Disclaimer: I speak for myself, not for Information Resources & Technology - Network Support or CSUS.

This document is written for, and intended to be read by, IRT staff and CSUS departmental ICCs.

PC moves and network information

(Note: PC means "personal computer", not "IBM PC"; it includes Apple Macintosh computers.)

To maintain proper function of the CSUS networks, and the accuracy of the records kept by IRT's network support group, we need the following information sent to iprequest@csus.edu (there is no charge for this service) when anything happens to a networked PC:

• Ethernet number of the NIC (network interface card)
• State ID
• IP number (determine this before disconnecting the old PC)
• User name or PC function (for domain name)
• Jack number (Voice = white, Data = gray, Network = orange)
• Building and room number (sometimes it differs from that on the jack)
• What happened. Be descriptive; if we have to guess at what happened, we may not make the correct updates, and things won't work.

For replacements, we need to know what happened to the old PC, because if we assign the old PC's IP to the new PC and the old PC is re-connected, one or both PCs' IP will fail.

If there is no old PC present when you get there, try to find out if there was one there recently; sometimes the moves happen without us. If there was, try to get the old PC state ID, at least, and its Ethernet number and IP number if possible, and we'll try to catch it when it gets re-connected.

Try not to move NICs from PC to PC unless user needs require it, for example when a user has not bought a new NIC for a new PC.

Background

As a matter of principle, IP numbers and domain names belong to users or functions rather than to PCs or net cards. It only takes 1 edit to change the NIC-IP assignment, and 3 to update a domain name. The domain name reflects the user name because if we have the user name, we can look it up in any of several name-indexed databases and get location, job title, department, phone number, etc.

IP numbers (of the form 130.86.nnn.nnn on the CSUS networks) can be assigned several ways:

1. by bootp or DHCP, a process which assigns an IP number over the network in response to a request from a node with a particular Ethernet number (DHCP is used by Win95 computers, newer Macs, and some printers; bootp is used by MS-DOS/Windows computers, older Macs, and just about everything else).
2. by running NETSET.EXE when logging in to a Novell server; this sets environment variables of a node with a particular Ethernet number as specified by the NETSET.DAT file, and environment variables can be used to set IP. Netset is obsolete, and should be replaced by bootp/DHCP wherever found.
3. by setting environment variables directly.
4. by entering IP numbers into the configuration boxes in Winsock or MacTCP.

The last 2 ways are unacceptable. If you find a PC with a locally coded IP, set it to use bootp/DHCP; if this causes it to fail, treat it as a new IP and send the relevant info to iprequest@csus.edu.

Ethernet and IP numbers can be determined in several ways:

• Open the PC up and read the Ethernet number off the NIC.
• MS-DOS: with LAN drivers loaded, run MSD and select Network.
• MS-DOS: the net card driver (usually SMC8000 or SMCPWR) reports the Ethernet number while loading.
• MS-DOS: log in to a server and run TELNET. It will report Ethernet number and bootp status (including IP number if successful) before going into server mode.
• MS-DOS: log in to a Novell server and type USERLIST /A and look for the line with the asterisk; that’s your login, and it includes the Ethernet number it came from.
• Windows 3.1: open the Winsock icon (run TCPMAN.EXE if necessary) and look at the status screen, which should report Ethernet number and bootp status (including IP number if successful). If it gives an IP number and says nothing about bootp, the IP is locally coded; check environment variables and Winsock setup.
• Windows 95/98/Me: run WINIPCFG.EXE. If the text box says "Dial-Up Adapter" and the Adapter Address is "44-45-53-54-00-00", that's NOT the ethernet number! Use the pulldown on the right and select the ethernet adapter instead. The Ethernet address is in the Adapter Address box. The window will also show DHCP status (including IP number if successful).
• Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista: "ipconfig /all" in a command-line window. Note that a PC may have several network interfaces; the section we want should be under "Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection" or something similar. The wireless LAN adapter, VPN adapter, etc. info is not useful for this.
• Windows NT/2000/XP: click Start - Settings - Network Connections. Doubleclick the line for your wired network adapter. Click the Support tab and then the Details button.
• Macintosh (older) : Apple, Control Panels, Network, hold open-apple + click on Ethernet to display the Ethernet number. Opening MacTCP reports the IP number.
• Macintosh (Open Transport): load the Mac Net Tools diskette Brennan has put together to find the Ethernet number. Opening TCP/IP reports the IP number.
• Macintosh (System 8/9): Apple, Control Panels, TCP/IP, click on Info. If the hardware address doesn't show up in the Info panel, close the Info panel, select Edit from the top bar, User Mode, Advanced, OK, then click Info again.
• Macintosh (OS X): Apple, Location, click on Network Preferences. Select Built-in Ethernet in the Show bar (if it isn't already.) The current IP address and the Ethernet number are displayed on the panel.