January, 2001

 

CONNECTING TO THE NETWORK FROM A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM

 

If you have a computer in your room, you may wish to connect it to the campus network.  Doing so will allow you to:

·        access e-mail

·        surf the Internet

·        access your personal folder on a central file server

 

Network connections in residence hall rooms are based on ethernet network technology.  This means that you will need to add an ethernet card to your PC or Mac if it doesn't already have one.  Ethernet is about 100 times faster than using a modem, and works better in a campus environment with hundreds of connected computers.  Therefore, we encourage everyone wishing to connect to the campus network to use an ethernet card, even if your computer is already equipped with a modem.

 

The style of ethernet used on campus is 10BaseT, which means that you will use a drop cable with an RJ45 connector on both ends to connect your computer to the wall outlet.  Ethernet cards and drop cables are available for purchase in the Bookstore.  Cards for most PCs cost about $25.  Cards for Macs and for laptop PCs are more expensive.  Drop cables cost around $10.  Do not attempt to use a telephone drop cord to connect your computer to the wall outlet; although it appears that it will work, it doesn't.

 

Each room has an Information Connection outlet (a white, surface-mounted box) that provides a cable TV connection as well as one or two RJ45 network connection jacks.  You may plug your ethernet drop cable into either RJ45 network connection jack.

Making the Connection - Overview

The basic steps required to connect your computer to the network are:

 

1.                  Install an Ethernet card in your computer, if it doesn’t already have one, following the instructions that came with the card. 

2.                  Attach one end of the drop cable to the Ethernet card, and the other end to the Information Connection jack on the wall.

3.                  Configure your computer to access the network following the instructions listed in the next section.

4.                  If desired, connect to your Personal Folder from your room, following the instructions later in this handout.

Configuring Your Computer to Access the Network - Win95/98/ME

(See http://www.central.edu/ComputingServices for an electronic, up-to-date version of these instructions.)

1.      Make sure your Ethernet card and drop cable are installed.

2.      Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel | Network.  (For Windows ME, right click on My Network Places and select Properties.)  You should see a window that looks something like this:

 

 

3.      The ethernet network adapter that is in your computer should be on the list of network components  at this stage; its listed name will depend upon the brand of Ethernet card installed in your computer. Other items may be listed, too, such as a modem driver.

4.       Special note to continuing students:  If you have a computer that was connected to Central's campus network prior to Fall of 2000, you must re-do the TCP/IP network component to get it to work this year.  Different IP addresses are used on the residential network this year, so your old IP address will not work.  Also, IP addresses are assigned electronically now using DHCP, so there is no need for you to enter your IP address manually.  The best way to get rid of the old IP address and ensure that your computer will connect properly this year is to totally Remove the TCP/IP and Client for Microsoft Networks items.

5.      Click on “Add.”

6.      Click on “Protocol,” as shown below.

 

  1. Click on the “Add” button.  A window entitled “Select Network Protocol” should open.
  2. Select “Microsoft” from the left column, and “TCP/IP” from the right column, as shown below:

 

 

  1. Click on OK.
  2. If “Client for NetWare Networks” appears in the list of network components installed, highlight it and click “Remove.”  Do the same thing for “IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol.”
  3. Highlight the TCP/IP setting that was added as a network component, then click on “Properties.”
  4. Click the button next to “Obtain an IP address automatically” as shown below.

 

  1. Select the WINS Configuration tab.
  2. Click on the button next to “Use DHCP for WINS resolution,” as shown below.

  1. Click OK.
  2. Select the Identification tab.
  3. Type your personal username (for example "walkerm") in the “Computer Name” field, as shown below.  It is very important that you use your assigned personal username in this field (the same username you use to access e-mail), since this field is used to determine whether your computer will be allowed continued use of Central's ethernet network.
  4. Type CENTRALCOLLEGE (no spaces) in the Workgroup field, as shown below.

 

  1. Click OK.
  2. Restart your computer so that the configuration will take effect.
  3. If your ethernet card is equipped with a "link light," verify that it is glowing, which indicates that there is a valid physical link to Central's network.  If everything is working, you should be able to use an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer at this point to get access to on-campus or off-campus resources.

