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UCInet Mobile Access

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The UCInet Mobile Access service is an extension of the campus network which supports wired and wireless portable computer network connections in numerous locations across the campus.

Around campus, particularly in classrooms and computer labs, open network jacks are managed through UCInet Mobile Access. Using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), network addresses are issued dynamically (on request). UCI campus users are required to register the networking device they will use before connecting to UCInet at a wired Mobile Access connection point as well as in any campus wireless access zone.

UCInet Mobile Access uses an authentication scheme based on Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. A MAC address is the hardware address of the Network Interface Card (NIC) of your computer. You need to have this number while registering for the UCInet Mobile Access network and campus-wide DHCP services. Help is available online.

NACS is currently focusing on common areas where people are likely to use wireless. New coverage areas are being added on a regular basis. NACS wants to know where you would use wireless networking.

UCInet’s wireless mobile access service uses the IEEE 802.11b (“Wi-Fi”) wireless networking standard and supports connections from network cards conforming to that standard. This is a shared network technology. Like all shared networks, these networks should be presumed insecure. The Virtual Private Network (VPN) may be used to create a secure connection from UCInet Mobile Access.

NACS provides other services to help our clients with their wireless network needs. These include: free consulting, needs assessment, site survey, design, cost estimation, installation, and maintenance, and opportunities for cost sharing of equipment.

For more information, please contact NACS at nacs@uci.edu.

For information on UCInet Mobile Access
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/

For the latest in wireless coverage 
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/locations.html

For email updates on wireless coverage 
https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/ucinet-wireless

For help registering your wireless network card 
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/registration.html

For more information on the VPN 
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/security/vpn.html

For free assistance with your local wireless equipment
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/consultation.html

Campus Network Projects

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Edge Upgrades
The College of Medicine network “edge” upgrade continues. This is a major project, replacing cabling and network equipment which involves about 3,500 connections within eighteen buildings. We plan to finish the Medical Sciences Stacks “A” through”F” buildings and to make significant progress in Joan Irvine Smith Hall this fiscal year (i.e, FY 2002/03).

Edge upgrades — changes inside buildings replacing old cabling from Category 5E and from 10 million bits/sec (Mbps) shared Ethernet to 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps switched Ethernet — have been completed in about half of campus buildings to date. This includes many of the older, more challenging buildings in terms of staff effort.

We are also working to upgrade the existing network equipment in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts from 10 Mbps shared Ethernet to 10/100 Mbps switched Ethernet. This project should also be completed this fiscal year.

New Buildings 
Network cabling and equipment have been installed in Hewitt Hall in the College of Medicine in preparation for an early 2003 move in. Network planning continues for other buildings including: Croul Hall (Earth System Sciences), Natural Sciences 2 (Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences), and the Cal-(IT)2 building.

Cabling Techs Trained

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Some of the tough jobs are those which nobody notices unless you make a mistake. Such a job is the work NACS does behind the scenes to make sure the cabling projects which bring voice and data to your office run smoothly.

NACS sponsored two days of free training on fiber and copper cable termination, fire-stopping, and bonding and grounding at UCI on December 17 and 18.

  • Corning Cabling Systems staff discussed and provided hands-on training on fiber optic cabling;
  • 3M Fire Protection Products staff spoke about fire-stopping;
  • PCC Products, Inc., staff discussed and provided hands-on training on copper termination and Nordx products;
  • Harger staff spoke about and demonstrated bonding and grounding.

Attendees included electricians from UCI’s Facilities Management department who are now equipped to do a better job in future cabling projects.

Expanded Wireless Coverage

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Wireless networking continues to be a popular means of accessing UCInet around campus. NACS staff are working hard to install wireless access points, as requested by schools, in the classrooms and common areas where they are most needed. This newsletter will periodically report on new locations as they are built.

Here is a list of some of the latest places where wireless stations have been installed. You may also consult the map athttp://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/locations.html for information on wireless availability. It should be noted that this list represents UCInet Mobile Access sites, all of which can be used once you have registered your wireless card. There are other access points set up and maintained by individuals which are usually not intended for general use.

  • Humanities Hall 262
  • Tamkin Student Lecture Building (Med Sci “F”) 
    – Lecture Hall “A” (rm F110) 
    – Lecture Hall “B” (rm F114)
  • Bren Event Center 
    – Koll conference room (rm 103) 
    – Stewart conference room (rm 220)
  • Engineering Tower room 201
  • Engineering Lecture Hall room 110
  • Humanities Instructional Bldg room 110
  • Engineering Lecture Hall room 110
  • Physical Sciences
    – Physical Science Classrooms B rooms 120 & 230
    – Rowland Hall, rooms 101,104,108,114 and 188
    – Multipurpose Science and Technology, room 214
  • Steinhaus Lecture Hall room 134
  • Engineering Gateway/ECE Department 
    – room s2200 
    – all rooms on 2nd floor, west wing 
    – all rooms on 3rd floor, west wing
  • Social Sciences
    – Social Science plaza (between pod A, B and C) 
    – Social Science Tower plaza(between SSL and SST) 
    – Social Science Lab, rooms 140 and 248
  • Social Ecology 2 Lecture Hall room 1304

If you have a suggestion of a place on campus where wireless access
would be useful, please e-mail nacs@uci.edu.

Registering Computer Names

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Computers on UCI’s network (and thus the Internet) have two kinds of identities: a numerical Internet Protocol (IP) address, such as 128.200.222.100, and a “host name,” such as www.uci.edu. Computers tend to use numbers to find and talk to one another, but human beings prefer names, finding them both more memorable and more descriptive. The association between the host name and the IP address is mediated by a world-wide hierarchy of servers collectively providing the Domain Name Service (DNS).

Technically, it is not necessary to have a host name in order to function on the network. However, it has long been campus practice to “register” host names whenever a computer is connected to UCInet. This has many benefits: the name of the machine helps people who use it understand its role, and the registration process records its ownership, its location, and who is responsible for it. Furthermore, an increasing range of network services at UCI and at other Universities is restricted to registered hosts. Using an unregistered host is thus an unnecessary risk; you might find you need a restricted service after hours or under deadline when it is very difficult to correct promptly.

Responsibility for a computer becomes very important whenever situations regarding network security, copyright violation, or network traffic arise. Without registering a system, NACS and campus departments have no way to find the system’s owner to correct the problem, and the only way to protect all the other computer users on campus is to deny that system access to UCInet until someone comes forward requesting that service be restored — an awkward and unfortunate situation for everyone. Presently there are almost 1,000 unregistered computers connected to UCInet. Although it has not been well documented or enforced, it is NACS policy that all computers connected to UCInet be registered in DNS. If you suspect your system may not be registered, or that our records regarding responsibility for your system may be out of date, please contact NACS.

Check to see if you’re registered at:
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/tools/ipaddress.php

Register your host name at:
http://www.nacs.uci.edu/communication/ip_address_app.html