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Connecting Your
Computer to the Smith Residence Network
This document contains instructions for connecting your computer to
the Smith Residence Network (ResNet) and using Cisco Clean Access to
connect to the Internet.
If you run into any problems that are not covered in the troubleshooting
sections of this document, please call the User Support Center at x4487
for assistance.
First, connect your computer to the dataport in your room:
- With your computer turned off, connect one end of your Ethernet
cable to the dataport in the wall of your room. The dataport is marked
with a red dot.
- Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to your computer's Ethernet
port.
- Turn on your computer.
NOTE : Routers, hubs, or other devices installed between your
computer and the dataport in your room are not supported by ITS;
they are highly likely to cause network connection problems. If you have
installed such a device, please remove it and connect your computer directly
to the dataport.
For more information, see the Smith
College Policy on the Acceptable Use of Computer Resources.
Second, follow the start-up instructions for your operating system:
Macintosh OS 10.x
Windows Vista
Windows XP & 2000
Start-up Instructions for MACINTOSH OS 10.x
- Verify your network connection and settings:
- Click on the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
- Click on Network. The Network Preferences dialog box
is displayed.
- OS 10.4 users: Select Active Network Ports in the Show menu,
then select Built-in Ethernet in the Show menu.
OS 10.5 users: Select Built-in Ethernet from the Services list
on the left side of the window.
-
Set the Configure: box to Using DHCP.
- You
are now ready to register your computer on the Smith network using
Cisco Clean Access. Click here to proceed.
Start-up Instructions for Windows Vista
Register your computer on the
Smith network:
- Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop.
- If you see a Network Location window, choose Work,
then click OK.
Note:
If you see a Page cannot be displayed message, go to the Windows
Vista troubleshooting section.
- You will see a re-direct page. If it is followed by a Security
Alert window, click OK to continue.
- IE 7 users: If you see the Certificate Error window
below, click on: "Continue to this website (not recommended)."

- If you see another Security Alert window, click OK.
- The Smith Network Login page will appear. Enter your GroupWise username
and password.
- If you get a username or password error, contact the User Support
Center at x4487 for assistance.
- On the AutoComplete Password page, choose Yes or No.
- If you see a Security Alert window, click Yes.
- Proceed
to Registering your computer with Cisco Clean
Access.
Start-up Instructions for Windows XP & 2000
- Confirm that your network connection is enabled:
Windows XP:
- Click Start, then Control Panel.
- Depending on which Control Panel view you’re using,
click on Network and Internet Connections then Network
Connections, or
simply Network.
- Find the connection listed under LAN or High-Speed Internet,
right-click on it, and select Enable. Proceed to step
2 below.
- If there is no Enable option, your connection is already
enabled. Proceed to step 2 below.
Windows 2000:
- Click Start, then Settings, then double-click
on Network
and Dial-up Connections.
- Find the connection labeled LAN connection, right-click
on it, and select Enable. Proceed to step
2 below.
- If there is no Enable option, your connection is already
enabled. Proceed to step 2 below.
If you see multiple LAN connections and don't know which one to
select, call the User Support Center at x4487 for assistance.
If you don't see any LAN connection, proceed to the Windows
XP / 2000 troubleshooting section and follow the steps to
verify that the Smith network can detect your Ethernet card.
- Right-click on your enabled LAN connection and select Properties.
- Under Components, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP),
then click Properties.
- Make sure that Obtain an IP address automatically is
selected, then click OK
You are now ready to register your computer on the Smith network
using Clean Access, as explained below.
Registering Your Computer with Cisco Clean Access
Smith uses a network authentication and security system called Cisco
Clean Access to prevent infected computers from gaining access
to the network and infecting other computers.
How does Clean Access work?
Each time you start up your computer and open an Internet browser,
you will be prompted to enter your GroupWise username and password in
a Network Registration login box.
The Clean Access software will then authenticate your account and register
your Macintosh, Linux, or Windows computers on the Smith network. This
should happen very quickly, and when registration is complete:
- Macintosh and Linux users: You will be able to access all regular
network services, including the Internet, email, and instant messaging.
