Residence Hall Network Setup
(New Men's & New Women's Residence Halls)

1. Necessary hardware and software.
2. Hardware and Driver installation.
3. Windows 95/98.
4. Testing your connection.
5. Using other network software
6. Troubleshooting
7. Other things you should know

Hooking up to the MCnet through the new dorm requires a PC compatible computer (486 or greater) with an ethernet card that has a 10-base-T connector. The campus standard Network Interface Card is a 3Com905B. Most cards should work with no problem however, it cannot be guaranteed that every network card out there will work properly. If you have a Mac then you are on your own. Sorry.

Consult the manual that comes with your card concerning the hardware and driver installation of the device. Once the network card is in the computer and there are no conflicts, you are ready to move on to installing and configuring the software.

The majority of work that has to be done is configuration. All settings are located in setup from the Network configuration screen. From the Start bar, pick "Settings," "Control Panel," "Network," and follow these steps. You will likely need your original Windows 95/98 CD, so have it handy.

Check the Configuration tab to see what is already setup. If there is an entry for your network adapter then you are ready to proceed. If you do not see your adapter listed, consult the accompanying manual for installation and troubleshooting instructions.

A PPP Adapter and some protocols (like netBEUI or IPX) may also exist. Don't worry about those. Click on "Add" and pick "Client." This will bring up a dialog with a list of manufacturers and clients. From the manufacturers list select "Microsoft," then select "Client for Microsoft Networks" from the clients list. Click "OK."

Now click on "Add" again, and this time pick "Protocol." From the list of manufacturers pick "Microsoft," then select "TCP/IP" from the protocol list. Click "OK."

That should be it! Click "OK" until you leave the network setup completely. Win95/98 will ask if you want to reboot your computer. Reboot.

4. Testing your connection

There are several tests that can be performed to determine if the network setup is functioning properly. One of the most useful is the "ping" command. Once you have setup your system completely, go to a DOS prompt and try this command:

C:\WINDOWS> ping 192.168.2.1

You should get a response similar to the following:

Pinging 192.168.2.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.2.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=255

Reply from 192.168.2.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=255

Reply from 192.168.2.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=255

Reply from 192.168.2.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=255

A response like this means you are able to communicate properly with our firewall machine that is located in the new dorm. The firewall machine is a computer that handles network communications between computers inside the dorm and everything outside the new dorm. It also implements some security mechanisms. If you receive an response like this:

Pinging 192.168.2.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Request timed out.

Request timed out.

Request timed out.

Request timed out.

then something is configured incorrectly within the TCP/IP protocol setup or the adapter setup. Check the "Troubleshooting" section to see if all the options are correct. Also, if you haven't rebooted since configuration, nothing should work.

Once you are able to ping the firewall machine correctly, load up Netscape or IE and see if you can connect to MC's home page (http://www.mc.edu/). If so, then you are all set!

There are several other networking programs that can be used, such as telnet and ftp. Windows 95/98 comes with its own version of both, and should work fine with the new dorm setup.

You should go back at the initial network setup screen that contains the list of adapters, protocols and clients. "Start", "Settings," "Control Panel," "Network,"Select the TCP/IP protocol from the list by clicking on it (if there are multiple TCP/IP entries, select the one that is bound to your network card). Then click on "Properties." There are a few modifications that need to be made in order for your computer to function properly on MCnet. Other than the modifications listed below, no changes need to be made to the settings: Select the "IP Address" tab and click on "Automatically obtain an IP address." On the "Gateway" tab, there should be no installed gateways. Remove anything listed under this section. On the "DNS Configuration" tab, Choose "Disable DNS." All of these settings are configured automatically and do not need to be set. Click "OK" and then click "OK" again to leave the network setup completely. Windows may ask if you want to reboot your computer. Reboot.

A useful tool provided with Windows 95/98 is the IP Configuration Tool. Click "Start", "Run" and then type "winipcfg" (without quotes) and click "OK." Select your Network Adaptor from the drop down menu. You can compare these results with the inormation listed under the "Other Things You Should Know" section.

The most important "other thing" you should know is that, while MCnet support completely setup the new dorm Internet link as well as the software packs and instructions, they can provide little or no support as far as configuration questions and problems go. Given their current workload and number of employees, they are not able to provide additional support at this time. However, if you feel that there is a problem with the network link coming into your room (i.e. perhaps there's something wrong with the jack in the wall), then MCnet support will be able to help with that. Basically, MCnet support can provide support all the way up to the jack in the wall. From there on, you're on your own, except for these instructions.

What you may want to do is find another person in the dorm who already has their computer working properly on the Internet and knows more about network configuration. Perhaps they would be able to assist you. Be warned, if you call MCnet support asking "why can't I connect to this website," you will not get an answer.

Listed below is a summary of any important configuration values that you may need to know. If you are setting up a Mac, you will need to know some of these.

IP: If a program asks for your IP address, it is configured automatically. Look for a "get IP automatically" option.

DNS: Also configured automatically. But it should always be 192.168.2.1

Default route: Automatic, but should also always be 192.168.2.1