Connecting to Yale's network

Connecting and setting up computers in the CSB

This document lists the steps necessary to connect your computer to the CSB network.

1. Make a physical connection to the network
2. Register your computer and get a network address
3. Register your wireless interface if you have one.
4. Set up your computer's network parameters
5. Set up your computer for email
6. Additional steps required for Windows

Make a physical connection to the network

This can be easy or hard, depending on where you are. Some wall jacks are connected to the CSB network, others not. Some jacks use standard wiring, others require a special patchcord.

If there is not an active jack near your desk, send your name, what lab you're in, your room#, your location in the room, and the nearest unused jack# to the CSB staff (sysadm -at- mail.csb.yale.edu). The jack# is the number written on the corner of the cover plate of the set of 4 jacks under the desks in Bass. If you are not near a wall jack, or are in Gibbs, include information on where your desk is located.

We also have sketchy instructions for connecting via wireless cards. But you must register your computer first.

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Register your computer and get a network address

All computers used on the CSB network must be registered with the CSB computing staff. This is not simply an instance of the bureaucratic impulse to stifle initiative; it enables us to more quickly analyze and solve network problems.

In most cases, you can register the computer yourself. Connect your computer to the CSB Core network using the proper network cable. Then, point your browser at netdata.core and fill out the form. Make sure to read the instructions on the form carefully. If your computer is a laptop, make sure to specify Type: mobile at the bottom of the form.

Note that your computer will be assigned a network address within the CSB private network. This means that your computer can talk to other CSB computers, and visa versa. Your computer will also be able to initiate connections to computers outside the CSB, for purposes like ftp, telnet or ssh, web browsing, etc. However, computers outside the CSB will not be able to directly contact your computer. If this is a problem, you should discuss the situation with the CSB staff.

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Register your computer's wireless interface

After you have registered your computer's regular name and address, you can register its wireless interface (if it has one). First, you need to know your computer's wireless MAC address. This is often written on the wireless card, or on the bottom of your laptop. It can also be found from the computer's operating system.

After you have the MAC address, return to netdata.core. In the first space, Enter the name you chose for your computer and press submit. You should be presented with a page describing your computer.

Click on add wireless interface. When the new page comes up, enter the MAC address (Case does not matter. Enter the 12 hexadecimal digits without any punctuation). Press Register this IP/hostname/MAC.

If all goes well, the wireless interface will now be registered. However, you will still have to ask a system administrator to complete the process, and you will want to look at the CSB wireless user guide for connecting to the Core wireless access points.

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Set up your computer's network parameters

In most cases, you don't have to do anything. By default, your computer is probably configured to get the configuration information it needs by broadcasting a request (called a DHCP request) on our network. The CSB DHCP server will respond with the information your computer needs.

If you want to set up your computer with a fixed name and address, use the following information:

IP Address	(assigned by CSB staff)
Host Name	(the name you requested)
Domain	core
Host's network	172.29.0.0
Netmask	255.255.0.0
Default Gateway	172.29.1.1
Broadcast Address	172.29.255.255
Primary Nameserver	172.29.1.253
Secondary Nameserver	172.29.1.254
Domains to search	core, csb.yale.edu, yale.edu

More detailed instructions are available for PC/Windows, but they are obsolete and usually unnecessary. Other obsolete info is at old_windows.html.

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Set up your computer for email

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Last Modified: Friday, 22-Feb-2008 08:05:12 EST