Q. How do I get help connecting to Research Databases or e-books from off-campus / home?

Just getting started?  See our Remote/Off-Campus Access webpage for general information about accessing Library materials remotely.  Are you seeing an error message when you try to connect from off-campus?  If so, check our detailed troubleshooting guide below.  You can also report a connection issue you are having by submitting our online webform.

TROUBLESHOOTING COMMON OFF-CAMPUS ACCESS PROBLEMS

• Single Sign-On (SSO) for Off-Campus Access reports "Your account or password is incorrect"
• Single Sign-On (SSO) for Off-Campus Access reports "CAS is unable to process this request: 500 – Internal Server Error"
• Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access reports "Access Denied"
• Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access reports "Your administrator has configured the application EZproxy to block users..."
• "Page Not Found", "Cannot connect", "Connection reset by peer", or "The application you were trying to use has been blocked in accordance with company policy" error
• "ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID" or "SEC_ERROR_UNKNOWN_ISSUER"
• "A System Problem has Occurred.  To begin a new session, please login again."
• A research database is taking me to a "Sign In", "Select Resource", or "Open Athens Login" page
• "Maximum download limit reached" or "Your account has been temporarily suspended due to excessive downloads"
• "The maximum number of users from Cleveland State who can search this database at one time has been reached."
• Problems accessing Electronic Course Reserves for your class
• Problems streaming Swank videos

Single Sign-On (SSO) for Off-Campus Access reports "Your account or password is incorrect" when I try to log in.

1. You must be a current CSU student, faculty, or staff member to access most materials from off-campus. Legal agreements with the Library's electronic database vendors usually restrict off-campus access to currently-registered CSU students, faculty, and staff only.
   • See Services for Alumni and Courtesy Patrons for more information about services available for non-current students and guests, including on-campus access to online materials.
   • If you are registered for a future semester, your library account will not be activated until the beginning of the semester for which you are registered.
   • If you just registered for classes in the past few days but your account is not yet active, call IS&T at (216) 687-5050 to verify your account status.  Note that there are sometimes delays in the setup and renewal of accounts.
2. Be sure to enter your ID in the format CSUIDNumber@vikes.csuohio.edu (e.g., "1234567@vikes.csuohio.edu") or CSUIDNumber@csuohio.edu (e.g., "1234567@csuohio.edu").
3. Make sure your Caps Lock button is off.
4. Make sure your browser is set to allow cookies and JavaScript.  Test this using the OhioLINK Cookie Check page.
5. Clear your browser cache in case it has saved old or corrupted login information.
   1. Instructions for Google Chrome
   2. Instructions for Microsoft Edge
   3. Instructions for Mozilla Firefox
   4. Instructions for Safari
6. Reset your CampusNet password.
7. Contact the IS&T Help Desk for additional login assistance at 216-687-5050.

If none of the above steps resolve your problem, contact us by completing the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form or calling User Services at (216) 687-2479 to have your account status verified.

Single Sign-On (SSO) for Off-Campus Access reports "CAS is unable to process this request: 500 – Internal Server Error" when I try to log in.

This error is almost always caused by your web browser caching an expired Single Sign-On session.

1. Clear your browser cache to clear old or corrupted login information, and complete the CSU Single Sign-On authentication again.
   1. Instructions for Google Chrome
   2. Instructions for Microsoft Edge
   3. Instructions for Mozilla Firefox
   4. Instructions for Safari

If clearing your browser cache and logging in to the CSU Single Sign-On again doesn't resolve the problem, contact us by completing the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form for additional assistance.

Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access reports "Access Denied" when I click on a full-text link.

1. Articles in certain databases (e.g., "Westlaw U.S. Law School") are restricted to current Cleveland-Marshall College of Law students, faculty, and staff only.  If you are not affiliated with the College of Law, try to access the article through another database, or request a copy using the Library's Interlibrary Loan service.

Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access reports "Your administrator has configured the application EZproxy to block users unless they are specifically granted ('assigned') access to the application".

1. This error indicates that CSU's automated systems have not included your user account in one of the current CSU faculty, student, or staff user groups that is permitted off-campus access to library resources. This error most frequently happens to members of the CSU community with paperwork still in process, such as returning part-time faculty or new emeritus faculty. If you are a current member of the CSU community eligible for off-campus access, please complete the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form to report the issue (be sure to note any recent changes in status).

When clicking a link or completing the Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access, my browser times out or shows a "Page Not Found", "Cannot connect", "Connection reset by peer", or "The application you were trying to use has been blocked in accordance with company policy" error.

1. Some government organizations (schools, libraries, hospitals, courts, etc.) have started blocking access to all proxy servers by default as a general security precaution.  If you are trying to access online materials from one of these organizations, contact the IT staff at the institution and ask them to unblock network access to proxy.ulib.csuohio.edu for ports 80, 443, and 2050.
2. Try clearing your browser cache.
   1. Instructions for Google Chrome
   2. Instructions for Microsoft Edge
   3. Instructions for Mozilla Firefox
   4. Instructions for Safari
3. Try disabling your browser add-ons.  Some add-ons such as citation programs, other proxy services, and add-ons containing adware or malware can redirect your browser traffic through conflicting servers and cause interference with the secure connection to the Library's proxy server.
4. Check your Internet settings to make sure they aren't using another proxy server:
   1. Windows 10: Click the Windows start button (in lower left of screen) > Settings (looks like a gear) > Network & Internet > "Proxy" tab.  Under "Manual proxy setup", if "Use a proxy server" is on, try turning it off.
5. Check that your antivirus/firewall suite isn't blocking proxy port access (this happens frequently with McAfee, Norton, etc.).
6. Scan your computer for malware.

