How to access USMA network?

[kinnem]

I stole this from another poster, don't remember who, because I liked it so much. It seems relevant to this conversation.

"The problem with Internet quotes and statistics is that they are often wrongfully believed to be real." -Abraham Lincoln

 

[hawk]

I didn't ask how "we" know about the various groups, I asked you how you know what is posted on the West Point Moms FB group.

infosec

 

[Dixieland]

infosec

Glad I saw your other comments before you deleted them.

 

[hawk]

Glad I saw your other comments before you deleted them.

Saves me from sending in a PM...

I'm not going to debate this.. Fragmented information flow helps no-one. Much less gender specific.

the fact that the discussion started due to info useful to all plebes was directed to "go talk to a mom, they have the good scoop due to the mom's fb group" is case in point.

you can defend why it might be a good thing, I'm going to enjoy family and my break.

 

[Xyz]

Just going to add in that it does sort of stink when all the info goes to one sect... one that not everyone has access to, even within their family.

But anyways, I did not take IT either so this is a lost cause for me!

 

[Casey]

Tbh, I don't think you can set it up from home. I believe the landline connection at school is required to configure the initial settings, or at least definitly makes it less of a hassle

 

[hawk]

But anyways, I did not take IT either so this is a lost cause for me!

There are others who made it work from home after the fact who did not have IT either, so go look for the folder on your laptop. One dad mentioned having to tweak a registry setting to make it work.

If you strike out, PM me and I'll get my son to reply back with what he had to do. He had help from his IT teacher, but may remember.

 

[mom3boys]

West Point Moms

As the founding mother of West Point Moms on facebook, I thought I'd take a second and explain the purpose. Several of us as plebe moms wanted to reach out to each other for support. This was frowned upon on plebe.net. Some moms, for one transgression or another, had their hands slapped. Several of us were on facebook to see Chaplain's time photos that Barb Willey had posted. So, one day I created a group and let some moms know. We have 862 members as of today. It's not for everyone. It's for moms who need to reach out to other moms. It's a place for warm fuzzies, tough love, a hug..whatever moms need. Sometimes we share information (this worked for us, this is what you can expect...). It is by no means the definitive source for information; that is what PAO is for.

We have some interesting off-shoots from the original group that you may not be aware of:
1. West Point Moms Bake A mom started this group to send packages of home baked goodies to deployed service persons. We are in groups of 10 and each group sends to the same person, so he/she receives 10 boxes of goodies to share w/ the unit. This has been going on for about 6 months.
2. West Point Moms Stone soup Some moms thought it was sad that some parents couldn't afford to fly their cadets home for Christmas, so they pooled resources and dealt with it.
3. Support for the Vogt family In addition to MUCH prayer, the moms made sure the Vogts were flooded with get well wishes. Most cards sent to the Vogts were not empty. Their needs for food, gas, etc in the area should be well taken care of.

Many other needs and instances have occured, but these 3 are the most recent.

The moms are a tight knit group. Several of us have met and are now "real friends," not just fb friends. We have never claimed to be anything but moms helping other moms. We try not to helicopter or micromanage our cadets, but hey, we're moms...some habits die hard!

 

[lightfoot]

hawk-
Can you PM the instructions as well. I can't figure it out either and I've been trying for the last couple of days.

 

[hawk]

As the founding mother of West Point Moms on facebook, I thought I'd take a second and explain the purpose.

snip

It's for moms who need to reach out to other moms. It's a place for warm fuzzies, tough love, a hug..whatever moms need.

I think we all understand the purpose of WP Moms on FB. It's a great idea, and well needed. And just about every parent I know of who asked a question on plebe-net has had their nose bitten off in some form, either by an admin or a member.

The point I commented on was around the original post for help, and the subsequent replies:

There are detailed directions for access in a document on West Point Moms (facebook group). If your mom is a member, get her to access the info for you there. There is a different set of directions for 2015.

Am I the only one that thinks it is kind of funny that cadets have to go to their Mom's to find out how to access the computer system at USMA?

Since then, the question has shown up on plebe-net (by a mom), on WP Dad's FB, and most likely in multiple parents club groups.

It's plain as day, the various fragmented & sometimes competing information sources do not do always do a good job of assisting those with questions, much less distributing information. That's my point, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. It's a fairly common discussion item in parents groups.

So yes, it's a bit sad to see someone comment that there is an answer available, just that they won't give it to the cadet who made the request.

But will give it to their mom... but only via a social network that many working moms can't access.

I know that's not the intent of the various groups, but that's how it comes across.

And the reality is that the cadets should have thought of this ahead of time. Some are told. Some think ahead and seek out help. Others get bit. It's not the end of the world. But I certainly understand the desire for a cadet to want to check their grades.

But enough on information flow.... as I told SVG, if anyone can't make it work to PM me and I'll see if I can help get them going. DS figured it out with some hints from his IT prof, hopefully we can pass that along.

 

[mom3boys]

But will give it to their mom... but only via a social network that many working moms can't access.

Many cannot access social networks at work; I don't understand why that is a big deal...you wait a few hours and look it up at home, or a library if you don't have a computer at home.

