FAQ DigProxy

What is the Digproxy Service
The DigProxy Service allows authorised users, after authentication, access to electronic resources for which the Library System has a subscription, connecting from locations outside the University network.

Who can access
All the University’s institutional users (lecturers, researchers, technical-administrative staff, PhD students, research fellows, students).

Application for authorisation
To access the service for the first time, you MUST register by filling in the appropriate form.
Your request will be screened by our office and you will shortly be sent an e-mail confirming your registration: from that moment on, you will be able to access the electronic resources.
By registering for the service, you certify that you accept the Terms of Use.

Access
The service is only accessible via the Electronic Resources page. Do not use direct links to access the electronic resources concerned.

Regulations
DigProxy service users are obliged to comply with the

Regulations.
Any abuse will be punished by termination of the service. Please note that in order to prevent abuse and to monitor access, a log of connections is maintained.

For comments, information or problems please
Write to: bibli.risorse_elettroniche@polito.it.

1. What is the purpose of DigProxy?
   • The purpose of this service is to allow access from any location to electronic resources acquired by the Library System, which are normally only available from within the University’s network. With this system, access requests from outside are redirected to an authentication page before being granted.
2. To whom is this service addressed?
   • The service is reserved for lecturers, students, internal staff, PhD students and research fellows, after requesting authorisation via the online form. For further information please consult the regulations.
3. Can I use DigProxy to surf any site?
   • No. Due to the application structure, it is only possible to surf on the sites defined in the configuration. It does not function as a generic proxy (e.g. squid). DigProxy is currently configured to access remote resources on the e-resource and trial pages.
4. Why are some digital library resources not accessible via DigProxy?
   • Some resources can only be consulted by one user at a time, because this is what the licence requires. In that case, they can only be accessed from certain locations in the libraries that have purchased them. It is explicitly stated in the resource description whether the resource is networked or local.
5. I am enabled to the service, how can I sign in?
   • Simply browse through the links in the electronic resources and, if you are using a PC outside the Politecnico’s local network, you will be asked for a username and password. You must use your official e-mail address and password as your username and password. For students, only the address in the form sXXXXXX@studenti.polito.it applies; any aliases are not recognised. For everyone else, on the other hand, only the form name.surname@polito.it applies; aliases such as dxxxxxx@polito.it or surname@polito.it are not recognised. In any case, the username specified in the e-mail confirming registration for the service must be used. After successful authentication, the users may start to surf the remote sites as if they were within the Politecnico network.
6. Is the password process safe?
   • DigProxy forces the connection for authentication on the https protocol (secure http) avoiding any security problems. The secure protocol (https) is only used during authentication, while the normal protocol (http) is used during the browsing session.
7. Is the traffic through DigProxy monitored?
   • In order to prevent abuse and for statistical purposes, a quantitative check is carried out on the pages transferred by each user. No control is carried out on the content of the pages.
8. I am using one of the targets accessible via DigProxy, but there are links inside that I cannot access. Why?
   • When browsing sites configured via DigProxy, it may happen that an attempt is made to access pages that require authentication. Typically, this happens when you want to view the full text of a bibliographic citation. This may be due to two reasons:
     •  The University does not have the resource you are trying to access on subscription. There is no solution other than to purchase the resource in question.
     • The University has the resource on subscription, but DigProxy is not configured to access it. In this case, the resource can be requested tobibli.risorse_elettroniche@polito.it.
9. What browser configurations does DigProxy require?
   • To function, DigProxy must be able to write a session cookie. It is therefore necessary to allow cookies to be written, at least by the *.ezproxy.biblio.polito.it sites.
10. I work at the Politecnico as an adjunct lecturer and do not have an email account. How can I access the service?
    • DigProxy allows access to resources from outside after authentication. To facilitate access, the decision was made to use the University’s email authentication system, since ALL students and permanent staff are entitled to an institutional account (including adjunct lecturers). If you do not have an @polito.it address, you can request one (see the email service FAQS).
11. I have been enabled, but the service does not work. When I connect to the site of interest, I am asked for a password. Why?
    • To use the DigProxy service, it is necessary to access resources from the links on the Library System’s website. In fact, on these pages, the links are modified by forcing navigation through a proxy that recognises internal and external PCs. If you try to access resources with direct links, navigation will not go through the DigProxy server and you will not be recognised as an authorised user.
    • Example:
      • direct link: http://www.edu.alinari.it/login/index.asp?languageID=... freely accessible from within the University network, but not from outside;
      • filtered link: http://www.edu.alinari.it.ezproxy.biblio.polito.it/login/index.asp?languageID=... the link is actually from a server of the Library System, which verifies the origin of the request and, if necessary, requires authentication, otherwise allows free browsing.
12. I am a student. How can I use the service?
    • Students can be enabled to use the service by submitting a request via the online application form. The service will remain active until graduation.
13. I am a student who was already authorised to use the service for a limited period, which has expired. Since the conditions of use no longer provide for expiry until graduation, can I be enabled again?
    • Yes, simply request it by sending an e-mail to bibli.risorse_elettroniche@polito.it.
14. I am part of the permanent staff, I had requested (and obtained) access as a PhD student and now I can no longer gain access. Why?
    • In the archive of the Library System, PhD students are managed through the matriculation number of the Student Administrative Services (1XXXXXX), whereas permanent staff are managed with the matriculation number derived from SWAS (0XXXXX). When a PhD student completes his or her degree programme and is hired as a permanent staff member (Administrative Technician, Lecturer, Research Fellow), he or she then changes his or her matriculation number. In this case, the request must be repeated in order to access the service.
15. How do the Politecnico’s VPN service (offered by AreaIT, formerly CeSIT) and the DigProxy service interact?
    • The VPN service offered by AreaIT creates a secure channel to access computers belonging to the University intranet. It has no effect on computers outside the intranet. This means that users consulting an electronic resource appear on the publisher’s server with the IP assigned to them by their Internet access provider (ISP). If you want to access the electronic resource, you must use the DigProxy service normally.
    • Alternatively, if you are connected to the Politecnico’s network via VPN, you can configure your browser so that it accesses the Internet via the University Proxy (proxy.polito.it port 8080, explanations for MS-Explorer and Firefox) and in this case access the electronic resource directly, without having to use the DigProxy service.
16. Who can I contact for explanations, comments etc.?
    • For explanations, to report malfunctions and to send comments, please contact the e-mail address bibli.risorse_elettroniche@polito.it.