- Windows users: You will be prompted to install a small piece of
software, the Clean Access Agent, the first time you go through
the process. The Agent software then scans your computer to ensure
that all required software (Windows updates, McAfee VirusScan, and
up-to-date virus definitions) is installed.
Please note that the Clean Access Agent does NOT:
- Monitor network traffic
- Access your usernames and passwords
- Block specific applications
- Scan your personal files
Follow the steps below to complete the Cisco Clean Access registration
procedure.
Part 1. Register your
computer on the Smith network.
Windows VISTA users: You have already registered your computer
on the Smith network. Proceed directly to Installing
the Cisco Clean Access Agent.
Windows XP/2000 & Macintosh
Users:
- Open an Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox browser window.
Internet Explorer 7 users: If you see a website security certificate
warning, click on: Continue to this website (not recommended).
- You will first see a re-direct page, followed by a Security Alert
warning. Click Yes to continue.
- The Smith Residential Network
Login page will appear.
Note: If you see a switch configuration error or a "Page
cannot be displayed" message, go to the troubleshooting section
for your operating system.
- Read the two policies on the Network Login page, then enter your
GroupWise username and password.
If you get a username or password error, contact the User Support Center
at x4487.
- Macintosh and Linux users : You're all done. You should now
be able to access the Internet and all network services. (Note that
you will need to launch a browser and log in using the Network Login
page each time you start up your computer.)
- Windows users : If everything is fine, proceed to Part 2
below.
- If your browser freezes after you log in to the Network Login
page, you may need to install some critical Windows updates
before you can proceed:
- If you are not already using Internet Explorer, open an
Internet Explorer window.
- From the Tools menu, select Windows Update.
- Click on the Express button to scan for missing critical
updates, install any missing critical updates, then restart your
computer.
Part 2. Installing the Clean Access Agent (Windows Vista, XP & 2000)
If you don't already have the Clean Access Agent software installed
on your computer, you will be prompted to install it the first time you
complete the Network Registration logon.
- The Network Security Notice page will open. Scroll
to the bottom of the page and click on the DownloadClean
Access Agent button.
- In the Download window, select Open or Run.
If neither of these options is available:
- Click Save and save the file to your desktop.
- Double-click on the installer file on your desktop to start the
installation
.
- In the File Download Security Warning window, click Run.
- If you see an Internet Explorer Security Warning, click Run.
- If you see a message saying that a security window is open, locate
the window in your taskbar, click on it to make it visible, and click Yes.
- When the InstallShield Wizard window opens, click Next.
- In the Destination Folder window, click Next.
- In the Ready to Install window, click Install. The
program will begin installing.
- In the Install Wizard Completed window, click Finish.
- After a few seconds, the Clean Access Agent login window
will open.
- Proceed to Part 3 below.
Part 3. Using the Clean Access Agent (Windows Vista, XP & 2000)
- In the Clean Access Agent window, enter your GroupWise username
and password. In the Authentication Provider drop-down menu:
Note: If you already have the Clean Access Agent installed
on your computer, you may be prompted to install a new version when
you log in. Follow the instructions in the previous section starting
at step 2.
- If you see a Security Alert window, click Yes.
- If you see a warning messageasking if you want to allow Clean Access
to connect to your system or launch a program, click Always Allow.
- The Agent will begin scanning your computer. If it finds that all
required anti-virus software and Windows updates are installed,
you will see a message that you are successfully logged in to the network.
- Click OK to close the window. After about 15 seconds, you
will be able to open a browser window and access the Internet and all
network services.
____________________
- If the Agent finds that any required software is missing, you will
see the following "You have temporary access" window:

- Click Continue and follow the instructions on each screen.
Note: If you are missing multiple required elements, you may
need to complete several steps and restart your computer one or more
times before the Agent says you have successfully logged in to the
network.
- When you get a successful login, click OK to close the Agent
window. After about 15 seconds, you will be able to access the Internet
and all network services.
