The overriding charter of the CIS Unix systems is to support the University's purposes of teaching, research, administration, and service. Use of the systems must remain consistent with those goals. Personal use is allowed as long as it is consistent with the AUP.

The AUP augments and elaborates, but does not supersede or contradict, existing UNH policies on free expression, privacy, and discriminatory harassment. Similarly, existing UNH rules concerning theft, vandalism, and misuse of University property and services apply to the CIS Unix systems and the UNH network. Your particular situation within the University may impose additional restrictions on your use of the systems, but such restrictions are not within the scope of the AUP.

Where practical and appropriate, issues involving misuse of the CIS Unix systems may be resolved informally between users and Unix system administrators. When necessary, however, matters will be referred to the relevant UNH judicial or disciplinary systems, or to legal authorities.

Impairing, impeding, or interfering with other peoples' normal use of the systems (or attempting to do so) is prohibited. Examples of such prohibited activities are (a) denial-of-service attacks against computer systems or networks; (b) misuse of mailing lists; (c) sending large e-mail messages, or large numbers of e-mail messages to other users in an attempt to “fill up” their disk quota; (d) distributing computer viruses.

Do not participate in “chain” e-mail or pyramid schemes, whether they involve money or not. Many pyramid schemes claim to be legal, but aren't. Many chain e-mail messages contain outrageous tales of dire peril, worthy causes, or fabulous opportunities of which everyone needs to be informed as soon as possible; these are almost always hoaxes preying on the gullible. If you receive mail urging you to “forward this message to everyone you know,” don't.

Use of your account to send, or to help others to send, unwanted and annoying e-mail to others is prohibited. Factors used to determine whether the mail counts as unwanted and annoying are: (a) the subject matter of the mail, specifically as it relates to the primarily academic purposes of the systems; (b) the number of recipients of the mail; (c) whether you know the recipients of the mail; (d) whether there's a reasonable expectation that the recipients will want to receive your message; (e) whether you persist in sending messages after the recipients have requested you to stop.

Unauthorized use of the CIS Unix systems is prohibited. Assisting such unauthorized use is also prohibited. Examples include: (a) sharing your password with someone else; (b) using someone else's account; (c) accessing files owned by another user that would not normally be accessible to you; (d) concealing your identity (or impersonating someone else) while using, or attempting to obtain, computing or network services. You are presumed to be responsible for activities carried out under your Unix account; hence, you must take all reasonable precautions to safeguard your account, including picking a good password, safeguarding it against disclosure, protecting your files appropriately, logging out from terminal sessions, and so on.

Subverting, or attempting to subvert, security mechanisms on the CIS Unix systems is prohibited. Examples: (a) using software “sniffers” or hardware devices to access network communications not intended for you; (b) running programs to find or exploit security flaws in installed software; (c) guessing or attempting to “crack” passwords of other users; (d) attempting to defeat physical security measures (locks, alarms, etc.).

You may not use UNH computing or network resources for commercial for-profit purposes, with the following exceptions: (a) you may communicate with prospective employers via e-mail and your web pages (posting resumes, etc); (b) you may link to commercial sites from your web pages; (c) you may use business logos on your web pages with the permission of the business; (d) you may use your web pages or appropriate Usenet newsgroups to inform readers of products or services you offer for sale, as long as they are not part of an ongoing commercial enterprise. Examples of prohibited activities include: (a) selling advertising space to third parties on your web pages; (b) sending unrequested e-mail to others for profit-making purposes; (c) developing goods or services (including web content) for resale to non-University customers; (d) advertising an ongoing commercial enterprise, unless the advertisement is composed as part of a class assignment for the current semester.

Use of the CIS Unix systems to gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access to other systems is prohibited. Connection to other networks (including Usenet) must be in conformance with generally accepted “netiquette” and other acceptable-use rules for that network.

Recreational game-playing or Internet Relay Chat is not permitted on the CIS Unix systems. Running programs that make intensive or unusual use of the Unix systems' resources must be specifically authorized by prearrangement with a system administrator.

It (almost) goes without saying that your use of the CIS Unix systems must comply with federal, state, and local law, including (but not limited to) laws concerning (a) copyright and other intellectual property; (b) software piracy and other computer crimes; (c) obscenity and pornography; (d) fraud; (e) libel and slander.