BioIT FAQ

How do I find my MAC or Physical Address of my computer?

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009, 12:56 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

Windows XP

– Click the Start icon
– Click Control Panel
– Select Classic View
– Click Network Connections
– Right click on the connection you are trying to find the MAC address for and select Properties – you will have a separate MAC address for your wireless card and your Ethernet (LAN) card. Make sure you use the correct one.
– Hover your mouse over the text box underneath connect using. Your MAC address will appear in the tooltip and is made up of 12 characters e.g. 00-D4-1F-76-23-B0

Vista

– Click the Start icon
– Click Control Panel
– Select Classic View
– Click Network and Sharing Center
– Select Manage Network Connections from the list on the left hand side
– Right click on the connection you are trying to find the MAC address for and select Properties – you will have a separate MAC address for your wireless card and your Ethernet (LAN) card. Make sure you use the correct one.
- Hover your mouse over the text box underneath connect using. Your MAC address will appear in the tooltip and is made up of 12 characters e.g. 00-D4-1F-76-23-B0

Windows 7

– Click the Start icon
– Click Control Panel
– Select Large icons for the View
– Click Network and Sharing Center
– Select Change Adapter Settings from the list on the left hand side
– Right click on the connection you are trying to find the MAC address for and select Properties – you will have a separate MAC address for your wireless card and your Ethernet (LAN) card. Make sure you use the correct one.
- Hover your mouse over the text box underneath connect using. Your MAC address will appear in the tooltip and is made up of 12 characters e.g. 00-D4-1F-76-23-B0

Apple Mac OS X (Tiger)

– From the Apple in the upper left hand corner choose System Preferences
– Click on the Network icon
– From the Show menu Select Airport (for Wireless) or Built in Ethernet (for Wired)
– For the Built in Ethernet (for Wired) the MAC address will be at the top of the Ethernet tab as the Ethernet ID.
The MAC address is the 12 character address e.g. 00-D4-1F-76-23-B0
– For the Airport (for Wireless) the MAC address will be at the top of the AirPort tab as the AirPort ID (or on the TCP/IP tab, again as the AirPort ID ). The MAC address is the 12 character address e.g. 00-D4-1F-76-23-B0

Apple Mac OS X (Leopard & Snow Leopard)

– From the Apple in the upper left hand corner choose System Preferences
– Click on the Network icon
– Select Built-in Ethernet for Wired or Airport for Wireless
– Click on the Advanced button
– Click on the Ethernet tab
– Your MAC address will be at the top of this window as your Ethernet ID . The MAC address is the 12 character address e.g. 00-D4-1F-76-23-B0

Posted in Internet & Networking | No Comments »

Internet Explorer 8 CAP/Kuali Workaround

Monday, September 28th, 2009, 2:14 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

Add these three IS servers to trusted sites by clicking on Tools->Internet Options. In the Internet Options window, select the ‘Security’ tab. From there you can click on trusted sites to add the following 3 entries.

cap.is.colostate.edu
kebler.is.colostate.edu
padroni.is.colostate.edu

In this same ‘Security’ tab – lower the security level for trusted sites to Med-low.

You should be able to use CAP/Kuali with IE 8 now.

Posted in Internet & Networking, Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »

32 bit vs. 64 bit – what should I get?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009, 9:32 am MT - posted by Ross Madden

The official Microsoft explanation states that “The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer’s processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.” (http://windowshelp.microsoft.com)

Essentially, what this means is that a 32 bit operating system works better when you have a small amount of memory (RAM) and 64 bit operating systems work better with large amounts of RAM. So, what is a large amount of RAM? The answer to this question changes every year. At the time of this writing, 4GB or more is considered a large amount of RAM. Conveniently, this is also the realistic boundary at which you will choose one or the other architecture. If your computer has at least 4GB of RAM, choose a 64 bit OS. Any less and you should stick with 32 bit.

Here are some other FAQs related to 32 bit vs 64 bit computing:

- Most 32 bit software programs will run fine on a 64 bit OS but NOT the other way around
- You CANNOT upgrade a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit OS. You must format and install the 64 bit OS fresh
- Most computers that have 4GB or more have a 64 bit compatible processor and can run a 64 bit OS
- A list of all 64 bit processors is listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit
- All 64 bit OS require 64 bit device drivers in order for their hardware to work. 32 bit device drivers will not work correctly
- Mac users don’t need to worry about this, Mac OS X is fully compatible for both 32 bit and 64 bit software

Here is another link to a Microsoft site which compares the different Vista operating systems. This information and advice should stay relevant through the Windows 7 release – due October 22nd 2009. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/compare-editions/64-bit.aspx

Posted in General Computing, Software | 1 Comment »

How can I work from home?

