Student FAQs - Computer Policies

What are the Computer and Network Use Policies?

The CUMC campus has more stringent Network Use Policies than Columbia's Morningside campus, due primarily to our connection with New York Presbyterian. To comply with HIPAA regulations and help insure protection of patient data, all systems on the CUMC and NYP network must be registered with Core Resources, the group that manages the campus network. Please see the following sites for further information regarding these policies:

http://www.cubhis.org/getting_started/policy
for Columbia University Medical Center Computing Policies
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/policy/
for all Columbia University students, faculty and staff on both campuses.

Can I use Peer to Peer Software?

Although it is not quite prohibited, you are DISCOURAGED from using such software. This includes, but is not limited to, Gnutella, eDonkey, Limewire, Kazaa and others. If you still feel compelled to run such software, at least consider taking the following steps:

• Do not share files from your workstation. By default, Peer to Peer software will automatically share any files you have downloaded yourself. This makes your workstation a distribution point. Most of the popular P2P software makes it easy to disable outbound filesharing.
• Ensure that your computer is not acting as a "Super Node". Most Peer to Peer software will detect a high speed connection and automatically make your workstation a Super Node. These are collection points for searches and software distribution within a particular area on the network. This will greatly reduce your own bandwidth and also cause more traffic to be generated and received by your workstation.
• Many trojans and malware are spread on these peer to peer networks. Downloading files from unknown sources is a huge risk to the safety of your computer and data.

The University and the Hospital Network Groups have adopted a policy to restrict outbound bandwidth per IP address to a total of 2 Mb/s total persistent bandwidth and will automatically disable a workstation violating this policy.

You should also consider the following question regarding Copyright Protected Material.

What is the policy on Copyright Protected Material?

Possession and / or distribution of Copyright Protected Material and Intellectual Property is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of the owner.

Commercial Software such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office and Norton AntiVirus is protected by US and International Copyright and Patent laws. Music, commonly distributed on CDs and shared over the Internet as MP3 files, is usually protected under these laws. Images, pictures, motion pictures and movies are also protected by similar laws. Sharing of all such copyrighted material is strictly prohibited unless you have written authorization to distribute it.

Even if you have the right to possess and / or distribute such property, it may be against Hospital or University policies covering acceptable use or bandwidth abuse.

If you have questions regarding these issues, we ask that you to refer to local, state, federal and international laws for help with these issues. Minimally, carefully read the copyright statements contained in most software packages, music and motion picture media.