Some customers operate network-attached devices in such a way as to inadvertently disrupt or degrade the University's network services repeatedly. These disruptions inconvenience other faculty, staff, and students throughout the University. Diagnosing and resolving these disruptions consumes valuable University resources.
After being advised that their activities have disrupted or degraded network service, some members of the University community continue to engage in similar activity. Although the customer does not intend to disrupt or degrade network service, repeatedly engaging in activity with these results is not acceptable.
To limit the number of such disruptions, OIT enforces a "three strikes" policy for such incidents.
When an accidental disruption or degradation of network service meets the guidelines below, the incident is counted as a "strike" for the customer responsible. Upon earning a third strike, all network service for the customer is blocked, and will be restored only with approval from an appropriate University disciplinary authority.
This policy provides each customer with two "second chances" before all network service for the customer is blocked and the matter escalates to an appropriate University disciplinary authority.
The policy covers incidents which are accidental, not intentional. Cases involving Intentional disruptions to network service are escalated to the attention of appropriate authorities.
The following guidelines are used to determine if an incident should be counted as a "strike" under this policy.
This includes both hardware-based NATs (e.g., a dedicated device) and software-based NATs (for example, NAT software that runs on a computer).
For more information, see Connecting a Private Network Address Translator to the Campus Network.
This includes both hardware-based Wireless Access Points (e.g., a dedicated device) and software-based Wireless Access Points (for example, Wireless Access Point software that runs on a computer).
Even when properly configured, these devices often degrade or disrupt network service, due to defects (e.g. bugs) in many models, or by interfering with the signal of University wireless service. For more information, see Connecting a Private Wireless Access Point to the Campus Network.
Customers are not permitted to operate a DHCP or BootP Server (or as a BootP Relay Agent) on the campus network. It is only permissible to operate such services at the University on ones own private network.
Configuring a device to "steal" an IP address not assigned for its use is not acceptable use of the campus network.
Each device attached to the campus network must use its own hardware address. Configuring a device to forge a different hardware address is not acceptable use of the campus network.
For example, a customer downloads a program which comes with instructions saying the program is designed to interfere with network communication between other computers on the network. Or the instructions warn the customer to only run the program on a network belonging to the customer (not an ISP's network). If she runs the program on her computer while it is attached to the campus network, and it disrupts or degrades network service, it will count as a strike.
When we count an incident as a strike, and the customer states the incident was caused by a compromise or infection, we will consider that claim carefully. Unless we see clear evidence that the particular compromise or infection could actually have caused the incident, the incident will still count as a strike.
Often we must block service for an issue that does not meet the parameters to be considered a strike. For example, we block service for infected or compromised machines, for persistently unregistered devices attached to the network, and upon the direction of appropriate University authorities.
Such incidents often involve other violations of Princeton University Information Technology Resources and Internet Access -- Guidelines for Use, violations of Rights, Rules, Responsibilities, or violations of the law.
When one of those incidents arises, the customer is normally apprised of how the incident will be handled by an appropriate University authority.
After the customer notifies OIT that s/he has met the conditions set out by OIT (for example, disconnecting the device, or fixing it), OIT removes the blocks as appropriate.
The customer is notified that this is the customer's "second strike" with respect to the "three strikes" policy. For example, the customer may be advised:
If any device for which the customer is responsible (the same device or another device) causes Princeton's network service to be disrupted or degraded a third time, connectivity will be blocked, and service will not be restored without approval from the appropriate University disciplinary authority.
After the customer notifies OIT that s/he has met the conditions set out by OIT (for example, disconnecting the device, or fixing it), OIT removes the blocks as appropriate.
All network service for the customer is blocked. (Typically this means that all the devices registered by the customer are blocked, and the customer is denied the ability to make changes to the Princeton University Host Database. If the customer resides in University housing, all of the Ethernet ports in the residence may be disabled. If the customer has a University office, all of the Ethernet ports in the office may be disabled.)
The customer is instructed to disconnect the device from the network. If the problem is considered incorrigible, the customer is forbidden from re-attaching the device to the campus network in the future.
The customer is notified that this is the customer's "third strike" with respect to the "three strikes" policy. For example, the customer may be advised:
As stated previously, because a device for which the customer is responsible has disrupted or degraded campus network service a third time, network service will not be restored without approval from appropriate University disciplinary authority.
OIT then refers the matter to OIT's Senior Policy Advisor, who will contact the appropriate University disciplinary authority regarding the matter.
For example, say a customer earns "strike one" due to a disruption caused by the customer's NAT. The customer then replaces the NAT with another NAT, and the new NAT disrupts service. The customer earns "strike two."
For example, say a customer's first strike is due to his NAT acting as a rogue DHCP server on the campus network. And his second strike is due to the NAT forwarding incoming broadcast traffic back to the network. If his third strike is due to him configuring his personal computer to forge another's hardware address, that's still three strikes.
The 'three strikes' policy gives each customer two "second chances"; only after the third strike do we block all network service for the customer. Can you imagine having network service disrupted fifteen times each day?
We recognize that in some cases, it may not have been reasonable to expect a customer to know that what s/he was doing was likely to cause a problem. (Although often, the activity that leads to the strike is indeed something that OIT explicitly documents as unacceptable, or liable to cause problems.) Either way, the first strike results in the customer being notified that the activity caused a problem. The second strike resulted in another notification, and an explicit statement of what would happen if there were to be a third strike. By the time a customer has earned a third strike, s/he has already been notified twice before. The "three strikes" policy is calibrated to provide a customer with two warnings before taking stronger action.
Had the disruption been deliberate, it would not have been covered by the "three strikes" policy. It would have been handled by referring it to appropriate authorities.
Individuals are not permitted to attach to the campus network any device operating as a Wireless Access Point in those University dormitories and apartment buildings where OIT Wireless Service is installed.
The first time that we become aware of a problem involving a customer attaching to the campus network (in a dormitory or apartment building where OIT Wireless Service is available) a device operating as a Wireless Access Point, we will block network service for the device and require that the customer disconnect the device. The second time this happens, we will block all network service for the customer.
Neither of those incidents on their own counts as a "strike" under the "three strikes" policy.