international sTUDENT GUIDE TO THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY NETWORK
Dear CELOP and other international students,
Welcome to Boston University! The information on this page will help you use the BU network. If you have any problems or questions, you should contact the Personal Computing Support Center (PCSC) at 617-353-7272 or (for CELOP students) the CELOP Multimedia Language Lab (MLL).
Help in Your Language
There are many international students working at the Personal Computing Support Center. When you call, please tell us if your computer is in English or another language and/or if you would like to speak with someone in a language other than English.
What are NetReg and BUVS?
To access the Internet from a Boston University residence, you must register your computer through a one-time process called NetReg, which will take place when you move into your residence hall room.
The NetReg process for Windows computers includes a Microsoft patch and virus scan called BUVS. There are several things you can do in advance to make sure that the BUVS scan goes quickly, and to make sure that you do not have a problem connecting to the BU network. NOTE: Mac OS X users do not have to run BUVS.
REQUIRED: Make sure your Windows operating system is legal.
If you are using an "illegal" (borrowed, or unlicensed) copy of Windows, BUVS will not work and you will not be able to go through NetReg or access the BU network until you have a legitimate copy of Windows.
If you have a PC with Microsoft Windows, you should bring any CD/DVDs that came with your computer to Boston University.
- Bring legal Windows system software with you to BU, OR
- be prepared to purchase an English-language version of Windows at University Computers when you arrive in Boston.
REQUIRED-If you are running Windows Vista, you will be all set. However, if you have Windows XP, make sure it has been updated to Service Pack 2.
You should turn
on Automatic Updates and allow any software updates that you need. If you have Windows XP, one of these
updates is called Service Pack 2
(or SP2). Note: you cannot NetReg Windows
XP without SP2... and you cannot
run the SP2 update if you have an illegal copy of
Windows.
| Note
to Macintosh users: If you use a Macintosh computer, you can ignore the two Windows steps above, but it is still very important to bring any software with you to Boston University. |
Remove viruses and spyware
Please remove viruses and spyware from your computer before using the BU network. BUVS will scan your computer, but if it is already clean, the process will go faster. Our page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/safe/ gives some suggested tools for cleaning your machine.
REQUIRED: Use DHCP to obtain an IP address automatically.
As a student at BU you should not enter a static IP address into your Local Area Connection Properties. Once you have properly registered on the network, an IP address will be assigned to you through DHCP. Giving yourself (or any friends you are helping) a specific IP address will disrupt your network access in the long run, even if it seems to work initially.
REQUIRED: You will need an Ethernet cable.
Most dorm rooms at Boston University use wired Ethernet, not wireless (WiFi). For wired Ethernet, you will need an Ethernet cable. Any RJ45 Ethernet cable (such as "Cat 5") will work, but if you want to buy one from BU it will cost $5 and is available at University Computers in Kenmore Square.
REQUIRED: If you use wireless on campus, use only the Boston University wireless SSIDs.
Your Internet access at BU will probably be a combination of wireless and wired Ethernet. The Boston University wireless network is available from many of the common areas across campus, but not from most residence hall rooms. See a partial list of wireless locations on campus at www.bu.edu/pcsc/wireless/.
You cannot set up an independent wireless access point (WAP) on the BU campus. If you are on campus and your computer sees any network other than a BU SSID, you should not use it. Even if it works temporarily, it will eventually be shut down by BU.
Can I use other wireless devices on the BU network?
It depends on the device. Please see our related page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/handheld/.
Using your BU e-mail account
You can access your BU e-mail account at www.bu.edu/webmail/, forward your mail to another existing e-mail account as described at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure/forwarding/, or configure a desktop e-mail application with the instructions at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/. Please see the www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/ page for help with all other topics related to BU e-mail.
