Frequently Asked Questions (And Answers Too!)

• Where can I get help?
  

  First, check to see if this list answers your question. Second, talk to your RA. She/he will have a list of people who can help you with your problem. Neither the Academic Computing helpdesk or the Information Technologies helpdesk are able to answer questions about the residence hall networks. You can also try to contact Residence Services Technology Services for more information.

• What is the difference between this connection and my old modem?
  

  A Fast Ethernet card operates at speeds of 100 million bits per second (Mbps), whereas your typical modern modem speed is around 40,000 bits per second. You also don't have to dial anywhere with an ethernet card, and it doesn't use your phone line.

• Can I still use my old AOL account?
  

  Probably. You cannot use your modem while you are connected to the campus network, because then your computer would get two different addresses and wouldn't know which one to use. Some AOL programs and drivers may also interfere with the programs and drivers needed to connect to the campus network. You should contact AOL for help setting up access using the campus network.

• How do I get an email account and address?
  

  Undergraduate students:

  • Tampa:
    • College of Engineering: Go to College of Engineering Computing.
    • College of Medicine: Go to Medicine Information Services.
    • Everyone else: Go to Academic Computing (6th Floor of Library.)
  • Sarasota: Go to Sarasota Campus Computing.
  • St. Petersburg: Go to St. Petersburg Campus Computing.

  Graduate students, please ask your department who the computing services provider for you is.

• What kind of an Ethernet Card should I buy? What do I tell the salesperson? Where should I buy it?
  

  Most new computers are already equipped with compatible built-in network cards. If yours isn't, you should get a 100 Mbps / Fast Ethernet capable Ethernet card. We recommend you pick a card from a well-known vendor such as Intel, 3Com or SMC, because they have better driver support and will address any problems that may show up in a responsible manner. You can also use a legacy 10 Mbps card, but you won't be able to take full advantage of the network speeds.

  The campus bookstore sells all the necessary equipment and installation services, as do most other computer stores.

• What about Gigabit?
  

  Currently all student connections are switched, full-duplex 100 Mbps. For now there are no plans to provide gigabit connectivity to student rooms / apartments, as gigabit switching equipment is still prohibitively expensive. Few computers can take full advantage of even a 100 Mbps connection, so gigabit is really of little use to end-users.

• What about the cable to connect the computer to the wall jack?
  

  That cable must be a Category 5 (Cat 5, Cat V, 100MHz) cable or better. When purchasing it, just saying 'Category 5 Ethernet patch cable' should be enough. Do not use cable that isn't labeled as Category 5, Category 5e or Category 6. Using such a cable will most likely lead to decreased and erratic performance. Do not place anything on top of the cable, and do not place the cable so that it will be stepped on. This disrupts the internal structure of the cable and will also lead into decreased performance and errors. Finally, avoid excessive lengths of cable, try to keep it under 20'.
  

  TechTalk
  For ethernet, especially fast ethernet to operate properly, there are strict limits to the capacitance, inductance, resistance, near end crosstalk, frequency response and propagation delay of the cable. That's why not just any old cable will do. The various cabling categories guarantee the electrical performance of the cable.

• Can I connect two computers to the same jack?
  

  No.

  TechTalk
  There are things called splitters that let you plug in two computers in one jack, but the use of them requires that the jack is wired differently. If you have more than one computer, you can only connect one at a time. (Unless, of course, you can manage to let your roommate give up his or her connection.) Also, do not connect any active devices such as wireless access points, SoHo routers, switches or hubs to the network ports. If you have legitimate special requirements, please contact Residence Services Computing.

• What's an IP address and DHCP?
  

  To communicate with other computers on the Internet, your computer must speak a language called TCP/IP. The IP address is the name of your machine in this language. However, the IP address isn't hardwired into the computer, and if people get careless, two computers could end up with the same IP address. This would be bad, because then neither could browse the web or log on to check email, since other machines can't tell these two apart! To prevent this from happening we use a technology called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, since you asked), that keeps track of IP addresses and hands unused ones out to computers when they are started.
  The other benefit of DHCP is that it automatically configures your computer with other network information, such as netmasks, broadcast addresses, DNS addresses and so forth.

• Dos and Don'ts (rules, rules, and more rules)
  

  There is a set of rules that you will have to agree to when you register your computer on the residence halls network. This chapter elaborates on a few of those rules.

  Some major problems are spamming (mass-mailing, or mass-posting or otherwise bothering people with electronic junk mail), hacking (trying to gain unauthorized access to computers or other similar equipment for whatever purposes), copyright infringements —copyright laws still apply on the Internet!—and distributing indecent or otherwise forbidden material, such as putting up a web site with pornographic images in violation with state or federal law, or software that violates copyright laws.

  Among other entities the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) monitors things like mp3 archives, and have found, shut down, and followed up on them even at USF. You really don't want to mess up your life by getting caught doing something like that.

  Offenses that are less likely to throw you into jail for the rest of your natural life are mostly the same as in everyday life—being obnoxious, impolite or outright harassing. Use common sense and treat everyone with the same courtesy they would receive in a face-to-face conversation. It's not nice to wake up when someone bangs on your door with a baseball bat because you managed to upset their girl/boyfriend.

  The speed of the network is high but not limitless, and you share it with your neighbors and ultimately everyone else on campus, so misusing it on purpose is also bad. Chain letters are prohibited, in part because the often include false rumors or illegal pyramid schemes, in part because they annoy people and finally because they tend to congest machines handling your mail. Often seemingly innocent requests to send email to a young cancer patient so that she/he can get into the book of records may just be plots to collect email-addresses for marketing purposes, or attempts to get someone's mailbox stuffed in revenge for something.

  For a very thorough explanation on manners and the Internet see RFC 1941

• What should I name my computer?
  

  The name of your computer should be unique - picking any celebrity or cartoon character is likely to be duplicated by someone else. Something generic like your room number works best, but if you don't feel comfortable with that try to be as original as possible.

  TechTalk
  The name mentioned above refers to Microsoft Networking. The real DNS name of the IP you receive from the DHCP server is fixed. We cannot entertain requests for special names (your address changes randomly due to DHCP anyway), and due to legal reasons registering your own domain name to point at a USF address is NOT allowed.

• What's a MAC address? What's an Ethernet address?
  

  Every computer (actually every network interface card, NIC) has a unique address, called MAC, hardware or Ethernet address. Ethernet is the name of a technology computers use to talk to each other. The addresses make it possible for other computers to know who's talking and to whom, in much the same way you get John's attention in a crowd by starting your comment to him with his name. This address is assigned when the network card is manufactured and cannot be changed.

  This address is different from the IP address earlier. Your MAC address is more like your room number, whereas the IP address is akin to the mailing address of your residence hall.

  TechTalk
  The MAC address consists of six bytes, which are usually expressed in hexadecimal notation, resulting in addresses that are 12 characters long. The first three bytes of the address reveal the manufacturer of the card.