmp-" followed by one to five characters (for example, "tmp-bucky") and an optional three-digit serial number (for example, "tmp-smith127").

Temporary NetIDs are now valid for use with the centrally supported campus wireless network and the campus VPN service, but not for services such as dialup access, email or calendar. Later in 2005, DoIT will provide support for departments that want to require NetID authentication on network ports in public areas, such as conference rooms and classrooms. This will include temporary NetIDs and will be available in all buildings upgraded to the 21st Century Network where DoIT provides port management. The number of services accessible with a temporary NetID is expected to grow further, based on campus feedback.

Guest NetIDs are provided as a convenience to campus visitors and their sponsors, who need access to computing resources without bureaucratic delay or the need to find their own network access path. At the same time, the system promotes security by discouraging password sharing, and creating an audit trail that tracks system users and those who authorize them.

To access this service, go to https://guestnetid.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/home.cgi . If prompted, furnish your NetID and password.