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Thread: Sysadmin

  1. #1

    Arrow Sysadmin

    OK, so a few weeks ago i was called into the principals office at my school. He procedded to explain to me that he didn't like the shortcuts that I was creating on my H:\ file on the school's network, and he said that if i did it again, my computer rights would be revoked. The shortcuts were being made to internet explorer, hearts, solitare, minsweeper and frecell, the games resided on a "Secret" network drive (O:\). I wasn't being punished for the fact of what i could have done with them. I was being punished because i was able to actually create. That put the impression on me that, " whait a min! why should i be punished if i wasn't supposed to be able to do it in the 1st place". Should I have been punished, and is my reasoning justified? Thanks

  2. #2
    Just a Virtualized Geek MrLinus's Avatar
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    Wait.. you were going to be punished for making shortcuts? Wouldn't it have made more sense if they didn't have those programs installed if they didn't want you to use it or limit the user interface? Do they have some type of AUP (Acceptable Use Policy -- what you are allowed to do and what you aren't allowed to do)? If they don't a lawyer could make them very uncomfortable, I suspect.

    As for network drive.. can't be that secret if it's on the network. And if you're not supposed to use it then appropriate permissions should have been put in place.

    Have you spoken to your parents about this?
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  3. #3
    Been there Done that
    no luck. Yea they have an AUP, it's basiclly, what you can do in you restrcted student access, is allowed. I know it doesn't make sence. And, yes, i have gone to the higher ups about this, nothing, they said " You shouldn't have been doing it" and put it back in the principals hands.
    Now laywer though.

  4. #4
    Just a Virtualized Geek MrLinus's Avatar
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    Then if they aren't explicitly dening all other activities, how can they say that creating shortcuts is wrong? And if it's "what you can do in your restricted student access", then evidentally you did something that was allowed -- creation of shortcuts -- since there was no technology to "deny" it.

    The biggest thing to your advantage is their AUP. If it doesn't have something that disallows playing games (the one area where it would make sense to complain about albeit it a tad picky on things like solitaire etc.) and/or if they haven't proven you've done something explicitly wrong (e.g., broken into their systems, restricted areas, etc.), you could even go as far as a potential slander/libel case, IMHO (and keep in mind I ain't no lawyer). The stigmata of "hacker" can both be good and bad. The bad is that people will assume you are the guilty one even if you are not nearby. And that could have a detrimental affect, again IMO, on your future education.

    Oh.. and if you're under a certain age (I know it's 16 here in Ontario) you cannot be held responsible for contract agreements. Your parents must agree. So if your parents were never notified of the AUP, they might have some more leverage (just a random thought depending on your age).

    Lawyer would be best way to go.
    Goodbye, Mittens (1992-2008). My pillow will be cold without your purring beside my head
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  5. #5
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    I would say to consult a lawyer only if the school revokes your computer rights. Until then, it would probably be beneficial to take a more apologetic stand-point. Convincing the principal that you had no malicious intentions, which should be easy judging by what you created shortcuts to, and telling him/her that in the future you will ask about doing things that you are unsure of concerning the AUP should resolve the issue and give the principal a positive attitude towards your actions. Depending on how he/she responds to this, you could then recommend that a more detailed AUP be created. That being said, I don't think the school handled it in the correct manner, but with how political schools can be, it may be detrimental to your school career to place any heat on the principal.

  6. #6
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    Tell them to get their arses clean slate, and it wouldn't be a problem in the first place.

    Honestly though, be careful with the whole matter it's hard going up against a school system. I've tried before and everytime have lost
    technically its their computer and if they say you can't use it then you can't (I hope it doesn't come to that though.)

    best of luck to you man

  7. #7
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    If I were your parent I would be extremely disturbed that I was paying for an incompetent who did not know how to secure a network drive.

    I would also be very concerned that I was paying for incompetents to play silly games and browse the web for God knows what dubious content, instead of educating my child.

    If I found "evidence eliminator", "web washer" or anything like that on the system, it would (to me) be prima faciae evidence that they were a shower of perverts..............why else would it be there? (and the evidence CAN be recovered)

    Haven't they even heard of "thick client" (sort of rhymes with "stupid principal" ). If you do not want stuff to be generally available just put it on the local C:/D: drives?

    You are lucky they didn't catch you playing the worms and gorillas games in NT4.0, or the flight simulator in excel 8.0............boy you would be in big trouble

    I think a lawyer is required, incompetence should never be permitted to be concealed by aggression?

    Just my thoughts (and I am over 50!!!)

    Good luck

  8. #8
    I'm just going to sluff it off and take the punishment, but i will keep the lawer's number handy

  9. #9
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    What was your punishment?
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  10. #10
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    The same thing happend to me (sort of), my school used novell, I was in 7th grade and started messing with 'Map Network Drive' in windows explorer and found that my so called "personal" drive wasn't so personal, if i mapped (schoolname)_u\ I could see all staff and student "personal" drive folders. They would have permenatly removed me from the computers if they knew I could do this, the next year they finally figured out how to use permissions to block this kind of "accidental" access to files I shouldn't have been able to get to. They never said I word to me about it, they didn't know about it untell someone else started deleting stuff from staff folders.

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