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009, 4:58 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

This how to is designed to show users how they can connect to their office computer from home. At the time of this writing these directions will only work if the office computer on campus is a Windows computer. These directions also assume the following:

- Power. You cannot work from home if the power is out.
- You have a Cable or DSL Internet connection at home. Dial up will not provide adequate bandwidth for this to be useful.
- Your office computer is running Microsoft Windows XP or newer.
- Your office computer is left ‘On’ when you are not in the office and that it does not go into ‘Standby’ or ‘Hibernation’ after a specific amount of time.

If the above checks out, then you will need to know what the IP address is of your office computer. To get this, simply browse to the following web site from your office computer and write down the IP Address:

http://whatismyip.org

You will also need to turn on Remote Desktop on your office computer. Follow these directions for your version of Windows:

Windows XP – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/enableremote.mspx
Windows Vista or Windows 7 – http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/turn-on-remote-desktop-in-windows-vista

Now that you have the IP address and remote desktop is turned on, you have everything you need to connect to your computer from home! So, when you get home, open up a web browser and go to the following URL:

https://secure.colostate.edu

You will log in to this site using your CSU eID and CSU eID password. During the login and setup of the following you will be asked several times if you want to allow something or install something (usually Juniper and Java related); for all queries, allow them, and yes, install them!

Once logged in you will look about halfway down the screen for a section called ‘Terminal Sessions’ – On the top right (gray section) of this area, click on the button to ‘Add a Terminal Session’ – this will take you to the following page. Fill in this information as follows, replacing IP_ADDRESS with the IP for your office computer, and of course, your username/password fields must be filled out with the username and password you log into your office computer with. If you connect to a domain at work, then your username must be prepended by the domain name. For example, if you use the CSU eID to log in to your office computer, your username will be ‘COLOSTATE\eid’ (no quotes; eid is your CSU eid name). If you log into any other domain, simply change ‘COLOSTATE’ to your domain.

The green arrows point out the information that you will need to change. Below this screen you will see a LOT of extra options. Choose the ones you think will be useful. If after you connect, you find anything strange you can always change these options.

You can now click on this new Terminal Session to launch your Remote Desktop! As a reminder, if this is the first time doing this, you will be prompted a couple of times to install or allow some things, please do so.

Posted in General Computing, Internet & Networking | 1 Comment »

How do I recycle printer toner cartridges?

Monday, September 14th, 2009, 9:43 am MT - posted by Ross Madden

Most of the time a new toner cartridge will come with an adhesive postage sticker you can affix to the old toner box when you are done with it. However, more often than not, these stickers are lost or accidentally thrown away. Luckily, you can usually find the directions for printing your own return label on the toner box, or by using this ongoing list by manufacturer:

HP
http://www.hp.com/recycle

DELL
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/toner_recycling_popup

Please let BioIT know if you find another manufacturer’s link for this FAQ!

Posted in Printing | No Comments »

Using the built in Cisco VPN with Snow Leopard

Friday, September 4th, 2009, 2:36 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

Using these directions you can finally ditch that old Cisco VPN Client from your dock! Of course, this only applies to connecting to VPN from Off Campus, since you should all be using the ‘csu-net’ SSID when using wireless on campus. For more information about connecting to the ‘csu-net’ wireless network click here: http://www.acns.colostate.edu/?page=wireless

First open up your System Preferences and select the ‘Network’ option:

sys_pref

On this new window, make sure the lock in the bottom left of the screen is unlocked (if not, click on the lock and enter in some administrator credentials). You will now click on the ‘+’ button.

net

Set up this new little pop up as follows and push the Create button:

ipsec2

You will now see a new CSU Off Campus option in the list on the left. Select that and fill in the information as follows (note: CSU eID is your CSU eID name). Also, make sure you check the box for ‘Show VPN status in menu bar’:

vpn_info

You will now click on the Authentication Settings button and fill out this new window as illustrated below. The shared secret is colostate .

secret

Now you just need to click on the ‘Apply’ button and you are good to go. Close the System Preferences window and look at the top right of the screen for the icon show below and click on it. You will then select ‘Connect CSU Off Campus.’

