Connect your private machine

You can access our systems using our network in several ways.

Far the easiest and safest way is to use our VPN client.

How to connect your private machine

The purpose of this document

After having completed this guide, your private machine will have network access to the Internet and the Department's internal network. It will be able to print with the costs being debited to your printing account and you will able to transfer files between the public machines and your computer.

The Department's Internet connection is paid for partially on basis of the size of the generated traffic. Furthermore, the network linking the danish universities is supported economically by the government. The network is therefore to be used for education and research primarily. It is not be used for purposes that are illegal and/or may harm the university's reputation. Use of the network for download/distribution of copyrighted multimedia data (e.g sharing music using P2P tools) conflicts with these guidelines.

Prerequisites

If you want to connect using an ordinary, non-wireless network connection, you'll need to find an active wall outlet for plugging in your network cable. In a public area intended for connecting private computers, all connectors will be active. In an office, however, not all wall outlets may be active. If you are in doubt whether the outlet you want to use is active, please email the the hardware workshop. in order to have it activated. Please include the ID printed on the outlet.

You will also need a valid username and password for the Department's systems. If you do not have any, please contact the systems staff.

Setting up DHCP

After having physically connected your machine to the network, configure it to request an address using DHCP. Please see below how to do this. Then try enter some web page using a web browser. The request will be automatically redirected to a self registration form. Please fill it out and press submit. If everything goes well, your machine has been registered with the DHCP server and you'll be requested to reboot. After your machine comes up, you'll be able to work normally. If something goes wrong, feel free to contact the systems staff, e.g by sending an email to staff. Please supply information about what you did and what happened (including any error messages encountered).

Linux

RedHat Linux: edit (as superuser) the file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0.

DEVICE=eth0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes

Execute the command /etc/rc.d/init.d/network restart.

Windows 2000/XP

Open StartMenu->Settings->Network and dial-up connections; Right-click "Local Area Connection" and select "Properties". Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)". Make sure that both "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" are selected, and click OK in both windows.
In the StartMenu->Settings->ControlPanel doubleclick "System". Under "Network Identification" click "Properties" and under "Member of" select "Workgroup" and name it WORKGROUP.

Windows 98

Open StartMenu->Settings->Control Panel. Open the Network Control Panel. Select "TCP/IP" and click "Properties". Select getting an automatic address in the Ip address section. Deactive WINS in the WINS section. In the gateway section make sure that no gateways are configured. Deactivate DNS in the DNS configuration section. Click OK to activate the changes. Click the 'Identification' tab and set the set the machine workgroup to WORKGROUP. Restart the machine.
IMPORTANT: Note that to be able to print and access your network files, you'll have to enable usernames on your machine and use your username as the Windows username.

OSX Macs

Start the "System preferences" tool and click the "Network" icon to be found in the section "Internect & Network". Select the relevant network card using the Show menu. Using the Configure menu, select 'Using DHCP'. Click 'Apply now'.

OS9 Macs

Open the control panel "TCP/IP". The field "Connect via" should be set to "Ethernet". The field "Configure" should be "Using DHCP Server". Please also open the "AppleTalk" control panel and make sure that the field "Connect via" reads "Ethernet".

Using the wireless network

The wireless network is implemented as a carrier network (the "Boeing" net) which contains wireless base stations and clients. To connect to the carrier network you'll have to go through a self registration process working the same way as the one described in the previous chapter. To be able to access network resources outside the carrier network, you'll need a VPN client. At the moment you have to be connected to the wired network to get one. Please refer to this guide for instructions and software. The VPN client ensures that wireless network access is only possible for registered users and encrypts the air traffic meaning that your privacy is guaranteed.

Setting up printing

This section describes how to access the printers from your private machine. Please note that you'll have to pay for your print.

Linux

Windows 2000/XP

  • Open Internetexplorer and enter the URL: \\neogene\
  • When prompted for username enter DAIMI_NT\unix username where unix username is your UNIX username.
  • Enter your UNIX password when prompted.
  • You are presented with a list of all printers. Doubleclick the icon representing the printer you want to install.
  • Repeat this procedure whenever you reboot your machine.

