2. Register for an IP address
Last revision July 5, 2016
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With the exception of limited temporary guest access to the wi-fi wireless network, Stanford University does not provide open network access. All devices that will be connected to a campus network must be registered. Network addresses are reserved for registered devices only and automatically supplied to them using the DHCP protocol.
Follow procedures on this page to register your computer or other network device that will be located primarily on the Earth Sciences network in the Geology Corner, Mitchell Earth Sciences, and Green Earth Sciences buildings, or on the network in the new Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2).
Prerequisites and Restrictions
Attempting to use a device on the network with an unregistered or "borrowed" IP address is strictly prohibited. Deliberate violations will result in a permanent ban of that device from the network.
Computers running Microsoft Windows versions prior to Windows Vista may not be directly connected to the Earth Sciences network. All of these older versions of Windows contain serious security holes that will never be fixed because Microsoft has ceased supporting them. Either upgrade old Windows versions to at least Windows 7, or consult with the School network administrator about purchasing an inexpensive hardware firewall to isolate the older Windows computer and protect it from hackers.
Due to restrictions in our workstation support contract and new directives to encrypt all workstations used for Stanford business, Stanford-owned Windows PCs must run either Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate editions, Windows 8 Professional or Enterprise editions, or Windows 10 Enterprise or Education editions, and Stanford-owned Macintosh PCs must run Mac OS X version 10.9 or later. Other operating system versions are still acceptable for personally owned computers that do not access Stanford high risk data.
Your computer or other device must be configured to use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to acquire its network address. This is the default configuration for all modern devices. If your device cannot use DHCP, contact the network manager for manual configuration information.
You may not connect any private wireless access point to the Earth Sciences network, or operate your built-in wireless card in a bridge mode that allows open access to our network. You may not operate any DHCP or DNS service on your computer.
You need a valid SUNet ID to register a computer on our network. Short-term guests and visitors should just use the guest wireless system. Longer term visitors can be sponsored by any regular faculty or staff member for a free "base services" guest SUNet ID.
How to Register
Select one of the following mutually exclusive options that applies to you:
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If you are a student who will be using your own computer in both an on-campus residence and an Earth Sciences office or lab, you must register it with residential computing. Request the roaming attribute (automatically done for laptops) in your residential computing registration so your computer will also work on the Earth Sciences network.
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Faculty and staff can enter a HelpSU request to let our CRC desktop support consultants setup and register a new Stanford-owned computer.
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Use the self-registration procedure to register any personally owned or Stanford owned computer (not already setup by CRC) that runs Windows, Mac OS X, or a desktop Linux distribution. smartphones and tablet computers can also be registered through self-registration if they connect to wi-fi wireless and have a web browser.
The self-registration procedure automatically registers all network interfaces on your system (including wireless) and assigns the roaming attribute so you can use your computer on any campus network.
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For any other device not covered above, fill out the manual registration form. The School's network manager will normally register your device within a few hours, but may take up to two days, depending upon workload. You will receive an email confirmation once the registration is complete, that will include instructions for configuration and security.
Optional Services and Problems
Different buildings on campus have separate ranges of valid IP addresses. If you register in one building, the IP address reserved for your computer may not work on the wired network in another, unless you request the roaming attribute (automatically set by self-registration). The three main Earth Sciences buildings - Geology Corner (Braun Hall), Mitchell Earth Sciences (except Branner Library), and Green Earth Sciences - all use the same range of valid IP addresses, so any device registered in any one of those buildings may be moved freely among any wired network jacks within and between those buildings.
The Y2E2 building uses a separate IP address range, so be sure that the roaming attribute is set for your computer if you plan to move it between Y2E2 and the other Earth Sciences buildings.
To use the campus wireless service in academic buildings, your computer's wireless card must also be registered. Any wireless card or interface is automatically registered in the self-registration procedure as long as it is turned on while registering, but must be specifically requested in the manual registration form. Just like the roaming feature of the wired network, your computer will be automatically assigned a temporary IP address each time you connect to the wireless network. The wireless network also supports temporary guest access for unregistered computers.
When using the roaming feature on the wired network or the wireless network, you may need to renew your DHCP lease when you move your computer between networks in order to get the new IP address assignment appropriate for the new network.
After you have registered your computer on the network, you should update your registration if the computer has a major repair that affects the built-in ethernet; you add a wireless card; you make a major change in the operating system; or you move to a new office. Do not use the new computer registration procedure for updates. Simply email the new information to the network manager along with one piece of information that can uniquely identify this computer in the network database: the wired ethernet hardware address; network name; or reserved IP address.
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