Network Usage Rules

If you use the Internet from a computer within Robinson College, you are using the following networks:

• Robinson College Data Network
• CUDN (Cambridge University Data Network)
• JANET (the UK joint academic network)

These are academic networks. They are designed to facilitate study, research and academic communications. Both CUDN and JANET have published rules and guidelines for acceptable use. As a student at Robinson, you will have agreed to abide by these rules by signing the forms granting you an email ID. Read the rules.

Rules In A Nutshell

• You may use the network for academic purposes
• You may not use the network for financial gain
• You may not use the network for any illegal purpose
• You may not use the network to transmit any material that infringes another person's copyright (this applies to the vast majority of digital music and video files). This means:
• You may not operate a peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing protocol on your computer. This includes (among others): Kazaa, Morpheus, Direct Connect, LimeWire, Gnutella, eDonkey, BitTorrent, etc.
• You must be aware that you are responsible for traffic generated by your computer. The College uses a bandwidth management policy which will effectively slow down your connection if you use more than your allocated quota. There are two network services on offer: the Basic service which is free, and the Gold service, which costs £25 per term.
  • Basic service: 1.5Gb per 24 hour rolling period and 6.5Gb per 7 day rolling period
  • Gold service: 5Gb per 24 hour rolling period and 15Gb per 7 day rolling period
• As of October 2008, Skype is no longer forbidden software, however we cannot guarantee your quality of service as this is not a supported application.
• As of October 2008, dedicated games consoles are forbidden on the College network

Bandwidth and P2P Policy

There are official College Bandwidth Policy (traffic use) and P2P Policy documents. Please study them carefully. Refer to the FAQ for information on how to ensure you meet the new guidelines

Rules & Conditions In Detail

• JANET's definition of acceptable and unacceptable use
• Computing Service Policies & Guidelines
• University Software Policy
• Find out more about computer security
• Security implications of attaching a computer to a College network
• Conditions of issue of IP addresses

Penalties For Misuse

Misuse will in most cases be penalised by the withdrawal of all network usage privileges. At the College's option, there may in addition, depending on the severity of the offence, be imposed a fine, suspension, or sending-down.