Windows VISTA Troubleshooting Guide
NOTE : The troubleshooting process described below does not work
with Mozilla Firefox. Please use Internet Explorer instead. Once
your connection is established, you can switch to Firefox any time you
want.
- If you see the error message below in Internet Explorer,
click on Diagnose Connection Problems.

- You will see the window below. If it is followed by a window advising
you how to fix the problem, follow the instructions on the screen.

- If the diagnostic program says that you don't have a working network
connection:
- Unplug and re-plug each end of your Ethernet cable to ensure
that it is plugged securely into your system unit and the dataport
in the wall.
- If you still can't connect, check to see if there is another
dataport in your room. Some rooms have more than one port, but
only one may be active. If there is another dataport, connect to
that one and restart your computer.
- If you still can't connect, swap Ethernet cables with someone
whose computer can connect and try again. If you can connect in
your room with the borrowed cable, throw out your old cable and
buy a new one from the Smith Computer Store or any other provider.
- If you still can't connect, the data port itself may be faulty.
To confirm this, try connecting to the network in another room
with a known working dataport.
- If your computer connects properly in another room, call the
User Support Center at x4487 to report your faulty dataport.
- If Windows
can repair the the connection problem itself, you will see the
window below. Click on the Close button, and return to page 2 to
continue registering your computer on the Smith network.
Windows XP & 2000 Troubleshooting Guide 1. Release and renew your IP address:
- Click Start, then Run. The Run dialog box will appear.
- In the Open field, enter: cmd
- Click OK. An MS-DOS window will appear.
- At the C:\> prompt, enter: ipconfig /release
- At the next C:\> prompt, enter: ipconfig /renew
- When the renewal process is completed, you will see a group of
numbers in the IP Address field. If your IP Address begins
with 131.229, you can resume the registration process.
Note: If you try to open a browser window and still see
a "page
cannot be displayed" message, enter http://caser1.smith.edu in the address field of your browser window and proceed with network
registration.
If that address doesn't work, try http://caser2.smith.edu or http://caser3.smith.edu.
If none of these work, contact the User Support Center at x4487.
- If you get an error message, or your IP address does not begin
with 131.229, proceed to the cable and
dataport troubleshooting section.
2. Verify that your Ethernet card is properly installed and enabled:
- Right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and
select Properties from the pop-up menu.
- Click on the Hardware tab, then the Device Manager button.
- Click on the + sign next to Network Adapters.
- If you have a wireless card installed on your computer:
- Double-click on the name of your wireless card.
- Click on “Disable
when network is not present”.
- Click OK.
- Double-click on the name of your Ethernet card.
- If your Ethernet card is listed as working properly, proceed to
the cable and dataport troubleshooting section.
- If your Ethernet card is not listed or you receive a message that
there is a problem with the device, proceed to the ethernet
card installation troubleshooting section.
Ethernet Card Installation Troubleshooting
If your Ethernet card is not listed, or the Properties screen states
that there is a problem with the device, your computer is not recognizing
the card as properly installed. If you installed the card yourself, refer
to the manufacturer’s instructions for troubleshooting hardware
installations.
If you bought your computer through the Smith Computer
Store, call the User Support Center at x4487 to schedule a time to have
your card checked.
Otherwise, click
here for a list of local computer repair
companies that give discounted rates to Smith students.
Cable and Dataport Troubleshooting
- Unplug and re-plug each end of your Ethernet cable to ensure that
it is plugged securely into your system unit and the dataport in
the wall.
- If you still can't connect, check to see if there is another dataport
in your room. Some rooms have more than one port, but only one
may be active. If there is another dataport, connect to that one and
restart your computer.
- If you still can't connect, swap Ethernet cables with someone whose
computer can connect and try again. If you can connect in your
room with the borrowed cable, throw out your old cable and buy a new
one from the Smith Computer Store or any other provider.
- If you still can't connect, the data port itself may be faulty.
To confirm this, try connecting to the network in another room
with a known working dataport.
- If your computer connects properly in another room, call the User
Support Center at x4487 to report your faulty dataport.
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