IT - Network & Internet

Network access in residence rooms is available one port per resident in Miller, Carlson, Phillips Halls, as well as TJ Jones Residence (third floor and bridge) and Zimmerman House, and two ports per apartment in Orfield Apartments. If there are not enough ports in your room for the number of computers you would like to connect, you may add additional ports by purchasing a small Ethernet hub. This type of gear can be purchased at most stores that sell computers.

Acceptable Use Policy

You may not use North Central University network resources unless you agree to the Acceptable Use Policy.

We reserve the right to amend this policy at any time without notice. The current policy will always be available on Information Technology's website at http://www.northcentral.edu/it.

Please note that attempts to circumvent or disable any other technology on campus may result in loss of network privileges and further disciplinary action.

Wireless Networking top

Wireless Setup Instructions

System Requirements

Using WPA2, combined with active monitoring for malicious users, North Central’s Wireless Beta network provides a wireless connection which is almost as secure as a wired port. Because of this, computers must support WPA2 protocol to be able to connect to the Wireless Beta network.

IT has tested the following for support of WPA2:

  • Microsoft Windows XP SP2 needs the WPA2 supplicant installed before it will work. Previous versions of Windows do not appear to have the proper support.
  • All new wireless network cards (less than 2 years old) appear to support WPA2. Many older cards also support it if the drivers are updated to the most recent version.
  • Apple Airport Extreme cards with OSX 10.4 work. OSX10.3 is also listed as supporting WPA2, although this has not been verified. Older Apple Airport cards do not appear to have the proper support.
  • Linux systems support WPA2 using wpa_supplicant. Please read the wpa_supplicant documentation for a list of hardware that wpa_supplicant works with. Also note that you may need to be running a 2.6.14 or newer kernel.

Prerequisites

The following steps must be taken before you can connect to the Wireless network:

  1. Prepare your system. Update to the latest driver for your wireless card. If you are running Windows, install the WPA2 supplicant KB893357.
  2. Know your username and password. Your student username and password will be required to connect to the wireless network and also to register your wireless card with netreg. If you do not know this information, please stop by the IT office in MH226.
  3. Activate your account for wireless. All accounts must be activated for wireless before they can be used with the Wireless network. Student accounts created after January 8, 2007 will be automatically activated. Accounts created prior to the wireless launch can be activated here.

Configuration

Please click here to see our Tutuorial and How-to pages for setup instructions.

The following are the configuration settings required to connect to the Wireless network. If you are running Windows or OSX, detailed instructions are also available above.

SSID: NorthCentral

Wireless Security: WPA2

Key Management: IEEE802.1x

Authentication: PEAP-MSCHAPv2

Identity: your Unet Username

Password: your Unet Password

Coverage

Phillips Hall - Clay Commons and main lobby

Carlson Hall - second floor lobby

Areas currently planned for expansion: TJ Jones IRC - first floor reference and magazine areas

Wireless Policy

Only wireless access points which are purchased and installed by Information Technology may be connected to the campus network. These authorized access points will be managed by Information Technology in a way that protects network resources and users. Information Technology maintains a list of areas for which wireless access is provided and will make reasonable attempts to ensure that users in these areas can connect to the wireless network. Users in other areas may have access to the wireless network but no attempts will be made to guarantee coverage in locations outside of listed areas. All of the residence halls on the NCU campus have wired network ports available. Network ports connected to any unauthorized wireless access point will be disabled without warning. (From Acceptable Use Policy)

Hardware Requirements & Recommendations

  • A personal computer
  • 10/100Mb Ethernet card with RJ45 jack
  • Category 5 or above Ethernet patch cable with RJ45 ends (appropriate cables can be purchased at the campus bookstore)

Network Setup

To connect to the Internet through the campus network, your computer must have a connector that looks like a slightly-too-wide modular phone jack, and the corresponding cord. Most older computers require the addition of a Network Interface Card ("NIC") to get this connector; these usually cost $10-$40. Other common names for this connector include "Ethernet", "10BaseT", or "RJ45". This is the same kind of connector that is often used with high-speed home Internet connections such as DSL or cable modems. This connector must be properly installed in the computer.

The network jack on your wall will look like this (PDF).

