UWE eXternal Access (XA) Service
Q004. What do I need to do to make XA work from my PC at home?
You will need a PC with a link to the internet via broadband, ideally running a Windows Operating System (XP, Vista or Windows 7) with an Internet Explorer version of 6 or higher.
XA (eXternal Access) can also be used with a Mac. XA can be used with Macs on campus as well as outside the University. Linux platforms may work but are not supported.
If you are a Mac user, accessing the UWE network through XA on campus, we recommend the use of the built-in web browser Safari.
Unfortunately at present, XA does not work with OSX 10.7 (Lion) or OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) if running version 5.1 or above of the Safari Web Browser.
XA System Requirements
Operating system (O/S):
- Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 versions can all be used.
- Mac OS/X should work with XA but is not an operating system which we support. Therefore, we are only able to provide limited assistance.
- N.B. XA has not been tested on any version of Linux and is therefore not supported.
Internet Browser:
- If using a PC running Windows, you must use Internet Explorer (IE) with XA. Other browsers, such as Firefox, are likely not to work and in some cases can cause other problems with your PC. Consequently they are not supported.
- IE version 6.0 or later can achieve connectivity; however it is recommended wherever possible to upgrade to the latest version available along with any supporting critical updates.
- Mac users can use XA (Xternal Access) either on campus or outside the University. We recommend that they use Safari as a web browser. For the same reasons mentioned above, other browsers are not supported, e.g. Opera.
Plug-ins:
- On a PC, a plug-in called the WSAM (Windows Secure Access Manager) is loaded by your browser. This application provides the secure connection between your PC and the resources of the UWE network. When successfully loaded it is represented by the icon in your system tray.
- If you have a program which blocks or hides pop-up windows, you may encounter problems waiting for WSAM to fully load. A pop-up window alerting you to accept the WSAM plug-in may be waiting in the background behind the Internet browser. Minimise your browser window to find the alert behind it.
- Please note that versions of the WSAM may be updated from the External Access system from time to time. This should happen automatically as a later version becomes available. The prompt to download may appear again as described above even though a previous version has been successfully installed and used without further interaction. Whenever this occurs a reboot is usually required.
- For staff and HSC students, an additional IE ActiveX plug-in allowing connectivity to the UWE Terminal Server farm is available from the RFT and Remote Desktop pages. This should download automatically from the page although the link 'Citrix upgrade' is provided to download manually.
- XA on a Mac is Java based and does not use the same plug-ins as on a PC.