When clicking a link or completing the Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access, my browser shows the error "ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID" or "SEC_ERROR_UNKNOWN_ISSUER" error.

These errors indicate your browser isn't recognizing the website's security certificate, either because it has become expired or invalid on the server's side, or because your browser was unable to download a required security certificate for the site.

1. Wait a minute or so, then refresh the page. This will fix the issue if it was just caused by a page timeout, network/server congestion, or antivirus link-checking slowness.
2. Make sure your operating system and web browser software have the latest updates (Windows and MacOS periodically update their root certificates). Also make sure your date and time are correct (incorrect dates/times can lead to premature certificate expiry).
3. If using Windows, close your browser, then try clearing the Windows certificate cache to force an update:
   1. Type "Internet Options" into the Windows search bar and open the "Internet Options" app.
   2. Click the "Content" tab, then click the "Clear SSL state" button.
   3. Wait a minute or two, then open the browser and try again.
4. If you're using Firefox, try Chrome as an alternate. Although Firefox is supposed to automatically download security certificates from the operating system's certificate cache and download them for websites as needed (as Chrome does), each individual user's Firefox profile has its own stash of certificates which doesn't always seem to be up to date. Firefox also sometimes does not recognize certificates as valid that Chrome does.
5. Malware and proxy-like web extensions can also interfere with downloading certificates. Scan your computer for malware, and try temporarily disabling your web extensions.

If the issue seems to be on the server side, check the Library's home page for reports of known problems, then send us the URL of the site or page where you are seeing the error using the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form.

Google Chrome shows the error "A System Problem has Occurred.  To begin a new session, please login again."

1. This can happen if you have Zotero Connector installed and allowed it to automatically redirect requests through the Library's proxy server.  To fix this: right-click the Zotero Connector icon, select "Options", and then the "Proxies" tab on the left.  Uncheck the "Enable proxy redirection" box.
   

A research database is taking me to a "Sign In", "Select Resource", or "Open Athens Login" page.

1. You may be using a bookmarked page that has expired.  The URLs for many resources accessed off-campus contain temporary session information that expires within an hour or two.  Vendors also frequently change the URLs of resources on their website.  When possible, use "permalink" addresses to bookmark materials you want to access again in the future.
2. You may have tried to connect to a database directly without completing the Single Sign-On for Off-Campus Access login.  Go back to the Library's home page and try accessing the database from one of the links there.
3. You may need to clear your browser cache.
4. You may need to allow Javascript or cookies in your browser.
5. There may be a problem at the vendor's site or with the Library's proxy links or proxy server.  Please notify the Library about the issue by completing the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form and specifying the database and resource you are trying to access.

I am getting the error "Maximum download limit reached" or "Your account has been temporarily suspended due to excessive downloads".

1. The library's off-campus proxy server has a maximum daily download limit as a precaution against hackers and illegal mass-downloading, but students and faculty sometimes reach it while doing legitimate research.  The excessive download limit should reset itself automatically after four hours; try accessing the resources again later.  Contact us if you are still unable to access articles after this waiting period.
2. Some vendors also impose their own limits on the number of articles that can be downloaded in a period of time.  Complete the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form to let us know about the problem if it persists for more than 24 hours.

I am getting the error "The maximum number of users from Cleveland State who can search this database at one time has been reached."

1. Some database vendors restrict use to a limited number of simultaneous users. Wait a few minutes and try again.

I can't access the Electronic Course Reserves for my class.

1. Some course materials are password-protected for use only by students currently enrolled in the course. Your professor will give you the password if one is needed - check your syllabus, contact your instructor, or ask at the Library User Services Desk (216-687-2479) or the Reference Center (216-687-5300) for help.  Be sure to have your course number (e.g., ENG 102) and your instructor's name handy.

When I try to view a Swank video, I get the error "We are sorry, but you cannot stream this title in the browser you are currently using."

1. This error message is a generic message that comes up whenever your browser is unable to properly launch Swank's Shaka Player, a Javascript library for the Google Widevine Digital Rights Management (DRM) add-in. There are many possible causes for this issue. See Swank's video troubleshooting help page for the latest information.
   1. Make sure you are using Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge and that your browser is up-to-date.
   2. Make sure you have enabled Digital Rights Management content in your browser.
      • Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge: Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Additional content settings > Protected content IDs and make sure "Sites can play protected content" and "Sites can use identifiers to play protected content" are enabled.
      • Mozilla Firefox: Go to Settings > General tab and make sure "Play DRM-controlled content" is checked.
   3. Try temporarily disabling your other browser plugins in case one of them is interfering with the Widevine stream.
      • Instructions for disabling plugins in Google Chrome
      • Instructions for disabling plugins in Mozilla Firefox
   4. Embedding the video in a frame (such as through Blackboard) can interfere with the DRM functions. Try accessing the film in its own window outside of Blackboard.
   5. Some government organizations (schools, libraries, hospitals, courts, etc.) have started implementing strict network rules as a general security precaution. If you are trying to access online materials from one of these organizations, you may need to contact the IT staff at the institution and ask them to allow access to the Swank streaming servers or try from a different location.
   6. Older versions of antivirus software are also known to interfere with the Widevine player. If you have a CSU-owned computer with a version of Cisco Secure Endpoint prior to v. 8.1.7, contact IS&T for a Cisco Secure Endpoint update. If you are using other antivirus software, make sure you are using the latest version.

If you would like additional help, please contact us by completing the Electronic Access Troubleshooting Form or calling the Library Reference Desk at (216) 687-5300 during open hours.