Specific instructions by operating system:

  • Windows 9x/ME, 2000/XP (PDF)
  • Macintosh (PDF)
  • Linux: Check your distribution's instructions for using DHCP

Troubleshooting top

Q: I think there's a problem with my cable or my jack. How can I tell?

A: Here are some things that you can check to find out what the problem is:

  1. Is the network card and the correct driver for your Operating System installed?
  2. Did you follow the setup instructions to connect your Operating System to the campus network?
  3. Are you sure that you're using an Ethernet cable? (Please note: A phone cord WILL NOT work!)
  4. If you have a roommate or friend whose network connection is working, try borrowing their cable and using it with your computer. If it works with their cable, your cable needs to be replaced.
  5. Try plugging your cable into another jack in your room to see if that one works.
  6. Look at the back of your computer, where the cable attaches to the back of your network adapter. There may be one or two lights on the back of your network card. If there are lights on your network card, and there aren't any lights lit up, then your card probably isn't installed correctly. In general, if at least one light is flashing, your jack is working and your card is receiving information. If all the lights are solid, then your card probably isn't receiving any information and there could be a problem with your jack. However, this isn't always true for all brands of adapters. Some built-in adapters, especially on notebook computers, do not have lights. If you can't figure it out after trying all of the other steps, call the IT department help desk at ext. 4170, and we'll send someone out to check your jack.

Q: There are only 2 ports wired in my room, but I want to connect more than 2 computers to the network. What can I do?

A: Network access in residence rooms is available one port per pillow in Miller, Carlson, Phillips Halls, as well as TJ Jones Residence (third floor and bridge) and Zimmerman House, and two ports per apartment in Orfield Apartments. If there are not enough ports in your room for the number of computers you would like to connect, you may add additional ports by purchasing a small Ethernet hub/switch. This type of gear can be purchased at most stores that sell computers. If you are not sure how to connect it, please call NCU IT at ext. 4170 with any questions.

Security Recommendations top

Students are responsible for their own computer security.

File Sharing

Not sharing files on the campus network is one good way to eliminate a wide range of ways that Hackers could get into your computer. We recommend that you do not share files over the network for your own protection.

Anti-Virus Software

We require all computers connected to the campus network to be running updated anti-virus protection. North Central University has licensed Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition for all current NCU students.

Email Safety

Do not open attachments that you did not expect to receive, even if they came from a user that you know. Contact the sender of an unexpected message to confirm that they meant to send something before you open the attachment if the message is from someone you know.

Secure Passwords

Dictionary words, your name, family members names, your birth date or family member’s birth dates, phone numbers are all examples of things that are bad things to use as passwords. Use combinations of letters and numbers to make a stronger password that cannot easily be guessed.

Do not share your personal passwords with anyone, for any reason, including system administrators, your girlfriend/boyfriend, or your roommate. Your username and password combination can be tracked in most systems, and you can be held responsible for any actions taken using your identity.

Personal Firewalls

A firewall is a structure intended to keep a fire from spreading. Buildings have firewalls made of brick completely dividing sections of the building. In a car a firewall is the metal wall separating the engine and passenger compartments. Network firewalls are intended to keep unauthorized people and software out of your computer or private LAN. On the NCU Campus Network, we can only do so much to keep you safe from your fellow students. Installing a personal PC based firewall is one way to prevent others connected to the network from accessing your computer without your authorization. Setting up and managing a personal firewall can be annoying at least at first. This is well worth it when the rest of the world goes down because of a virus or some other reason and you are safe and secure behind your firewall. One good firewall that is free for personal and non-profit use is Zone Lab's Zone Alarm.

Note to Experienced Users top

To ensure the proper operation of our network, we require that computers on the network be configured to use DHCP to obtain their IP address automatically. Configuring a computer to use a specific IP address permanently, without going through the automatic assignment process, is prohibited without express permission from the Information Technology department.

If your computer accesses the Internet in a manner other than the means provided by NCU, you may not configure your computer to share or transmit that access over the NCU network. This is required in order to maintain the security of our network.

In order to prevent severe disruption to other users on the network, you may not configure your computer to function as a "DHCP server" or otherwise turn on Microsoft's "Internet Connection Sharing" service. Also prohibited is the connection of any kind of router to the NCU network, or the use of port 80 for protocols other than HTTP.

 

IPTV Information

Click the link above to see all of the current information and updates about NCU's very own IPTV system.

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