Office of Information Technology 

Spartan Residential Hall & Dorm Room Connectivity (NSU LAN)
 

 Student access to the Local Area Network (LAN) is available in the resident hall dorm rooms. To access the NSU LAN with your computer, you will need to meet the following requirements:

Hardware:

• Network Interface Card (NIC)
• CAT5e cable (similar to a phone cord but larger connectors).

Software:

• Windows 2000 or XP operating system
• Anti-Virus software with up-to-date signatures.

Anti-Virus Software:

• There are many anti-virus software packages available free online:
  • Norton,
  • McAfee,
  • AVG
  • AVAST
• Anti-Virus software with up-to-date signatures.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I get my port activated?

You will need to provide the dorm manager with your room and port number (i.e. room 100 port A). The dorm manager then contacts Help Desk or emails OIT with the request.

How long will it take for my port to be activated after my request has been submitted?

After your request has been received a Technician will patch your room/port to the network switch then email the Network Team to have it activated. This usually takes anywhere from 1-3 days (depending on the number of request).

What steps do I take after my room/port has been activated and I am still unable to access the network?

First, confirm that you are using a CAT5e network cable and not a phone cord. Also make sure you are plugging one end into your NIC card and the other in the network wall drop (usually labeled port A, B, C). Next, you need to confirm that your NIC card is enabled. This can be done by right clicking My Network Places, and selecting properties. A new window will appear and you should see your NIC card. Now you will right click on your NIC card then select enable.

What if my NIC card is already enabled?

You may have a virus or spyware, which can prevent you from getting on the Internet. In this case, it is recommended that you download Spybot or a similar software from a working computer that has access to the Internet. Once downloaded, scan your computer to remove infections.

Screenshot Tutorials

• To learn how to determine if your NIC card is enabled click here.
• To learn how to configure your internet protocols for DHCP (you must have DHCP enabled to connect to the NSU network via the LAN) click here.
• To get a quick tutorial on how to use Spybot click here.

Valid IP Address

To determine where you have a valid IP address complete the following steps:

1. Click Start in bottom left corner of your screen/desktop.
2. Select the Run menu item.
3. Type CMD and press enter (a new window will open).
4. Type ipconfig /all and press enter.
5. This command will produce your network configurations. Check to make sure you have a valid IP address (i.e. 192.168.0.100) and Default Gateway (i.e. 192.168.0.1).
6. If you do not have an IP address click on the NIC tutorial.

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