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Use of IT while studying

The contact person for IT related problems is Dipl.-Ing. Krause in room B 4.21.

Office hours for general questions are on Wednesday afternoons from 2 p.m.

If you have any questions about laptops, smartphones, tablets ... please bring the relevant device with you.

In the following sections all recommended steps are listed in the correct order.
The wiki pages by the central IT department provide detailed instructions for a wider range of devices.

Matriculation

Requirement: Proof of health insurance

See the "Health insure" info sheet by the International Office.

Matriculation must be fully completed before you can use the HSM's IT resources, including the faculty's PC pools.
During matriculation process you will receive a service key on the enrollment documents, which is required to create the FHS ID.
You can not perform the steps below without this key.

Create and configure FHS-ID

Requirement: Matriculation completed, Service-Key available

The FHS-ID is an account (user name and password) for IT services at HSM, it is used as user account for PCs, especially in the PC pools (PC classrooms), for e-mail, learning platform, learning mangement, WiFi and other purposes.

You create your FHS-ID yourself, the service key obtained during matriculation is required to do so.

Details: Create and configure FHS-ID

Activate FHS-ID account for use on faculty

Requirement: Matriculation, service key available (FHS-ID created)

License agreements with special conditions oblige us to inform all users of our PCs (especially in the PC pools) about restricted usage rights within the scope of these license agreements and to keep records of users accepting the license agreements and usage policies.

For students in the full-time courses, this is usually done in an information event for freshmen.

Students in part-time courses as well as students who missed the information event can download the acceptance form as a PDF file, fill it in, print it out, sign it and contact Dipl.-Ing. D. Krause.

Signing the form you accept the following regulations:

E-Mail

Requirement: FHS-ID created

The mailbox associated with the FHS ID is used for all e-mails related to your studies at the HSM.

The Stud.IP learning management system sends notification to this e-mail box in case of postponements, room changes or cancelled events. You should therefore read the e-mails in this mailbox regularly.

There are the following options:

  • Webmail access: https://webmail.fh-schmalkalden.de/
  • Forwarding e-mails:
    Use https://rz.fh-schmalkalden.de/myidm to configure e-mail forwarding.
    Please note: You should deactivate the “as copy” option. Otherwise the mail server stops processing incoming mails for you when the mailbox is full.
  • Use an e-mail client, i.e. Thunderbird.
    This method provides most comfort.

Details: Set up e-mail client
Details: Configure outgoing e-mail on Linux

Stud.IP learning management system

Requirements: FHS-ID created, e-mail configured

The Stud.IP learning management system (https://studip.hs-schmalkalden.de/) is used at the Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences.

The configuration of your Stud.IP account is important so that you can register for courses and enter exercise/lab groups and be notified of any postponements, room changes or cancellation of events.

Details: Configure Stud.IP

THOSKA

Requirement: Matriculation

The THOSKA cards is used to control access to PC classrooms and some laboratories in the faculty.
Additionally it serves the following purposes:

  • Student ID card,
  • semester ticket,
  • library card and
  • Payment function in the mensa and the cafeteria (must be shown to pay the student price).

To receive your THOSKA, please schedule an appointment with the Student Service Zone.

Your own devices

Hardware

Using a laptop allows you to work in different places, unlike a desktop PC. A PC or laptop is not absolutely necessary in the first semesters, but it is helpful when using Stud.IP.

When working with CAD software or editing a project, bachelor, or master thesis the memory requirement is usually higher than when playing games or writing letters. An upgrade to the maximum possible amount of memory is recommended.

There are no special requirements for the remaining components.

Software

When using MS Windows, the Professional product line should be preferred over the Home product line.
The Home product line offers fewer configuration options for use in larger networks such as the HSM network.
Students of our STEM study programs are qualified to use our faculty's MS Azure Dev Tools for Teaching subscription. MS Windows and other MS products are provided by this subscription, they are available to the students free of charge.

Security software is required on every device that is used on the HSM (virus scanner mandatory, firewall ... optional).
HSM students can obtain the "Sophos Endpoint Security and Control" software free of charge, which can be downloaded from the central IT department's website.
The following combinations are recommended: (1) Windows Firewall + Sophos, (2) Windows Firewall + Virus scanner from Network Associates (McAfee).
These two combinations have been tested with WiFi and VPN at HSM and are supported by the contact person at the faculty.
Other security software has caused problems in the past and cannot be supported.

Information about student versions for other software products and free software for students is provided on the IT department's website.

Malware protection

The HSM requires malware protection to be installed on every device using Ethernet or WiFi at HSM or uses VPN connections to HSM.

The universities in Thuringia have signed a contract with Sophos that allows students, professors and employees to use the Sophos Endpoint Security and Control software.

Requirement to use this license of Sophos: FHS-ID created

See https://apps.fh-schmalkalden.de/rz/software/sophos/ for the download.

WiFi

Requirements: FHS-ID created, malware protection installed

The WiFi SSID (WiFi net name) is "eduroam".

The WiFi wiki page by the central IT department provides descriptions for WiFi setup both on laptops / notebooks and on mobile devices. In Windows, run an * .exe file. This first installs any missing certificates for encryption as well as software components for WiFi operation and then sets up the connection.
After installation, a restart is recommended before attempting to connect.

