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(Revision date: 4-Jun-2003)
The method(s) of connecting to resources on the E&PS described below will (currently) function (including browsing the network) when using CIRT's direct Dialup numbers (346-4000 or 346-4001) and a modem. Because of the blocking of certain required "ports" by some Internet providers (like Earthlink, the one that I use) this (very nice and convenient) method of connecting will not work with other kinds of access points. If you set up as shown below, and get "Cannot connect" messages, then your most reliable method is to use FTP to access your files (Click here for how to do that). I am working on alternatives to get around these problems and will update this document if and when I discover any which are successful.
If you are a Mac user, you are in the wrong document. Macs do not support the "operating system" level of connectivity described here, and must use FTP to download and upload files. Click here to go to the document which explains how to do that.
This document describes how to set up your Windows system so that you can access E&PS network services (file access, printers, etc.) remotely over a dialup Internet connection. What is described here works very well when using CIRT's direct dial-in numbers and a 56K modem. Since I have limited access to test other types of connections (I use Earthlink at home with a modem), I need to rely on your feedback to tell me what works and what doesn't. If you have a DSL or Cable Modem connection or other Internet service, and use what is in this document successfully (or unsuccessfully) please contact me by Email so I can change this document and let others know.
Jim Connolly
The first section below explains how to setup and install dialup components on your system. The second explains use of a non-UNM Internet service (instead of UNM Dialup numbers). The third explains how to access your personal file storage on the "Users" share (i.e., L: drive), the "Common" share (i.e., M: drive) and a number of other folders on our server systems.
Mirada: UNM promotes the bargain-priced "Mirada" package ($20 at the bookstore) for dialup and network access to the Internet and CIRT UNIX resources. On the same CD is a version of Mirada for Windows and Macintosh (including OS X). Mirada is a convenient solution, is easy to install, comes pre-configured for UNM dialups and net resources, includes UNM's preferred Email client, Secure (SSH) Telnet and FTP clients, a regular FTP client, the Mulberry Email program, Netscape (version 4.7 or 6), a bunch of other handy utilitiy programs including a very useful multi-format file viewing utility and other items for people who make use of centralized CIRT computing resources. You do not need Mirada to access the Internet or dial-in and access our network, but it provides a lot of programs in one convenient package. If you opt not to purchase Mirada, you can find and download programs which will do most of what the Mirada programs can do, and many of those (like Outlook Express and Internet Explorer) come with your computer's operating system (either Windows or Mac). See CIRT's Mirada Web site at http://www.unm.edu/cirt/mirada for extensive information about the suite of programs.
The installation steps which follow assume that you do not have Mirada installed, and I have tried to make them as step-by-step as possible. I have put a couple of notes in which explain what you should need to do to modify Mirada 6.x components to let you access our network easily.
Step One: Install the Right Stuff
How much of this section you actually need to do depends in part on what operating system you have installed, and whether or not it is set up for networking. In general, if you have Windows 2000 or XP, all of the components that you need are already installed and you will just need to modify things that are already there. If you have Windows95/98, you may need to add networking components and remove ones you don't need. The steps below are primarily for Win95/98 users who have to do more.
If you have problems with any of this, please feel to contact me (connolly@unm.edu) and I will be happy to assist.
Mirada Note: Installation of Mirada automatically walks you through setting up dialup networking and creates the three dialup icons for you so Mirada users may skip the steps related to those items. Win95/98 Mirada users will need to install and configure the Microsoft Client Services, and add the WINS addresses as discussed below for full connectivity to our network.
Windows 95/98 users should follow go through the following steps to install the necessary system components. Windows 2000/XP users can skip this section, since the components are installed by default:
When you're done with all of this, restart so all the changes will take effect.
Step 2: Set Up Your Dialup Networking Configuration
In comparison with catching a greased pig, this is quite easy.
The first step is to find the "New Connection" wizard for Dialup Networking and run it. Here's where to find it:
Mirada Note: Mirada setup provides programs to automatically create the dialup connections for UNM's modem access numbers, but you will need to modify them to add the WINS numbers as described below. You may also optionally make your own
Different Win9x setups provide different locations for accessing it, but is will always be found in "My Computer" by double-clicking on "Dial Up Networking", then double-clicking on the icon named "Make New Connection". In Windows 2000 or XP, open Control Panel (using the "Classic" view) and use the "Network and Dialup Connections" settings to access the "Make New Connection" wizard.
Step 3: Connect (If the other stuff is right, this is really easy.)
The first step to enable access to your network files at EPS is to make sure you are logged onto your (Win 9x) computer at home with the same username as you use on our network. If are using a different username or logged on as "Default", then the network will not give you access. The password is less important since you can enter your password when you connect to your network drive. (Note: With Windows NT/2000 using the same username is not important since the network will ask you for the right one when you attempt to connect). To do this in Win95, select Start -- Shutdown then choose the item "Close all Programs and Logon as Different User". In Win98 (or "Millenium Edition"), select Start -- Logoff. If the name shown is the same as your EPS username, then proceed to the next paragraph. If not, then logoff and log on with the correct Username.
Double click on My Computer and then on Dialup-networking. Double Click on any of your UNM Dialup icons. Enter your username and password (your UNIX or Email password, not your password for the EPS Department network) in the dialog box. Be a little security conscious and DON'T check the "Save password" box. If you do, then anyone who sits down at your computer will have full access to your account anytime they dialup. This is NOT a good idea. Make sure you're dialing from the Default Location and the phone number is correct. Click Connect and watch it negotiate your connection.
