First steps with the IT at the HZB

Please use the offered HZB services. For appointments for example use the DFN scheduler from our network provider DFN. The use of Dropbox, Gmail, or other cloud services may lead to loss or disclosure of your data.

General

For any questions regarding information technology (IT) in HZB the first contact point is the service desk of the department FM-D. The employees there can help you or pass your inquiry to the colleagues in charge if necessary.

You can reach the Service Desk via the inquiry page or by e-mail to help@helmholtz-berlin.de. Should this not be possible, please call the service desk on telephone number 8062 42500.

The FM-D wiki page Current Events is our news ticker with messages on operating status and current events. This page allows you to subscribe to an RSS feed.

Your HZB ID and your web ID

To use the computing infrastructure you need a valid HZB ID (also known as user account). This ID (consisting of three small letters) is valid on all systems. It is personal, unchangeable and represents your identity. This ID is, along with your personal data, a central part of the HZB identity management. Basically all the applications will use it, so you need to remember two identifiers (your HZB ID and your web ID) and three passwords (internal, external and web password) only.

Together with the HZB ID you are assigned a web ID consisting of your HZB e-mail address and your web password.

For some specific applications (SAP, the ordering system e.Biss, portal server, some wiki systems, etc.) you need further permissions (some with their own IDs yet) which you may obtain by their supervisors (contact: support@helmholtz-berlin.de).Our goal is to integrate these applications into the HZB ID management in future.

How to get your ID and web password?

  • as an employee (employment contract with the HZB) through its secretary office
  • as a guest at BENSC from BENSC-guest office
  • as a guest at BESSY II from the beam line manager or the BESSY II user office
  • in all other cases (guests, partners, contractors ...) through its secretary office

The request is going to be processed by FM-D. At the handing over of your personal access data, you must identify yourself with an official identity document. This ensures the proof your identity and the accuracy of your personal data. Data privacy notice: We collect only data that are necessary for the use of the facilities and will not give them away to a third party.

Additional information on "Application for use of central computing resources"

Where do I need which password?

  • HZB-username (3 lower case letters) + internal password
    • to login to WindowsPCs, Exchange-Server, Webmail, SharePoint portals
      Please quote your Windows domain membership:
      hmi-domain\xyz or basisit\xyz
      alternative form:  xyz@hmi-domain or xyz@basisit
    • to login to Linux/Unix-systems,  Wikis and TYPO3
    • to login to the WLANs eduroam and HZB-Guest
      in the form xyz@helmholtz-berlin.de or as a special shortcut xyz@h14n.de
  • HZB-username  + external password
    to login to the external access computer display.hmi.de
  • Web-username (this is your e-mail address)  + web-password (initially 4 digits)
    for access to web applications und protected webpages, i.e. changing password

How to change passwords

The procedure for changing the initial password is described in these instructions to change the initial passwords. For security reasons you must change the initially assigned internal and external password of your HZB ID.

To change the passwords there are three web applications:

  • Internal password (with HZB ID) to login to all PCs and central servers in the intranet
  • External password (with HZB ID) for external access via display.hmi.de (for security reasons you are urgently asked to use different passwords!)
  • Web password (with your e-mail address as the web ID) for web applications and access to internal pages from the Internet

You need your web ID to access these pages. This ID has been sent to you in a welcome e-mail. It consists of your e-mail address (@helmholtz-berlin.de may be omitted) and a password, which initially is a 4 digit number.

 

Printers

All printers (including multifunction printers) are network printers. They are operated via central printer servers.

You may monitor the status of the printers or print jobs with the following links:

Please note: A print job is visible on only one of the three servers. The servers are usable from anywhere.

For large-format prints (up to A0) in photo-quality, you may use the large format printers. They offer a status and job processing page at  http://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/angebote/it/drucker/dpos_a0n/index.html (log in with your HZB web ID and password).

E-mail

Along with the HZB ID every user is assigned an e-mail address in the form givenname.familyname@helmholtz-berlin.de and a mailbox on the central e-mail- and groupware server.

Alternatively to using a dedicated e-mail client, the HZB webmail service (Outlook Web App, OWA) is accessible via the address https://mail.helmholtz-berlin.de from all over the world.

You may get a personal certificate for secure e-mail signature and message encryption. This will be issued by our certification authority (HZB CA).

Data storage

With your HZB ID (account) you may use up to 20 GB disk space in your home directory. Group members (groups will be created on demand) can drop files to their group directories. iFolder is available for file storage from any PC or web browser in and outside the HZB (even without continuous network access). The network-wide clipboard provides short-term storage and file sharing with other HZB users. 

Data backup and recovery

There is a central backup facility for network-wide data backup and recovery. With this system, central databases of HZB are backed up regularly (eg home-, group directories). Also local directories (eg data on PCs) may be backed up. For local PCs a special request form must be sent to initiate this service.

E-mail mailboxes are backed up regularly as well.

For more information on backup, please visit the web-pages about data backup.

Central servers

The Department FM-D maintains central servers for various tasks, which you can use with your HZB ID and internal password with no further trouble.

If high performance computing, I/O performance or a large main memory is required, Linux servers are available for interactive use (the application server dinux5 or dinux4) and in batch mode (the high-performance Linux cluster dirac).

The Windows application farm provides a working environment with standard Windows programs. It is usable from of all Windows PCs and Linux systems (command waf). The Windows application farm is also accessible with a web browser or iOS App (Citrix Receiver) from everywhere in the internet.

Access from the internet

From the internet you may use the server display for character-oriented connections or access to other applications via a so-called tunnel with ssh (secure shell). For access please use your HZB ID and your external password.

WLAN / guest network / eduroam

The HZB is connected to the eduroam federation. People with IDs of  this federation can use the wireless network with the name (SSID) eduroam, using their home ID and associated password.

HZB users use their HZB ID extended with @helmholtz-berlin.de or @h14n.de with the internal password to log on to eduroam WLAN. The passwords and other data are secured with  WPA2-encryption.

Guests without a vaild HZB-ID can use the special network HZB-Guest. The access information (username and passwort) will be provided by your host at HZB. HZB employees may generate such short-term WLAN-IDs with a special web application.

Foreign devices

Foreign devices (PCs, laptops, etc. that are not the property of the HZB) may generally be connected to the general HZB network. These devices will automatically receive addresses from the guest-area sub-network and therefore access to the internet, regardless of whether they are connected via cable or WLAN. In the experimental areas you have to ask a person in charge for permission before connecting. The access to the intranet and internal applications and data storage with this equipment ​​is limited.

Software installation or maintenance of these devices by HZB employees is not possible for legal reasons.

Rules governing the Use of the IT Facilities

Basis of our work are the  Rules governing the Use of the IT and Telecommunications Facilities and the rules derived from it.


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