VPN

Requirement: FHS-ID created, malware protection installed

VPN (virtual private network) provides an encrypted connection from any PC, e.g. in the Internet or WiFi connected to a point within the university (the concentrator). The concentrator then forwards the data traffic to target hosts within the university.
The encryption between the concentrator and the end-user PC ensures the confidentiality of the transmitted data, even if public networks such as the Internet or insecure media such as WiFi are used.
A PC connected via VPN is treated like one located directly in the university network and can use all (or most) internal university services.

Before starting to install and configure VPN, check the FHS-ID setup, ensure

  • a VPN class is assigned and
  • the "Remote Access (WLAN/VPN)" option is active.

VPN installation and configureation is shown on the "VPN" RZ-Wiki page.

File server

Requirements: FHS-ID created, VPN installed and configured

This only applies to students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Students from other faculties must inquire about the modalities for accessing the respective faculty file server at their own faculty.

  • Install configuration files
    In the PC pool, you will find the hosts and lmhosts files on drive J: in the J:\Krause\VPN directory (both without any file extension). These files must be transferred to the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc directory on your own PC / laptop. If files with the same name — again without file extension — already exist there, the content of the new files must be appended to the end of the existing files.
     
  • Establish VPN connection
    Start the VPN client and connect to the HSM.
     
  • Connect network drive
    Start Windows explorer, go to “Computer” in the left navigation list.
    Depending on the Windows version, either use the menu item “Tools” → “Map network drive” or the corresponding toolbar button.
    Select an available drive letter (but not Z :) and connect to \\servername\sharename.
    The option “Reconnect at login” must be deactivated.
     
    Share name Purpose
    \\Servername\homes  Home directory on server
    \\Servername\j  Public directory, used to provide material

     You can get the server name from the laboratory engineer of the respective faculty.
     
  • Disconnect network drive
    Mark the drive in Windows explorer. Use the right mouse key to click on it, from the context menu use “Disconnect”.
     
  • Shut down VPN connection
    End VPN connection before you shutdown or reboot the computer.

Internal web server for exercises

Requirements: FHS-ID created, FHS-ID account activated for use on faculty's PCs

This only applies to students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
In the exercises “Applied Computer Science” and “Computer Science II”, a web server that is only visible within the faculty is used. You can also map your home directory on this server as a network drive as described in the section “File server”.

You can create a public_html directory in your home directory. The * .html and * .php files saved there are then visible in the web browser.

The server name will be announced in the course.

CA certificates

CA certificates on Windows and Linux systems

When your PC establishes an encrypted connection via SSL or TLS to a server at the university, it will also be checked whether the connection was really made to the correct server.

For reasons of cost and effort, some HSM services use self-signed certificates. In order to be able to use these services from your own PC / laptop, the CA certificate of the HSM and any other certificates must be installed as a trustworthy root certification authority.

Details: Install CA certificates on Windows systems
Details: Install CA certificates on Linux systems

Java uses its own certificate management. Students do not need the CA certificates for Java, only professors / employees who work closely with the university administration for certain tasks.

Details: Install CA certificates for Java

CA certificates in the web browser

Some web browsers - e.g. Firefox - do not use the system-wide certificates but have their own certificate management. Here you have to clicke earch of the CA certificate links

telekom.crt   dfn.crt   hsm-ca.crt   iukca3.crt   zefica.crt

once. You will then either receive a message that the certificate has already been configured in the browser, or you will be asked to what extent you want to trust the certificate.
Click on "Trust this certificate to identify websites".

Web browser

Bookmarks in the web browser

You will probably need a number of web addresses more frequently during your studies. We recommend setting up bookmarks in the browser for these addresses.

Details: Create bookmarks

PDF files in the web browser

For security reasons, the Firefox browser does not use Adobe Reader by default to display PDF files but rather an internal library pdfjs. However, this sometimes displays formulas and images incorrectly.

We therefore recommend installing a "correct" PDF viewer (e.g. evince, Foxit PDF Reader, MuPDF or Sumatra PDF) and configuring Firefox or the web browser of your choice to use these programs.

Alternatively you can download the PDF files using the web browser (save them as local file) and use Adobe Reader to open and print the files.

MS Azure Dev Tools for Teaching

This only applies to students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in the courses approved by Microsoft for MS Azure Dev Tools for Teaching.
Subscriptions for participation in MS Azure Dev Tools for Teaching must be obtained for each faculty individually. According to the contractual conditions of the program, the faculties are only allowed to admit students in their STEM courses to participate in the program. For the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, this applies to the courses:
 

  • Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik (B. Sc.)
  • HealthTech (B. Sc.)
  • Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen Technical Management (B. Sc.)
  • Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik (M. Sc.)
  • Elektrotechnik und Management (M. Sc.)
  • Elektrische Energie- und Automatisierungstechnik (B. Sc.)
  • Fahrzeugelektronik (B. Sc.)
  • Informationstechnik (B. Sc.)

The students concerned can register directly with Microsoft at https://aka.ms/devtoolsforteaching/ to participate in the program. To do this, you must first create a Microsoft account with your private e-mail address (not the address at the university). During the registration process, your university affiliation will also be verified somewhere; the university address must then be entered here.

Students of other MINT courses should contact their own faculty.

MS Azure for Students is available for students of other degree programs, see https://azure.microsoft.com/de-de/free/students/.