international sTUDENT GUIDE TO THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY NETWORK
Dear CELOP and other international students,
Welcome to Boston University! The information on this page will help you use the BU network. If you have any problems or questions, you should contact the Personal Computing Support Center (PCSC) at 617-353-7272 or (for CELOP students) the CELOP Multimedia Language Lab (MLL).
Help in Your Language
Many international students work at the PCSC. When you call, please tell us if your computer is in English or another language and/or if you would like to speak with someone in your language.
What are NetReg and BUVS?
To access the Internet from a Boston University residence, you must register your computer one time only on the BU network through a process called NetReg.
The NetReg process for Windows computers includes a Microsoft patch and virus scan called BUVS. There are several things you can do in advance to make sure that the BUVS scan goes quickly, and to make sure that you do not have a problem connecting to the BU network. NOTE: Mac OS X users do not have to run BUVS.
REQUIRED: Make sure your Windows operating system is legal.
If you are using an "illegal" (borrowed, or unlicensed) copy of Windows, BUVS will not work and you will not be able to go through NetReg or access the BU network until you have a legitimate copy of Windows.
If you have a PC with Microsoft Windows, you should bring legal Windows software CD/DVDs with you to Boston University.
- Bring legal copies of the Windows system software with you to BU, OR
- be prepared to purchase an English-language version of Windows at University Computers when you arrive in Boston.
REQUIRED-If you are running Windows Vista, you will be all set. However, if you have Windows XP, make sure it has been updated to Service Pack 2.
You should turn
on Automatic Updates and allow any software updates that you need. If you have Windows XP, one of these
updates is called Service Pack 2
(or SP2). Note: you cannot NetReg Windows
XP without SP2... and you cannot
run the SP2 update if you have an illegal copy of
Windows.
| Note
to Macintosh users: If you use a Macintosh computer, you can ignore the two Windows steps above, but it is still very important to bring your Mac OS CDs with you to Boston University. |
Remove viruses and spyware
Please remove viruses and spyware from your computer before using the BU network. BUVS will scan your computer , but if it is already clean, the process will go faster. Please see www.bu.edu/pcsc/safe/ to download utilities to clean your computer. If you already have a BU username and Kerberos password, you can even use BUVS as a virus removal tool. You must still run BUVS during NetReg. However, if you have already run it once, that should help it to go faster.
REQUIRED: Use DHCP to obtain an IP address automatically.
As a student at BU you should not enter a static IP address into your Local Area Connection Properties. Once you have properly registered on the network, an IP address will be assigned to you through DHCP. Giving yourself (or any friends you are helping) a specific IP address will disrupt your network access in the long run, even if it seems to work initially.
REQUIRED: You will need an Ethernet cable.
Most dorm rooms at Boston University use wired Ethernet, not wireless (WiFi). For wired Ethernet, you will need an Ethernet cable. Any RJ45 Ethernet cable (such as "Cat 5") will work, but if you want to buy one from BU it will cost $5 and is available at University Computers in Kenmore Square.
REQUIRED: If you use wireless on campus, use only the Boston University "123" wireless network.
Your Internet access at BU will probably be a combination of wireless and wired Ethernet. The Boston University wireless (WiFi) network is available from many of the common areas across campus, but not from most dorm rooms. See a partial list of wireless locations on campus at www.bu.edu/pcsc/wireless/.
You cannot set up an independent wireless access point (WAP) on the BU campus. If you are on campus and your computer sees any network other than the "123" network, you should not use it. Even if it works temporarily, it will eventually be shut down by BU.
REQUIRED: To use the "123" wireless network you will need VPN software.
To use the BU wireless (WiFi) network "123," you will need a BU login and free VPN (Virtual Private Network) software. You download the VPN client software, install it on your computer, and use it to login securely to the BU wireless (WiFi) network. Instructions are at www.bu.edu/pcsc/vpn/.
Open this application when you want a wireless connection on campus. Some non-English versions of Windows may have trouble with the automated installer. If this happens to you, follow the instructions at www.bu.edu/pcsc/vpn/clients/index.html.
Can I use wireless devices (like a WLAN phone) on the BU wireless network?
No. There is no way to use it on the BU wireless network, unless you can locate a client for the device that will work with our particular implementation of the Cisco VPN solution. (If the device can be used with an Ethernet cable, then it will work. However, you will first need to register it at www.bu.edu/pcsc/ethernet/devicereg/)
Can I use other wireless devices on the BU network?
It depends on the device. Please see our related page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/handheld/.
Using your BU e-mail account
You can access your BU e-mail account at www.bu.edu/webmail/, forward your mail to another existing e-mail account as described at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure/forwarding/, or configure a desktop e-mail application with the instructions at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/. Please see the www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/ page for help with all other topics related to BU e-mail.