It will ask you to authenticate – use your CSU eID and CSU eID Password. If successful, you will get a window that says ‘Welcome to the CSU VPN split tunnel’. Click the ‘OK’ button. Use this same icon to Disconnect.

Posted in Internet & Networking | 1 Comment »

I have been gone for a while, is my computer still registered with BioIT?

Friday, September 4th, 2009, 1:58 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

Your computer will remain registered with BioIT as long as it is picked up by one of the daily scans. If your computer has missed these scans for 3 months in a row, your registration is terminated. This function keeps the device database clean of old machines and improves performance. To determine whether or not your computer is still registered, log in to ‘My Biology’ and check under ‘Network Registration’.

Posted in Internet & Networking | No Comments »

Windows 7 & Pangea Error 86

Friday, September 4th, 2009, 1:13 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

Symptoms
When attempting to connect to Pangea, the connection application will spit back an Error 86 (network password incorrect).

Solution for Windows 7 Professional
To solve this you will need to edit a Local Security Policy and set one of the entries to something other than “Not Defined” as it is on default.

First, enter the control panel, and in the top right, under ‘View by’ select ‘Large Icons’. Now choose ‘Administrative Tools’, and then select ‘Local Security Policy.’ A new window will appear and then choose ‘Local Policy’ on the left, then ‘Security Options’. You will now have a large list of options in the right side of this window. Scroll down to the entry for ‘Network Security: LAN Manager authentication level’ – You will double click on this choice and change the drop down menu item from ‘Not Defined’ to ‘Send LM & NTLM responses’. Now simply click the ‘Apply’ button.

Solution for Windows Home Edition
This is a little trickier than the Professional fix. For this you will need to edit the Registry by creating a DWORD in the location for:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

The DWORD should be called LMCompatibilityLevel and it needs a value of 0

I am purposefully leaving out some details about how to implement this solution as errors in the Registry due to improper editing can render your computer crippled. If you are comfortable in the Registry then this will make sense and you can edit this as you see fit. If not, find someone that is or contact BioIT.

You should now be able to connect to Pangea. Enjoy Windows 7!

Posted in Pangea | 1 Comment »

What is my quota limit on Pangea, and how do I check it?

Monday, August 24th, 2009, 2:02 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

Starting in the Fall of 2009, generous quota limits have been implemented on Pangea. The quota limits are as follows:

Faculty: 40GB
Staff: 40GB
Graduate Students: 20GB
Undergraduate Students: 1GB
Lab Groups: 200GB
Web Groups: 20GB
Other Special Groups: 20 GB

You may check your Pangea quota for every group you are a member of by using ‘My Biology’. Once logged in you will need to click on the ‘Pangea Information’ link located in the ‘my Biology’ section in the right hand menu. The link below will take you to ‘My Biology.’

https://www.biology.colostate.edu/my-biology

Posted in Pangea | 1 Comment »

How do I register my new computer with BioIT?

Monday, August 24th, 2009, 1:53 pm MT - posted by Ross Madden

All new computers residing on the Department of Biology’s physical network must be registered with BioIT. The physical network consists of those computers that plug in “physically” using an Ethernet cable within the east (Zoology) side of the building. Wireless connections to CSU’s ‘csu’ or ‘csu-net’ are not part of the Biology physical network, and cannot be registered. Only computers physically connected are to be registered.

In the past Network information has been haphazardly managed by myself – I’d like to get away from that method. To access the network registration form, you will simply need to log in to ‘My Biology’ on the Department of Biology’s website – I have included the login page URL below:

https://www.biology.colostate.edu/login.html

Once logged in and viewing your ‘My Biology’ profile, you will see a link under the ‘My Biology’ section on the right side of the page called ‘Network Registration’. When you enter that tool, you will be presented an online form which will correspond to the computer you are sitting at. You cannot registered a computer unless you are currently logged in and using it. If you do not receive the form, you will be presented with an explanation as to why – usually this means you are not connecting to the Internet within the physical Biology network.

The form is fairly self explanatory, and is submitted electronically to BioIT for review. Once this request is reviewed and accepted, your computer is officially registered. Future changes can be submitted at any time to replace the current data.

All new computers are given a two week probation period during which they must register. After this probation period has expired, the new computer may lose Internet access.

Posted in Internet & Networking | No Comments »

FAQ Topics