About the UW Web databases:
Currently, all of our web based databases (Lexis-Nexis, ABI/Inform, etc.) use a system called IP authentication to restrict access to UW students, faculty and staff. The IP authentication system allows or restricts access based on the IP address of the individual machine attempting to connect to the database. All UW IPs are authorized to access the databases, including all machines connected to the UW campus network whether they are physically on campus or connected through the UW Dial-in modem pool. This does not include any machine connected to the Internet through a non-UW Internet Service Provider (ISP) or corporate network.
There are two ways to gain access to these databases from a remote (not on campus) location:
- UW Modem Pool/UWICK
All current students, faculty and staff have free access to the modem pool. You can find more information about connecting to the UW at:
http://www.washington.edu/computing/connect/dialins.htmlTo use the UW Dial-in modem pool you will need a UW NetID. UW NetIDs are available to all current students, faculty and staff of the UW. More information about the UW NetID is available at:
http://www.washington.edu/computing/uwnetid/- UW Libraries Off-Campus Access Proxy
For those individuals using an outside ISP or some other type of connection to the Internet (DSL, Cable Modem, corporate network), the UW Libraries provides a proxy server that will allow you to use our IP restricted databases with your non-UW Internet connection. To use the proxy go to:
http://www.lib.washington.edu/help/connect.html
What is an IP address?
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique number that identifies every computer or device connected to the Internet. The IP address is expressed as a series of four numbers in dot notation (e.g. 123.456.789.123). Every time you connect to the UW Dial-in modem pool, or to some other ISP, your machine is given an IP address that will be used for as long as you are connected. The IP address you are given is determined by and is a reflection of the issuing source. For example, when you connect to the UW Dial-in modem pool, you are given an IP address that is part of a large pool of IP addresses 'owned' by the University of Washington. The IP authentication system uses this known pool of IP addresses to provide controlled access to the UW Web databases.
If you are connected to the Internet using a non-UW ISP or through an outside network, the IP on your machine is no longer part of the pool of recognized UW IPs, therefore you will not be allowed access to any of the UW Web databases.
I'm using the UW modem pool and I still can't get in:
If you are using the UW Dial-in modem pool and are still unable to connect to the databases, there may be a problem either with the database vendor or the campus network. Please try accessing the database at a later time and notify us if the problem persists
What about the passwords?
We do not have passwords for our web based databases. The password screen that you see is a default screen that the database vendors put in place for anyone coming in from a non-authorized IP. The only way to access these databases from off-campus is to use the UW Dial-in modem pool.
If you're still having problems, or are not sure why you cannot connect to a database, please contact us.