I've never felt like the information was disjointed. I've always felt like I had several sources to go to for information. Sometimes technology introduces as many new problems as it solves.

 

[hawk]

Setting up the VPN

To access the network off campus you need to setup the vpn (virtual private network)

Per DS here's how to get to the setup info, it should be on all 2015 laptops:

• go to your windows start button
• Use the search box, search for vpn
• You'll most like find two files, one is the vpn program itself, the other is a pdf on how to set it up
• Follow the instructions in the PDF

Apparently if your laptop has been reimaged some of the install files may be corrupt or invalid, and take some finangling. But even that can be made to work. It's just harder. But for most it's just a matter of following the instructions in the pdf, it's just that many did not know it existed.

Once you have attempted to follow the instructions in the pdf you can PM me as needed with what did not work (error message, etc) and I'll get DS to try to help.

 

[DHinNH]

To the real reason for the original question:

What's your hurry? The grades are not going to change, so enjoy the holidays and find out when you return to West Point.

 

[America's Finest]

To the real reason for the original question:

What's your hurry? The grades are not going to change, so enjoy the holidays and find out when you return to West Point.

The only downside for waiting (besides obviously having to wait longer) is that after a certain point you will only be able to view your final grade for the class and not see individual assignment grades (how you did on your TEE for example). In the end, the final grade is all that matters but it's still nice to know how you did on your finals. It's also nice to see your second semester schedule before getting back.

You used to be able to check CIS without your CAC card so someone else would have been able to check for you via your x number but that is no longer the case. You will have to get with your IT105 instructor (or team leader, but chances are someone in the IT department did it for them) to set up VPN client.

 

[DHinNH]

It's also nice to see your second semester schedule before getting back.

Just enjoy the holidays.

 

[DadOfSwags]

Plebe laptop connection from hotel?

Well, we made it out for a great A-Day event, and we're back in the hotel with a very happy plebe, getting ready for a trip to his favorite chain restaurant. He's not looking to sleep as much as we expected... actually pretty jacked up and telling some very funny stories about CBT and Re-Orgy week (looks like the laundry gauntlet is alive and well).

I'm revitalizing this thread to ask a question: DS brought his laptop along to the hotel room to poke around on his class web pages for Monday. When he logs in it seems to go off looking for a network, but there is no wired connection (only wireless) in our hotel.

He will likely give up and wait until he's back in the barracks tonight, but just in case anyone's out there who has some idea beyond what's written above in the December posts. The guess right now is that his I.T. class this comiong semester will be where wireless is enabled, etc, so he may be trying something not yet enabled on the laptop.

Thanks, and congrats to plebe parents who are enjoying their A-Day weekend with their DS/DD.

 

[America's Finest]

Well, we made it out for a great A-Day event, and we're back in the hotel with a very happy plebe, getting ready for a trip to his favorite chain restaurant. He's not looking to sleep as much as we expected... actually pretty jacked up and telling some very funny stories about CBT and Re-Orgy week (looks like the laundry gauntlet is alive and well).

I'm revitalizing this thread to ask a question: DS brought his laptop along to the hotel room to poke around on his class web pages for Monday. When he logs in it seems to go off looking for a network, but there is no wired connection (only wireless) in our hotel.

He will likely give up and wait until he's back in the barracks tonight, but just in case anyone's out there who has some idea beyond what's written above in the December posts. The guess right now is that his I.T. class this comiong semester will be where wireless is enabled, etc, so he may be trying something not yet enabled on the laptop.

Thanks, and congrats to plebe parents who are enjoying their A-Day weekend with their DS/DD.

He needs to use Odyssey Access Client Manager to find the wireless network. Make sure to turn FIPS mode off (click the file tab once the program is open) Only active FIPS mode when trying to connect to the USMA network. If this fails, have him ask his team leader.

 

[DadOfSwags]

He needs to use Odyssey Access Client Manager to find the wireless network. Make sure to turn FIPS mode off (click the file tab once the program is open) Only active FIPS mode when trying to connect to the USMA network. If this fails, have him ask his team leader.

Thanks AF. That got us to the internet but no go for USMA stuff -- so he's decided to do some reading and sleep instead, and work it out later with his team leader as you suggested. Thanks again.

 

[America's Finest]

Thanks AF. That got us to the internet but no go for USMA stuff -- so he's decided to do some reading and sleep instead, and work it out later with his team leader as you suggested. Thanks again.

He needs to use a program called VPN Client to access USMA stuff from a non USMA network.

What I meant before was if he is trying to access the network while he is inside USMA then he turns FIPS mode on.

 

[DadOfSwags]

He needs to use a program called VPN Client to access USMA stuff from a non USMA network.

What I meant before was if he is trying to access the network while he is inside USMA then he turns FIPS mode on.

Thanks AF. Realize now I never replied. You were right about the VPN and the FIPS mode. His laptop needed some config done to it to allow the VPN to be used off-post, and neither he nor I wanted to muck with the laptop too much this past Sunday, for fear of making it even less useful to him when he reported back Sunday afternoon. It seems he'll be all set in the future for any similar off-USMA conection attempts.