Getting your computer on the network

If you've just arrived at Downing, or just got a computer and would like to be able to access the Internet and email from your room, read on... Note that not all rooms have a network socket, so make sure you check first!

1. What you need

• A computer- desktop or laptop
• An 10/100BaseT Ethernet network card. There are different types for desktops and laptops. Any good computer store (eg Maplins on Regent Street) should be able to sell you one. If you're lucky, your computer might already have one!
• A data network connection form - pick one up from the porters' lodge. You have to fill in and return this, and in a couple of days you'll receive your network connection pack.
• Your network connection pack which will be sent to you after you complete the form. It includes a 'cheat sheet' of numbers that you need to connect and a network cable.
• £25 per term - this gets put on your College bill.

2. Installing the Ethernet card

This involves opening up your computer and slotting in the card in the right place - follow the instructions that came with your card. If you're unhappy about opening up your computer, ask a tech-savvy friends or contact the Student Computer Assistants. Then you'll have to install the software that comes with the card - this usually comes on a floppy disk. You might need your original operating system CD. Again, see the instructions that come with your card for more details.

3. Putting in all the numbers

Once the card has been installed, you need the 'cheat sheet' sent to you when you signed up for a connection. The instructions below are for Windows 95/98/ME, but it should be simple enough to adapt them for other operating systems. Windows XP sometimes manages to connect to the network automatically!

• Instructions for Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME
• Instructions for Windows XP
• Instructions for other operating systems

3a. Windows 95/98/ME

Click on the Start button and choose Settings > Control Panel. Then double-click on the Network icon.

A dialogue box will appear with several tabs.

First, click on the Identification tab. For Computer Name, enter your 'Host Name' from the cheat sheet, eg spq32. Optionally, you can add a workgroup (many people put their staircase letter/house number) eg 32 Lensfield or M and a description eg Simon's Computer.

Now click on the Configuration tab. In the list of 'network components', you need to click on the component called something similar to TCP/IP -> Ethernet 10/100T which has a small plug icon. Now click on Properties. The new dialogue box has lots of tabs and you need to change values in three of them.

• Click the IP Address tab.
• Make sure Specify an IP address is selected.
• In the IP Address box, type in the 'IP address' from your cheat sheet (the number will begin 131.111.195 or 131.111.252). Also enter the Subnet Mask (which will be 255.255.255.0).

• Click on the Gateway tab
• In the New gateway box type in the 'Gateway' number given on your cheat sheet.
• Click the Add button to add it to the 'Installed gateways' list

• Click on the DNS Configuration tab
• Click Enable DNS if it is not already selected
• In the Host box, enter your UserID/hostname again eg spq32
• In Domain, enter dow.cam.ac.uk
• Enter the two DNS numbers from the cheat sheet, which will probably be 131.111.8.42 and 131.111.12.20, into the DNS server search order list, remembering to click on the Add button after each entry.

Nearly done! Now click OK to return to the Network Control Panel, and OK again to confirm your settings. You'll probably be prompted to restart your computer; and you may require your Windows CD again. Now you can move on to setting up programs

4. Setting up programs

To set up your web-browser, see Setting up your browser

To set up email, see Setting up email.

5. Staying safe and secure

Beware! Your computer is now connected to the Internet whenever it is switched on - that means that anyone around the world could attempt to connect to it. Here are some tips to follow:

• Update your software with all the latest patches. Windows users visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com
• Install a virus checker and keep it up to date. There's free anti-virus software you can install at http://www-tus.csx.cam.ac.uk/virus/index.html
• Consider installing a personal firewall. Windows XP includes one (though you have to switch it on), or you can download the free version of ZoneAlarm from www.zonealarm.com.

6. Don't abuse it!

The University gets charged for all internet traffic coming into and out of the College and people who use up too much bandwidth will be warned. You'll be fine if you're using the WWW and email, but using file-sharing programs to share large movie files is likely to incur the wrath of the IT department. Be sensible about the amounts you download, and don't leave file-sharing programs running in the background.