Resnet at the University of Minnesota recently added a new login procedure to get on the network every time you turn on your computer. It uses a login mechanism similar to logging into the wireless networks on campus. First you enter your username and password. Then it scans your computer for known vulnerabilities. The scan takes about 2 minutes to complete. After the scan is complete, the network will allow you to make outgoing network connections.

The system is not without flaws, namely

• During periods of heavy load, I’ve seen random error messages that have prevented me from getting on the internet for as long as 30 minutes.
• The system is inconvenient, as 2 minutes is a long time to do the scan.

• Computers that shouldn’t have any vulnerabilities that it scans for (ie, Macs, Linux/BSD boxes, etc) still have to go through the same time consuming procedure.

Some ways of bypassing the login mechanism:

• Keep your computer on 24/7

• Buy a PowerMac and put it to sleep — this is a mode where the computer uses very little power (~10 watts) to only allow the computer to wake up quickly to a full powered on state. A nice side effect is that it keeps network connections open, which saves you from having to login again.