Purdue IT Help - Tech Support
- Receive 24/7* tech support by contacting the Pudue IT Service Desk.
- Help also is available on the web through Purdue IT's knowledge base, https://service.purdue.edu/TDClient/32/Purdue/KB/.
- Walk-in help is available at the help desk on the first floor of the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) and on the main floor of the Hicks Undergraduate Library (HIKS). Walk-in help hours will be the following for both locations:
- Monday- Thursday: 8 a.m. to midnight.
- Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to midnight.
Purdue IT Computer Labs
Online Meetings
Zoom
Purdue has an agreement with the video-conferencing platform Zoom that allows users on the West Lafayette campus to use the service at no cost for 2021. To learn more visit the Zoom information page.
WebEx
WebEx is Purdue’s centrally supported web-conferencing tool and is available at no cost to faculty, staff and students.
To access WebEx:
- The URL is https://purdue.webex.com.
- All faculty and staff have host accounts and can host up to 1,000 participants. Meetings include web and phone capabilities along with breakout rooms offering features such as discussions, virtual hand-raising, and polls.
- Participants can be students.
- Students can host meetings with up to eight participants by visiting https://purdue-student.webex.com.
- The preferred audio method is computer audio. If necessary, participants can also connect audio via telephone, but users should not use the toll-free call-in option as it incurs a significant cost to the University. Organizers of meetings can disable the toll-free option when scheduling meetings.
- Teleconferencing – phone support – is not available for student meetings.
- If you are an RA or a TA, you will need to fill out a form to gain temporary access similar to faculty and staff access. You can access this form at https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0VqgWMFG08Pmy5n
- RAs and TAs will not be able to create meetings with teleconferencing by phone.
- A WebEx mobile app is available to both faculty and students through online app stores for Apple and Android. It works well for participants, but some meeting host features are unavailable in the mobile version.
- Here is a WebEx getting started guide: https://help.webex.com/en-us/nrebr3c/Get-Started-with-Cisco-Webex-Meetings-for-Hosts.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is available for faculty, staff and students as part of Office 365. Authentication credentials are used to access Teams that include a Purdue Career Account email address and password. More information is available by clicking here.
VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides a secure connection from your laptop or desktop to systems on campus.
- Not all on-campus resources require a VPN connection, email for example. Examples of on-campus resources that require VPN include personal and shared network storage drives and advanced resources in SAP, typically accessed by staff in finance and business offices.
- During times when faculty and staff are asked to work from home, VPN should be used only when needed and disconnected when not needed to help prevent overloading of the VPN system.
- Cisco AnyConnect software for establishing a VPN with Purdue is available for download on Purdue’s Community Hub at https://communityhub.purdue.edu/storefront/browse/securitysoftware.
- To meet the needs of the campus community as more people work remotely, the current VPN service has been increased to accommodate 20,000 connections. To do that, a new VPN was added. The new VPN is named webvpn2.purdue.edu. Note: users should try to use the VPN named webvpn.purdue.edu if webvpn2.purdue.edu doesn't work.
- When you start a session, type webvpn2.purdue.edu into the Ready to connect box. The default, if any, may be webvpn.purdue.edu. You want webvpn2.purdue.edu. (See screenshots here.)
- Sign in with your Purdue login and a secure connection should be established. Note: the login box in AnyConnect will not look like the usual login box. Nonetheless, you need to enter your login password where it asks for a password.
- Most users are encouraged to use webvpn2.purdue.edu, but if you are connected to webvpn.purdue.edu already, you will be able to continue working until you switch.
- To verify that your University-provided computer has VPN software installed, contact your campus unit’s IT support staff if it supports your computer. Purdue-supported computers generally have the VPN software installed already.
- If your campus unit’s IT support staff supports your computer, you may need to ask it to install AnyConnect or reset the default server to webvpn2.purdue.edu.
- If you are working from a personal computer you can download and install the Cisco AnyConnect software for personal machines from the Community Hub.
- More information: How do I connect to the Purdue VPN with a Mac or Windows machine? (Cisco AnyConnect)
Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) can allow a user to connect with a work computer at Purdue and use it as if they were on campus. RDP is not available for students.
- RDP requires the user to establish a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection first, before the remote desktop can be established. (For more information, see the VPN section above.)
- From a Desktop or Laptop PC (Windows version 1809 or newer)
(Windows Home Edition) Microsoft Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store
(Windows Professional, Enterprise and Education) Remote Desktop Connection app is built in
- To verify that your University-provided computer has remote desktop enabled, contact your campus unit’s IT support staff if it supports your computer. Purdue-supported computers generally have remote desktop enabled already.
- Some remote desktop applications have a setting to allow multiple monitors to be used. (In the Windows version, the setting is on the Display tab.)
Phone and voicemail
Voicemail can be accessed from off campus and phone calls set to forward to a mobile or other non-Purdue phone.
- On-campus users can set phone and voicemail options by visiting the self-care portal at http://myphone.voip.purdue.edu (users must be connected to VPN or on campus for this link to work. For more information, see the VPN section above).
- At the self-care portal users can register their mobile phone and enable it to ring at the same time as their desk phone, among other things.
- Instructors, please consider setting a greeting message on your voicemail noting your virtual office hours.
Research Computing
The security guidelines for research utilized on campus likewise need to be in place for remote work. Research teams for both controlled and fundamental research programs must consider the potential impact on security when working remotely. It is important to weigh whether sensitive information is involved in remote meetings, and to use appropriate tools to access and process data remotely. Research Computing offers virtual staff support and training. The following guidance documents provide more detail.
Web Development
Purdue IT Web Services has created a resource for Purdue web developers working on hosted sites while away from campus. It breaks down what developers need to edit, publish, test and deploy their sites remotely, as well as troubleshooting tips.
