Network Connection
How do I get my user name and password?
Your username and password will be given to you at the beginning of the year, usually by your Advisor. If you are a new student, your new accounts will be created shortly before the beginning of the school year.
If you lose it, you have to come down to the Technology Office during Office Hours and all we can do is reset your username and password. You must have a valid student ID with you.
Is my Cushnet/FirstClass and Server user name and password different?
Not at first: they start out the same. There are two things you use passwords for here at Cushing: Your email (“FirstClass/Cushnet”) and Network access (for logging onto school computers and getting access to classroom printers and our file servers). Both your email and network username and password start out the same just to keep things easier while you get used to the network. When you change one, it does not change the other, so be aware of that.
These passwords can both be changed later on, but we recommend that you keep them both the same for the first week or two until you get used to using them and understand the difference between the separate accounts.
If you lose or forget your password, you will need to come to the Technology Office (see Office Hours) with your Student ID so we can reset your password.
Why do I need to sign on to the network? I can get Internet and email just fine.
If you don’t sign on to the network with your Cushing name and password, while you can still get the Internet and use email you cannot get to certain network services, because the network doesn’t “know” who you are and will block you from using certain things.
For example, using a network printer is the most important example. People who do not sign on often have a lot of difficulty printing to the lab and classroom printers because they cannot get to them if they do not sign on.
This also applies to file storage and server access- if you don’t sign on, you can’t get to the server and cannot either store your school files or retrieve certain materials that you might need for classes. We see a lot of crashed computers, and if you do not regularly make backup copies of your schoolwork (say, into your server folder) you risk losing your files for good. Trust me, this will happen to you someday if you don’t back up your files!
LOGGING ONTO THE NETWORK USING XP HOME
If you use XP Home, there is one more step you need to use to get to the network; this is the only way you can get to any of the following resources from a computer that uses XP Home.
-Your Server Folder on CAServer
-Any networked printers (Library Laser, classroom printers, etc)
-The CAResources folder or the Students folder for classes
In order to connect, you need to sign on at the beginning of each computer session this way:
à From the Start Menu, Choose Run…
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à At the Run menu, type \\CASERVER
When it asks you to log on, log on this way:
Username: CUSHNET\AStudent (CUSHNET\followed by your Cushing username)
Password: as29292 (your Cushing ‘Network’ or ‘Domain’ password)
Your Cushing Network or Domain password would have been given to you upon your arrival; it will start out the same as your FirstClass\Cushnet e-Mail password, but it can be changed. They are actually two separate accounts, and when you change one it does NOT change the other. So make sure you remember both passwords, or change them both at the same time!
Wireless connection basics: Why isn't my wireless card working?
(1) First, check to see that your wireless card itself it turned on—that is one of the most common causes of not being able to connect. Most computers have a switch to turn off the wireless card to save power – sometimes it is a software switch and sometimes it is a physical switch on the computer itself. Check your computer manual, or try these:
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Dell D600s use Fn-F2 as the on/off switch for the wireless card.
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Some IBMS and Toshibas have a physical switch located on the front or side of the laptop.
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Some HP or Gateway computers have a button above the keyboard.
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If there is no switch, then in Windows XP go to My Computer --> My Network Places --> Network Connections and look for the icon that shows your wireless card. Make sure it says “Enabled”; if it does not, right-click it and choose to Enable it.
 (view available wireless.psd)
For computers running Service Pack 1: You should get a dialog box that needs to be checked off that says "Allow me to connect to the selected wireless network….."
 (name: Allow Me SP1.psd)
Make sure the [ ] Allow me… box is checked and click the Connect button to connect.
For computers running Service Pack 2: It looks similar, but it should display the network in a fuller window, and you choose to connect to it by double-clicking in the window for any wireless network it sees or by pressing a Connect button at the bottom of the window.
(2) The second most common reason for a connection problem is location: Either you are in an area with a weak signal or in an area with no signal at all. The areas with wireless coverage are all academic buildings and classrooms:
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The Main Building
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The New Curry Academic Center
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The old Science building/ now the English building
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The Art Building
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The Student Center (downstairs in Ash house)
The dorms do NOT have wireless coverage at this time, as direct wired connections are much faster. Wireless is a shared resource, so putting it in the dorms means a slower connection for everyone.
(3) The third most common reason that wireless is not working that we see is that the computer is set up incorrectly for our network:
- Home networks use a different system for handing out network addresses than our network does; home networks are often set up with a fixed or "static" address.
- This problem shows up most often after vacations and breaks, when people have set their wireless card to connect to a home system with a static IP address, If you have a home wireless network then your settings may need to be changed to work with our network..
To check whether or not you have a fixed (static) or automatically handed out (Dynamic or DHCP) address:
--Right-click the network icon in your system tray and choose Open Network Connections (or) go to Start --> Settings --> and double-click on Network Connections
--Select which connection you want to check (Local Area Connection or Wireless Connection) and right-click that and choose Properties…
-- Double-click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and make sure it is set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS Server automatically”—if it is not, make it so and click OK
(4) The last reason that you might not be able to connect is that drivers or software are not correctly loaded for your wireless card: Check your computer’s manual for details and also check your software for the Wireless card installer programs. If you have the software installed correctly, it should work with our network.
If you still have trouble, come to the Technology Office during Office Hours.
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