Drexel University Software SSL Help Page
To distribute University-licensed software in compliance
with the vendor's license agreements, we have set up a central location
where students, faculty or staff that are affiliated with Drexel
can connect and download whatever software they need. This location
is an SSL, or Secure Socket Layer, page and requires that users
authenticate ("log in") with their Drexel domain user
name and password. To use SSL, the URL for the page will begin with HTTPS.
Occasionally, some users have trouble getting into the Software site.
While accessing the site doesn't require any specialized skill, training,
or software (aside from some type of web browser), it does require
that your browser (whether using Internet Explorer or another) be
properly configured and that you enter the appropriate user name and password
in the correct formats. On this page, I'll cover most of the potential problems
and their solutions or workarounds, but this is not exactly a comprehensive
document. If the solutions here don't help, your best bet is to call the help
desk at (215)895-2698. Be prepared to provide as much information as possible,
including:
- Your name and Drexel ID number or user name
- What version of Windows or Macintosh OS you have
- What version of Internet Explorer that you're using
- An exact description of the problem that you're having
Ok, now, on to the good stuff:
Using IE to access the Software site
Internet Explorer is by far the easiest way to access the the Software
Site. Every version of Windows since Windows 98 has come with a version of Internet
Explorer, and every version of Internet Explorer has SSL available. Even every version of the Mac OS since OS 9 has come with a version
of IE that allows SSL. However, due to the construction of our Software
Site and the server that it runs on, we recommend that you use either IE 6,
SP1 for Windows machines and IE 5.1.7 or 5.2.3 on Macintosh computers. You first
need to see what version of IE you currently have and update it, if necessary.
Then, if you're using a Windows PC, you may need to change one minor setting in
order to properly view the HTTPS site.
Checking your version of Internet Explorer:
- On Windows computers:
- Open Internet Explorer and click Help, then About Internet Explorer. Look
next to "Version:", you should see "6.0.<something>".
Then, next to "Update Versions:", you should see "SP2"
and possibly a few other strings like "Q822925" or "Q330994".
If you don't see both of these, you need to update your browser. If you have
Windows 98, click here
to go to the IE 6 SP1 download page. If you have Windows 2000 or XP, click
on Windows Update under the Tools menu in Internet Explorer. Install any "Critical"
updates that are detected. It may take few trips
back to the Windows Update page to install all of them (some updates need
to be installed individually and most require a restart of your computer),
but keep at it until no more Critical Updates are found.
-
- On Macintosh computers:
- If you have OS 9.x or older (the apple in the top left corner of the screen
is rainbow-colored), open up Internet Explorer and click on "About Internet
Explorer" under the Apple menu. If it doesn't say "Version: 5.1.7",
goto the Internet
Explorer 5.1.7 download page to download and install the current version.
If you have Mac OS X (the apple in the top left corner of the screen is a
solid color, usually blue), open up Internet Explorer and click on "About
Internet Explorer" under the Explorer menu. If it doesn't say "5.2.3"
in the bottom left corner of the "About Internet Explorer" window,
go to the Internet
Explorer 5.2.3 download page to download and install the current version.
Configuring IE for SSL use
On Macs, no configuration is needed. IE should just work; however, you may need to use Ctrl- click to open the directory link. On Windows PCs, however,
there is one small option that may need to be set. In Internet Explorer, click
on Tools, then Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab, then look for the lines
containing "Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0: and be sure that they're
checked, as shown below:
Logging in to the site via IE:
You should be greeted by a login box like this:
If not, click on the File menu and then click "Login as..." As shown
above, you must enter your user name (typically your initials followed by 2
or 3 numbers) in the format of "drexel\<your Drexel user name".
For example, if your user name is xxx99, you'd type "drexel\xxx99"
(without the quotation marks). In the Password box, you must type your Drexel
domain password. This is the password that you'd use to log in to one of the
PCs in the Korman Center or the Library (or any other computer that logs in
to the Drexel domain) and may be different from the password that you use for
e-mail, DrexelOne, WebMail or to access the Dunx1 server via FTP or SSH. If
you're not sure what this password is, try your e-mail/DrexelOne/WebMail password
once (just once). If that password doesn't let you in and you're certain
that you typed it correctly (remember, they are case-sensitive), then
contact the help desk at at the number listed above to have your Drexel domain
password reset and synchronized with your e-mail password. For security purposes,
I recommend not checking the box for "Save Password".
On Macintosh computers, the login box contains a third line called "Account:"
Just leave this line blank and click "OK". Again, for security purposes,
I recommend not checking the box for "Remember Password".
Navigating the Site
Once you've logged in, you can navigate through the links just as you would open links in an email. If you're a
Student, double-click Students, if Faculty or Staff, double-click FacultyandStaff,
etc. Then, select PCSoftware or McintoshSoftware. Dig around to find what you
need. If you can't find a program that you think should be there and is listed
as available via download, see the "Closing Remarks" section below.
Closing Remarks
If you're looking for a specific program that is listed as downloadable
at the software availability
page, please send us and e-mail
and specify the name and version of the program you're looking for.
Sometimes, software may be added to or removed from the site
as licensing agreements change and the availability page isn't updated
to reflect these changes. If we have a valid license but the software
isn't on the site, we can upload a current version, usually within
1 business day.
Also, you should realize that some programs are part of a package. For example,
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook Publisher area all part of Office 2003, while FrontPage is separate. If, for some reason you want to install
PowerPoint (and only PowerPoint), simply choose "Custom"
when you run the installer and de-select the programs you don't want to install.
Additionally, to conserve server space and bandwidth (meaning faster, more
efficient, and more reliable downloads), most of the software is stored in compressed
format. PC software is stored in Zip format, so you'll need a decompression
utility such as WinZip or
Power Archiver to "unzip" the files before you can install the software.
While Windows XP does have a built-in decompression utility, it can be kind
of picky and damage some files while unzipping them, so we still recommend a
3rd part program such as WinZip. Macintosh software is stored in either Binary
(.bin), BinHex (.hqx) or Disk Image (.dmg) formats. For Binary or BinHex, you
need to have Stuffit Expander or something similar installed (all Mac OSes after
8.6 should come with Stuffit Expander). Disk Image files are only for OS X and
are opened by the built-in Disk Copy utility.
Finally, if you still have problems accessing the site or have
any other questions or problems, you can call the help desk at (215)895-2698
or e-mail us at consult@drexel.edu.
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