UCI Housing Network and Cable TV Issues

A rather off-topic post, but I have waited for this so long... Ever since I got a Gmail account, I petitioned for IMAP support.

This post announces IMAP support for Gmail.
Here is more.
My account settings don't show it yet, but I expect it soon.
Update: It is now enabled. Works wonderfully in Thunderbird. Thanks, guys.

The other thing they did was pushing up the storage space. It is now over 4GB.

On their website, Resnet has this little blurb:

IMPORTANT NOTE: ResNet advises against purchasing a wireless "router" and instead recommends that residents purchase a wireless "access point". They are cheaper and provide the same wireless access and security without complications such as Network Address Translation (NAT), DHCP, and Layer 3 isolation.

Of course, this is just rubbish.
Wireless access points are nowadays very hard to find, and cost the same as or more than routers.
The proof: Fry's Electronics offers a LinkSys wireless router for $29.99 here.
A comparable LinkSys wireless access point is $79.99 at Fry's, as can be seen here.
I think every college student can do the math...

And of course, the installation of a wireless router is as easy as the installation of an access point. Setup of NAT, DHCP, etc. are not a problem with modern wireless routers, since these routers have sensible defaults. How else would computer-illiterate people be able to handle that everywhere in the world???
The only somewhat complicated issue is the security, and that's the same for routers and access points.

The real problem Resnet has with wireless routers, and one that they don't like to talk about, is that their oh-so-cherished CCA doesn't work through routers. Once one machine has authenticated through the router, all other machines connected to it are home free.
As I have explained on this blog before, that's a fundamental flaw of CCA. It shows once again that CCA is a bad system and should be abandoned. Resnet spent lots of money on a flawed system that any knowledgeable person knew from the beginning to be broken.

On the heels of the update of my Perl script to log into CCA, I now have an updated version of the Windows program to bypass the CCA client installation (first described here.)
The new version works with newer versions of CCA, which changed some parameters, but didn't fix the basic problem (which actually isn't fixable, since it is a fundamental design flaw of CCA and similar applications that rely on information from a client.)
As a reminder, the method was described in posts to the Bugtraq and Full Disclosure mailing lists.

The setup program for Windows is available here.

Resnet apparently installed a newer version of CCA (officially called Cisco NAC Appliance nowadays), so my Perl script to automatically log in didn't work anymore.
I have updated it, and some kind soul tested it (since I no longer live on campus.)
So, here is the updated script.

Some time ago, I wrote about a bogus complaint from Ted Roberge, the interim director of IT at UCI Housing.
I am a bit hesitant to put the actual complaint online at this point. However, it is a public document, as are all documents from public universities in California.
I had filed a California Public Records Act request to find out more about the discussions that went on before Mr. Roberge filed the complaint.
As has been my experience before, the university was less than forthcoming with the material. I asked for "all written and all email communication, as well as all meeting minutes and transcripts of all other verbal communication about the complaint, between UCI Housing personnel, UCI Dean of Students personnel, and UCI Student affairs personnel."
All I received (after a month) was a copy of the email with the complaint that Mr. Roberge sent to the Dean of Students' office, and a copy of my file at the Dean of Students' office, which again contained the complaint (and the outcome...), and yet another copy of the complaint.

The only gem was the email that Mr. Roberge sent, since it indicated that he had "discussed this at length" with his then superior, Bill Zeller:

As we discussed just the other day, I am attaching a document containing my allegations.
I have discussed this at length with Bill Zeller. Before we proceed with a formal process, Bill and I would like to meet with you to discuss this case. I will have our admin staff set up a meeting sometime next week if you are available.

Despite my explicit request for "all meeting minutes and transcripts of all other verbal communication about the complaint," I did not receive transcripts and meeting minutes of the discussions between Mr. Roberge and Mr. Zeller. I have filed another CA Public Records Act request for these documents.

Update: Housing is still stalling. Instead of the transcripts and meeting minutes I asked for, they provided an email sent 1 1/2 months later...
Looks like they indeed have something to hide.