3. Ethernet Connection Problems

This section is intended to help you diagnose communications problems more commonly associated with on-campus ethernet connections. If they do not solve your problem, please contact the IT support staff for the building where you are.

Is your ethernet adapter hardware installed correctly?

  • Correct installation is indicated in a number of ways:

    • On Windows systems, look for a "working properly" report on the System Control Panel's Device Manager.

    • On Windows systems, using a PCMCIA "credit-card" style ethernet adapter, check for a correct entry in the PC Card Control Panel, and a rising pair of tones when the card is inserted.

Is your ethernet adapter connected to the network correctly?

  • Most ethernet adapters have one or more small lights which illuminate to indicate network activity. After system start-up is completed, one of these should flash fairly rapidly. If this doesn't happen, try a different cable or ethernet wall socket.

Is your network communications software configured correctly?

  • Internet communications such as email and web-browsing involves the use and correct configuration of TCP/IP communications protocols. TCP/IP configuration can vary betwwen different University units. Contact your local IT support staff for details about your local set-up. Misconfigured TCP/IP settings are a common source of problems. On Windows 95/98 systems, the best way to do a quick check of your current TCP/IP settings is to run the WINIPCFG utility via the Start menu's Run option. Windows NT4 and 2000 systems have a slightly different utility called IPCONFIG which needs to be run from an Command Prompt.

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