Can I use an Apple Time Capsule on ResNet?
Devices like Apple's Time Capsule are increasing in popularity, but can cause problems if used incorrectly on the Boston University campus network. Because the problems such a device might cause can have a far-reaching effect, it's very important that any such device be configured according to these instructions so that it does not disrupt other students' network access. Failure to follow these instructions may result in your device disrupting network access for an entire floor, which in turn may result in your own network access being disabled.
While these instructions are written specifically for Apple's Time Capsule, the concepts may be applied to other, similar devices.
How to configure your device safely and correctly
1. Make sure you have already registered your computer on the network
Before connecting your Time Capsule, make sure that you have already successfully completed the process to register your computer on the network.
2. Connect the device
The way in which you connect your Time Capsule is critically important. Please follow these instructions closely.
First, unplug your computer from the Ethernet wall jack in your room and,
instead, connect the Time Capsule's WAN port (marked with 
)
to the Ethernet wall jack.
Next, connect your computer to one of the LAN ports on the Time Capsule. The LAN ports are marked with 
.
3. Configure the device
Once you have the device connected to the wall, and your computer connected to the device, open Airport Utility, which can be found in the Utilities folder in your Applications folder. Airport Utility will let you configure the device appropriately and set security options to protect your data.
Airport Utility will display your Time Capsule on the left. Because some of the settings that need to be specified fall under the advanced category, you should click the "Manual Setup" button at the bottom of the main screen.
On the next screen, click the "Time Capsule" tab at the top. Set the Time Capsule Name to something unique, but choose a name that does not identify you or your room number. Pick a strong password, but do not use your Kerberos password. Be sure to uncheck "Allow configuration over Ethernet WAN port and "Advertise configuration globally using Bonjour". Turning these off will prevent others from being able to access the settings for your device.
Next, click on the wireless tab. You should set Wireless to inactive, as wireless devices are prohibited for use with ResNet. If you live in an off-campus residence, it is OK to leave wireless on, but you should be sure that the network name is unique (not something that identifies you personally) and that an encryption option such as WPA2 is enabled and a strong password is set. Again, if you are living in a residence hall, wireless should be disabled.
Next, select the Internet icon at the top of the window. At the bottom of the window, set the Connection Sharing menu to "Off (Bridge Mode)".
Next, click on the Disks icon at the top of the window. Click the File Sharing tab, and be sure that a password is set, and that guest access is disabled. These settings will help ensure that your data is kept private.
4. Register each device on the network
Once your Time Capsule has been configured, you must register it on the network. In AirPort Utility, select the AirPort icon and then the Summary tab. Make a note of the Ethernet ID:
Next, open a Web browser and go to the manual registration page. Select "Manual registration", and enter the Ethernet ID of your Time Capsule into the MAC address box, then click "Submit Query". On the next page, select "Other" as the system type, and enter a description such as "Time Capsule", then click the submit button. Once you get the confirmation page, switch back to Airport Utility, go the the "Base Station" menu, and select "Restart…". Once the Time Capsule has restarted, you should be fully connected to the network.
You will be able to access the storage functions of your Time Capsule any time that your computer is connected to it via Ethernet. It is important that you use the settings above to ensure that no one else in your Residence Hall can access your data, and you should not share the password you used to protect the device.