| Index A-Z | Apply Now | From the Chancellor | Visitors | Alumni | People Finder | For the Media | For Parents | Jobs |

| SalukiNet | Intranet | Athletics | Public Events Calendar | Weather | Search SIUC

Getting Started on the Internet

Printable Version

The computer you bring to SIUC should have a modem installed if you plan to dial into the Internet, or an ethernet card installed if you plan to live in an on-campus residence hall and connect to the Internet via ethernet. If you plan to use a modem, you will need a standard telephone cable for the modem, and if you plan to use ethernet, you will need the RJ-45 cable that came with the card. You will need a computer account at SIU if you want to use the Internet. There is no charge for this account. This account will have a name, which is your computer ID, and an e-mail account will be created based on that ID. These IDs are protected by the network security system, and so your account is called a "Network ID." If your Network ID is myname, your e-mail address will be myname@siu.edu. This ID and its accompanying password will let you dial in, check e-mail, and request ethernet service. E-mail software and a web browser are built-in to your computer's operating system, and you can also opt to download other software from SIUC at no charge. If you need assistance, call Information Technology's Computer Support Center at 453-5155.

The Four Basics

Connecting to the Internet and using services like e-mail and the World Wide Web at SIUC requires four basic items:

1. A microcomputer (PC or Macintosh)

2. A modem or Ethernet card (also known as a Network Interface Card, or NIC). You will also need an RJ-45 cable for the ethernet card (which should have been supplied with the card). The modem uses a regular telephone line.

3. A network computer account and ID. Students who want to use ethernet in the residence halls will also need to subscribe to ethernet service per semester.

4. Application software (e.g., e-mail, web browsers)

Most people know about the first two items--the computer, modem, and ethernet card--and usually arrive at SIUC with the required hardware. However, it's not possible to simply plug in, login, and go, unless you also have the last two items, a network computer ID (and ethernet account when applicable) and software.

When we say Network ID, we mean the name of your computer account, which you choose (e.g., myname). The system will automatically generate an e-mail address for you based on the account name, e.g., myname@siu.edu. All SIUC students, faculty, and staff are allowed one computer account at no charge. You can request an account from a live link in the next paragraph. The security system generates a default password for the ID, or account, and you should change the default to a password only you can know. This ID and password combination will then allow access to the computers (usually called "servers") maintained by Information Technology. In some cases, your department or unit maintains its own servers, in which case you will not need to pass through Information Technology's network security system, and you would need to apply for an account from your department or unit.

And when we say "Application software," we mean the program(s) you will use to accomplish a given task, such as send and receive electronic mail or surf the world wide web.

The ID

Let's assume you have a computer and a modem, ethernet card, or both installed in the computer. This is the hardware you need to connect to the SIUC Campus Area Network (CAN) and and to branch out from there onto the Internet. However, no amount of hardware can make this connection without an account, or ID, from Information Technology. Getting this ID lets you use the University as your Internet Service Provider. All SIUC staff, faculty members, and students are entitled to one ID. All IT computing IDs are registered in the network security system, so they're called Network IDs. You can read more about the network system in general on the Information Technology Security Services page, or you can request an ID directly from https://websec.it.siu.edu/util/id_request.html. Be sure to read Information Technology's Operations Policy, which is at URL www.siu.edu/~botmeet/Sept03/903itpolicy.pdf (this document requires the Adobe Acrobat reader to view it).

Your ID will consist of a name you choose, such as myname. This is your permanent Network ID. It will be copied to the mail server if you answer Yes when the system asks if you want e-mail access), so it's also the permanent name of your mailbox, e.g., myname@siu.edu. You can opt to activate this ID for other functions at SIUC, such as access to the Compute Server, at URL https://websec.it.siu.edu/util/id_update.html. Activating your Network ID for Unix lets you use the computing software on the server (SAS, SPSS, etc.).

The network system will create a default password consisting of the last four digits of your social security number concatenated to your PIN: two digits for your day of birth and the last two digits of your birth year. If you were born on the ninth day of any month in 1976, your PIN would be 0976. So if your SSN ends in 1234 and your PIN is 0976, your Network Password will be 12340976. You'll need to enter your Network ID and Network Password to enter the SIUC system, regardless of what software you plan to use (e.g., Eudora or Netscape).

You should change your default password as soon as possible; you can do so from https://websec.it.siu.edu/util/passwd.html. You must change your password before you can request an ethernet account.

If you live in one of the University's on-campus residence halls and want ethernet service, you will also need to use your Network ID and password to request ethernet service. If you have an ethernet card in your computer and have your ethernet cable connected either directly into the ethernet wall jack or into a hub you share with a roomate, when you open your web browser you will automatically see the Rez-Net screen. If you already have a Network ID and you have changed your password, just click the "Ethernet Sign-up" button on the Rez-Net screen. You will be asked a few questions and then you will be told your bursar account will be billed for a semester's ethernet service. The fee is for one semester only; you need to reapply for service each semester.

The Software

The software you need to communicate with the Internet consists of two basic types:

1. Communication software, which in our case is TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). TCP/IP is the Internet's "lingua franca": at this writing, all transactions between computers around the Internet, including SIUC, are conducted via the protocols contained within TCP/IP. You must have this suite of Internet protocols on your hard drive, regardless of whether you are dialling in or connecting via ethernet. The good news about this large, complex bundle of protocols is that it is already included in your operating system, whether Windows or Macintosh. When you tell your computer you want to dial in or connect via ethernet, its operating system automatically finds the TCP/IP on your hard drive and configures it for whatever task you are requesting. TCP/IP and its functions should remain completely "transparent" to you, meaning it runs in the background out of sight.

2. The Internet software applications you want to use, which for most of us includes e-mail (Eudora, Outlook, etc.) and a web browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.). Some users who wish to log in to remote servers or mainframes will also need the Telnet program.

You'll always need the first portion--a communication manager--to negotiate transactions across the Internet. The second portion will vary--e-mail, a web browser, telnet, whatever--depending on what you want to do. It's a horse-and-cart combination. Think of the communication manager as a horse and your software application as a cart: they need each other to get anything done. Your communication manager is useless without an application to pull, and your application can't go anywhere without the manager to pull it. You'll be hitching them together by dialing in or signing on to ethernet, letting the communication manager negotiate a connection between your modem or NIC and SIU's Campus Area Network (CAN), and then activating whatever application you want to use.