The network FAQ answers many of the most common questions I get about the network.
Computing Services is responsible for the operation of the network up to the plate on the wall. We cannot assume responsibility for any maintenance or repair of personally owned computers. We can test the network connection at the plate for you and, if that works, suggset some resources to assist you with trouble shooting your computer. We cannot, however, fix your computer for you.
Computing Services simply does not have the resources to maintain student-owned personal computers. There are also legal issues relationed to possible damage that our staff could inadvertently cause to your computer and regarding the privacy of any personal data that you may have stored on your computer.
On most windows systems goto Start->All Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt. Then run the following command on your computer:
ipconfig /all (note the space between the "g" and the "/")
Under "Local area Connection" you should have an entry called "IP Address" the address should be of the form:
10.15-23.1.x
If it starts with 169 you do not have a valid connection. If it starts with 192.168 you may have your network information hard coded and you need to configure your computer properly using the instructions here or you are the victim of a rogue DHCP server and should report it using the instructions here.
For Mac OS X you can run a similar command by going to Applications->Utilities->Terminal and then running the command:
ifconfig -a (note the space between the "g" and the "-")
Under the section that starts en0: you should have an entry called "inet" that has the IP address as described above.
A couple of things can cause this. First check your network setting and make sure you are set to "obtain DNS server addresses automatically". Make sure that you don't have any proxys setup in internet explorer or Firefox. Check to make sure that you don't have any spyware/adware installed on your computer.
The authentication system checks periodically to make sure that your computer is still connected to the network. If your computer isn't connected it logs you off. The power save features on many computers shut down the network interface in order save electricity. This essentially takes your computer off the network and so you get logged off. You can resolve this by changing the power save features on your computer to not power down the network interface. In windows go to the "Local Area Connection" properties window click on the "Configure" button and select the "Power Management" tab. Uncheck the box "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
You don't. Students are not authorized to connect these devices to the network. Students are only allowed to directly connect a computer to the network in their room.
Lot's of students get caught in this chicken and egg situation. They need to download a program like Antivirus software but can't do it because the virus has hosed their network connection. The solution is really simple. You have to go old school and use Sneakernet. Get a thumb drive or blank CD-R. Put on you sneakers and walk down to the lab. Download the software you need and save it to the thumb drive or burn it to the CD-R. Walk back to your computer and install the software from the CD or thumb drive. Problem Solved.
The most likely cause is a change related to your computer. If you took your computer home or to some other network you may either have changed your network settings or have had some program or spyware change them for you without your knowledge. Try reviewing the guides available on the CSIT Web site on conecting to the campus network and confirm that your computer configuration is correct.
We do try to respond to help requests as quickly as possible during normal business hours. However, there are hundreds of students in the residence halls and, unfortunately, a limited number of staff who can respond to all campus network issues. Network issues specific to the University's residence halls is a subset of that total. Especially during the first few weeks of a new semester our staff are especially stretched and other campus network issues may need to be given higher priority than individual student requests. During such times, please make use of the on-line assistance provided to trouble shoot your netowrk issue; we will respond to your requests as soon as possible.
Most other networks - especially wireless networks in places like coffee shops, hotels, restaurants - do not implement any kind of security. That means, for example, that if your computer has been hijacked by spyware or taken over by malicious software, it may work just fine on those networks but not on ours. It is also possible that the network settings required for that other network differ completely from ours and you should be changed to those appropriate for our network.
Unfortunately, the "Page Cannot be Displayed" error message in a Web browser means almost nothing. It relates the simple fact taht the browser is not able to display the page it has been asked to display, but provides no really helpful diagnostic information as to why the page cannot be displayed. We will almost always need more information than the report of a "Page Cannot be Displayed" message in order to help you resolved the real problem.
Internet Connection Sharing and Internet Sharing are features in their respective operating systems that allows the computer to act as a network router and DHCP server if it has two or more types of networking devices. These devices could be Ethernet cards, modems, or Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports. If Internet Connection Sharing is actively running while the computer is connected to any part of the University's network, that computer and other computers nearby may lose all connectivity to the network. If you have been previously connected to a home network, know that Internet Connection Sharing was used in your previous network setup, or suspect you have done something to turn Internet Connection Sharing on please follow the instructions on the page here to disable it before connecting your computer to the University network.
Bridging is a configuration in which interfaces on your computer bound together such that any traffic seen on one interface is echoed or retransmitted on the other interface. These interfaces can be ethernet cards, wirelesscards, modems, etc. It essentially turns your computer into a network hub or access point. This kind of configuration is common in home networking configurations where you wish to make your notebook act as an access point so that other computers can connect through the internet through yours. However if bridging is actively running while the computer is connected to any part of the University's network, that computer and other computers nearby may lose all connectivity to the network. Therefore if you have any reason to believe that interfaces on you computer may be bridged you must follow the instructions here to disable bridging.
A Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server allows your computer to obtain most network configuration information - such as IP number, Gateway address, DNS server - automatically. When your computer is configured to use DHCP, it broadcasts a request for network information when it starts up. The DHCP server responds with the requested information.
A rogue DHCP server is one setup by someone other than Computing Services. Rogue DHCP servers usually take the form of a router or wireless access point illicitly connected to the network. These devices are usually not configured to hand out the correct network information for our network. If your computer broadcasts it's request for information and a rogue DHCP server responds, your computer will receive invalid network information and you won't be able to get to the Internet.
A single rogue DHCP server can (and, in fact, has) disrupted network services to an entire residence hall until it was tracked down and disabled. This is one of the reasons students are not authorized to connect routers and wireless access points to the network.
This usually happens for one of two reasons. First, if the web site is running on a non standard port it may be blocked by security. Look at the URL/Address of the web site that you are trying to get to. Does it have colon and number in the address after the top level domain? Something like this:
If so this is what has happened.
In rare cases this can also be caused by a routing issue at our upstream Internet Service Provider (ISP). This usually happens with international sites or after our ISP has performed some type of network maintenance. In these cases it can be difficult to get the issue resolved because the problem lies with software or hardware not under the direct control of Computing Services.
In either case you should fill out a help request and list the exact URL you are having reaching.
We have very limited wireless coverage in the residence halls. Chances are you are outside of the range of one of the Welseyan wireless access points.
Wireless networking is available in many areas of the Wesleyan campus, including administrative offices, classroom buildings, Cochrane-Woods library and Roy Story Student Center. Wireless networking is not generally available in the campus residence halls or the campus green spaces.
It is quite likely that the netwrok security measures we have in taken to protect you while you are connected to our network block some of the functionality of the network game you are trying to play. Game features often require communication through one or more network ports on your computer which are not accessibe due to our security posture.
There are hundreds of network games and no single, definitive standard in use to limit the number of network ports which would have to be opened or other accommodations made to assure that a given game works on our network. In many cases, the game manufacturers do not provide such information and, if they do, there is no assurance that the next update to the game software will not require more or different accommodations.
While we are looking at alternatives which might make campus residence halls more "game friendly," we simply cannot make accommodating computer gaming across the campus network a priority given current resources.
It is quite likely that the netwrok security measures we have in taken to protect you while you are connected to our network block most webcams and Internet phone services. One service we have seen work in the past is the Yahoo messenger video chat, but we cannot assure that, once working, it would continue to work through all successive versions of the software or for all software features.
It is quite likely that the netwrok security measures we have in taken to protect you while you are connected to our network block most peer-to-peer programs. While there may be quite legitimate uses for sue file sharing programs, they are often used to exchange copyrighted music, video or software inviolation of the law and of University policy on the acceptable use of computing resources.
The University is exploring alternatives which might assist in provisioning Greek houses with Internet connectivity. In most cases, however, the Greek houses are not owned or operated by the University. Therefore, establishing and maintaining Internet services in the Greek houses is currently the responsibility of the house and it's chapter.
It is certainly possible that the network hardware in you residence hall is experiencing some type of recurring electrical failure. However, it is more likely that there is a rogue DHCP server in operation somewhere in the residence hall.
To check this possibility, open a command prompt on your computer by going to Start->All Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt. Then run the following commands on your computer:
ipconfig /all (note there is a space between the "g" and the "/")
and
arp -a (note there is a space between the "p" and the "-")
Then open a help request and paste the output of those two commands into it. This information will help us find the offending device and disable it.
There may be any number of problems responsible for the lack of a network connection, most of which are related the the hardware and/or software configuration of your own computers. Aside from rogue DHCP servers, we have only had a handful of problems that were related to the network. Most of these where related to damaged data jacks in the wall or electrical damage to a network switch which would impact a large number of residents. Initially, you should run through the Instructions for Connecting to the Internet to check your settings and make sure they are correct. Also check that you have a valid network connection. If you do your problem may well be related to spyware or viruses on your computer. You can download software to help you with those from our downloads page.
First, remember that you are sharing the campus Internet connection with the other 4000+ users of Wesleyan resources. You can check the Internet Traffic Report and see if you happen to be accessing at a time when load happens to be high.
Second,it is very possibly not the Internet that is going slow, but your computer. Spyware and other sorts of malware can use so much of a computer's processor and network resources that the computer is essentially useless for any other task. Even legitimate software can claim a tremendous amount of the systems resources, especially on start up. Desktop search utilities are attempting to update the indices, anti-virus or anti-malware software programs attempt to update their pattern files, the operating system is checking for updates, many other network based subscription programs are also especially active on start up and at regular intervals thereafter. All these require processor as well as network resources.