CPS Internet Frequently Asked Questions:

I cannot get to X Web site. Is the Internet down?

If you attempt to connect to a Web site and receive a message that either the document is not found or or the server is unavailable, try: 1. Checking the spelling in the URL. 2. Going to another web site (any web site will do, perhaps try: www.sun.com). If you can get to another site on the Web, the Internet is not down. More than likely, the site you are trying to reach is down. Try the site again later. If however, you cannot connect to any other sites on the Internet (but can connect to this "INTRANET"), call or e-mail Paul Wright, ITS Network Administrator/Internet Guy.

When I try to visit X Web site I receive the message: "Access to this site is not allowed
by Cincinnati Public Schools Internet policies."

WebSense (formerly X-STOP) is the District's content filtering system. In accordance with the Childrens' Internet Protection Act (CIPA), WebSense is designed to protect our students from accessing sites that parents may consider objectionable to their children. These include pornography and hate Web sites. If you believe that the site is being "Blocked" erroneously or you come across a Web site that you believe should be restricted please send an e-mail, including the URL, to Paul Wright or submit a trouble-ticket through the ITS On-line Help Desk.

You keep saying "URL". What is a "URL"?

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a pointer to a Web document or service. e.g. a Web page.

Is the Internet down? #2 ... A little more information about the Internet than you really want to know.

The Internet is a huge, world-wide distributed network of computers and smaller networks. It is unlikely that THE Internet is ever down. More often a single computer or smaller network is down. If you cannot get to any Internet Web sites, it is more accurate to ask if our (CPS's) connection to the Internet is down. But we are splitting hairs now. If you call or e-mail Paul and say that THE Internet is down, he'll know that more than likely, you mean: "Is CPS's Internet connection down?"