Connecting to Your Personal Folder from Your Room

After establishing a connection to the network from your computer, you can connect to your Personal Folder from a PC or Mac in your room. 

 

On a PC running Windows 95/98/ME:

1)                  Open the Network control panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel | Network).  In Windows ME, right click on My Network Places and select Properties.

2)                  Select Client for Microsoft Networks. 

3)                  Choose Properties

4)                  Under Logon validation, place a check mark next to “Log on to a Window NT domain.”

5)                  Enter CENTRALCOLLEGE for the Windows NT domain and click OK. 

6)                  Make sure your Primary Network Login is set to Client for Microsoft Networks. 

7)                  Click OK and reboot. 

8)                  When your computer restarts, it will ask for your personal username and password. 

9)                  After logging in successfully, double-click on My Computer.

10)              Verify that there is now a drive T: mapped which contains your personal folder.  

11)              Open T: and navigate to your personal folder.

 

On a Macintosh, use the Chooser to access the volume containing your personal folder.

Assistance from the Computer Help Center

Installing an ethernet card and configuring TCP/IP software can be complicated.  If you would like to have assistance with these tasks, call the CHC at Extension 4242 and make an appointment with a Student Technology Assistant technician.  You will be asked to bring your computer CPU (not the monitor, keyboard or mouse) to the CHC for configuration.  You may either observe while the work is completed, or you may drop your CPU off for pick up within a few days.  When you take your CPU back to your room, all you need to do is re-connect it to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and connect an ethernet drop cable between your computer and the Information Connection ethernet jack.

 

There may be a waiting list for this service, especially at the beginning of each semester, so please be patient if there is a backlog.

USING E-MAIL

 

Your electronic mail can be accessed from a computer in your room, from PCs and Mac's in campus labs, or from any computer anywhere in the world that is connected to the Internet..

Your Personal E-Mail Address

The e-mail address you are known by on the Internet is your personal username followed by '@central.edu' as follows:

 

Student’s name:            Mary Walker

Personal username:       walkerm

E-mail address:             walkerm@central.edu  or  mary.walker@central.edu

Using E-Mail from Your Room

In order to access your e-mail from your residence hall room, your computer must already be connected to the campus network and configured properly.

 

There are two ways to access your e-mail from your room:

 

1)                  Using a web browser such as Internet Explorer, go to http://messenger.central.edu.  Enter your personal username in the space at the right side of the screen, then click on “click here.”  In the dialog box that appears, enter your personal username and password, and click OK. For assistance in using Central Messenger, click on the ? icon on the right side of the tool bar.  When you are finished using e-mail, be sure to click on the Log Off icon at the bottom left corner of your screen  (Note: when you use this method to access your e-mail, the messages stay on the server, and are therefore available to you from anywhere.)

 

2)                  If you have a favorite e-mail package such as Outlook Express, Eudora or Netscape Communicator, you will need to configure it to access Central’s mail server.  Specify messenger.central.edu as your mail server for both POP3 and SMTP.  (Note: when you use this method to access your e-mail, the messages are 'POP'ed off the mail server and stored only on your own computer.)

 

Note:  If you have your own computer in your room configured using this second method, then messages you have read using the Central Messenger web interface will not be ‘POP’ed because they are already marked as read.

Using E-Mail from a Campus Computer Lab (or from any other computer connected to the Internet)

 

Launch Internet Explorer and go to http://messenger.central.edu. Enter your personal username in the space at the right side of the screen, then click on “click here.”  In the dialog box that appears, enter your personal username and password, and click OK.

 

For assistance in using Central Messenger, click on the ? icon on the right side of the tool bar.  When you are finished using e-mail, be sure to click on the Log Off icon at the bottom left corner of your screen, then choose File and Close to exit the browser.

 

QUESTIONS?

 

Call the Computer Help Center at Extension 4242 or stop by the CHC in Maytag Student Center.