Windows 98

  • In Startmenu->Settings->Printers select "Add Printer".
  • Choose "Network Printer" and specify
    \\neogene\printername
    as the path. Please substitute printername with the name of the printer you want to add.
    IMPORTANT: Note that to be able to print and access your network files, you'll have to enable usernames on your machine and use your username as the Windows username.

OSX Macs

Your username on the Mac has to be the same as the username used in the self registration system. Otherwise, your printjobs will be silently thrown away.
Instructions:

  • Start the 'Print Center' tool. Click 'Add Printer'.
  • Select 'LPR Printers using IP'.
  • Write 'lpd-proxy.daimi.au.dk' in the field 'LPR Printer's Address'.
  • Deselect the box 'Use Default Queue on Server'.
  • Write the name of the printer in the field 'Queue Name'.
  • Select the model of the printer in the menu 'Printer Model'.
  • Click 'Add'.

OS9 Macs

As MacOS before OSX has no concept of users, the user is required to identify herself so that the costs can be debited to the correct account. The procedure below should be repated every time the machine has been rebooted and again if the user has not printed for some time. You should be warned that this system is very far from ideal. You may consider upgrading to OSX.
Instructions:

  • Open the "Chooser" application found in the Apple menu.
  • Select the item "AppleShare"
  • Connect to the server "Print-login" using your username and password. Choose a volume.
  • Choose a printer using "Chooser" item "LaserWriter 8"
  • Click setup and select the correct printerdescription.

Configuring file servers

Linux

  • Create an empty directory where you want your files to appear.
  • Execute (as superuser) the command smbmount //unix/username catalogue -o username=username where the second instance of username is your username and catalogue is the absolute path to the chosen directory.

Windows 2000/XP

  • Doubleclick the desktop Icon 'My Network places'. Doubleclick 'Add Network Place'.
  • You are prompted for a location. Type \\unix\username (replace username with your username).
  • Click Finish/OK
  • Supply your username and/or password if you are asked for it.
  • If you are running Windows XP SP2 you may have to allow accessing remote file shares.

Windows Vista

  • To access \\unix the LAN Manager Authentication level must be changed.
  • Launch "Registry Editor" (regedit.exe)
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA
  • Change the value of "LMCompatibilityLevel" to 1.
    If the "LMCompatibilityLevel" entry does not exists create DWORD
    registry value and name it "LMCompatibilityLevel" and set its value to 1
  • Quit the Registry Editor
    A reboot should not be necessary.

Windows 98

  • Open the Windows Explorer (Danish: Windows Stifinder)
  • In the menu "Tools" ("Funktioner") select "Map Network Drive" (Tilslut netværksdrev).
  • Select the drive you want to be associated with your user volume.
  • In the "Folder" field specify \\unix\username (replace username with your username). Click Finish/OK and write your username and/or password then you are asked for it.

IMPORTANT: Note that to be able to print and access your network files, you'll have to enable usernames on your machine and use your username as the Windows username.

OSX Macs

  • Start the finder
  • Select Go->Connect to server
  • In the 'Address' field write smb://unix/username where username is your username.
  • Click 'Connect'
  • Log in using your username and password

OS9 Macs

Sorry, we don't support the access of UNIX files for OS9 users. Consider upgrading to OSX.

Setting up your mail client

In order to use the Daimi mailserver (which serves a lot of domains apart from daimi.au.dk) please use smtp.nfit.au.dk as SMTP server for your outgoing email.

For reading mail you need to setup an IMAP account. Please use imap.nfit.au.dk for this purpose. IMAP stores your mail/folders on the central servers making switching between machines/mail programs easy. Please access the IMAP servers using SSL as this encrypts your password. It is going to become site policy in the future. Outlook users: please refer to this guide (In danish only).  Thunderbird users: please refer to this guide.

Mail relaying (sending mails to users whose email account resides on other mail servers ) is restricted to machines on the University network and VPN users. You may however setup your mailprogram to authenticate itself before using the SMTP server for sending emails. Due to security considerations you are not to use your IMAP username/password for this purpose. Please click here to get the password to use. To keep the info away from spammers, you'll be prompted for your login user name and password.