After the connection is established, you will be able to double click on "Network Neighborhood" on your desktop and see all of the systems in the EPS network. The logon will not put the usual L: and M: drives in "My Computer". To access your personal user files, double click on EPS2 in the system list. You may be asked for your password at this step -- enter it in the correct box. You will then be presented with a list of all shared folders on EPS2. Find the one named USERS and double click on it, then find your personal folder (same name as your username). You may copy files from your folder to your computer or vice versa. Since the connection is by relatively slow modem, it may take quite a while to copy large files, but it will work.
You may also connect to the COMMON folder (M: drive with a local network login) in the same manner. It is located on the system named EPS1. Look for the folder by that name on EPS1.
If you are using Earthlink, LoboNet, or any other Internet Service Provider (ISP) which provides a standard PPP dialup connection (i.e., there is a "Dialup Networking" setup for your connection), then it is relatively easy to setup your connection so that you can access our E&PS network domain through your local dialup connection. This allows you to connect with a local number wherever you happen to be (i.e., in Houston or Denver) and transfer files from your network folder on the EPS2 system. If this works as it is supposed to, the WINS servers on our network should deliver the NetBIOS names of systems on our network and allow you to use them to connect remotely. The chief obstacle to this working is that many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) block the transmission of many of the TCP/IP ports required for this level of access leaving you with only FTP, as discussed in another document.
In order to set this up, you must get the IP addresses of your internet service provider's DNS systems. This should be readily available from their Web site technical support pages, or by a phone call during business hours. If you are setup for Internet access the TCP/IP protocol and Dialup Networking will already be installed. You also need to have "Client for Microsoft Networks" installed as discussed above. After you know the IP address numbers for the primary and secondary DNS systems, do the following:
After you are done, dialing into your local ISP will give you access to the EPS network as described in the "Step 3: Connect" section above.
An Email note: If you connect by way of a non-UNM ISP, you will not be able to send Email using desktop Email clients like Mulberry and Eudora. This is because these clients cannot be properly validated as users when sending mail. The best alternative is to use a Web browser and UNM's Webmail which is linked below.
Try searching your Network Neighborhood (or My Network Places or whatever Microsoft is calling it now) looking for E&PS. If it works, that means that WINS is working and you can find the systems you are interested in by "browsing" through the network. If that doesn't work, read on for something else you can try.
Important Note on Connection Problems: Some Internet service providers apparently block the TCP ports used by WINS services and do not allow the transport of NetBIOS names over TCP. This will prevent just about anything in this document from working correctly, and you will be forced to resort to using FTP to get your data.
E&PS Network Access: If you can't browse your "Network Neighborhood" or "My Network Places", before you give up, try entering the IP numbers of the systems on which there are shared folders directly to access them. Here's the common systems with some of the commonly accessed shared folders:
EPS2 (main file server, host for L: or USERS drives): 129.24.41.119
Users (personal data folders for users, "L:" drive)
EPS1 (main file server, host for L: & M: drives): 129.24.41.84
Common (special project shared folders, "M:" drive
EPS (secondary server, host for PUB and FTP folders): 129.24.41.105
Pub (Shareware and Freeware software, same as FTP to eps.unm.edu/pub)
Incoming (Destination for FTP files from outside colleagues)
Outgoing (Area to make files available to outside anonymous FTP users)
EPSWWW (Department web server): 129.24.41.88
(See Jim Connolly for sharenames for access)
The easiest way to access these systems is to make shortcuts to them on your desktop. Right-click your mouse on any empty area of your desktop, and select "New" then "Shortcut". In the Location box for the item, type two back slashes followed by the appropriate IP address (i.e., \\129.24.41.84) then click Next and give the shortcut a name (i.e., eps1). When you doubleclick on the shortcut, you should get a list of all of the shared folders which you can then access (as long as you have permission to access them with your username). Windows 2000 and XP are very fussy about these shortcuts and will not let you create them unless you can actually connect to the network. If you can't make them, then you will probably will have to resort to FTP. You can also enter the full network address (i.e., \\129.24.41.84 at the Command line -- Start -- Run) to open a window to the system.
For users with Personal Systems on the Network: If the WINS "browsing" service works, you can find any systems on the network with dynamic IP addressing (as long it has file and printer sharing turned on). If WINS is not working, you must know the IP address of your system to connect to it. Before you leave your office, run a command prompt (i.e., DOS) window on your office computer, and enter at the c:\ prompt ipconfig. Your computer will display your IP address (four numbers separated by periods starting out 129.24.xxx.xxx; the third number will be between 041 and 047) as it is assigned to it. Write it down and use the procedure above to connect to it.
Internet Access: All of the previous setup stuff should give you access to the EPS network. To access the Internet, you just need the appropriate programs on your system that do what you want on the Intenet. All versions of the Windows and Mac operating systems come with a Web browser, usually Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. UNM's Mirada has all the Internet programs you will probably need for $20 (available at the UNM Bookstore). Should you choose NOT to use Mirada, if you are willing to download and install programs from the internet, most of what you need can be obtained for free:
There are quite a few Web sites which make shareware and free software available including Tucows (www.tucows.com), and Shareware.com (www.shareware.com). We have a limited number of programs on our FTP site at ftp://eps.unm.edu/pub; these files are also available locally in the department on one of our servers (eps) in the PUB share.
(This document is provided as a service to the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department by Jim Connolly, Network Administrator. Please direct comments, questions, changes and praise to connolly@unm.edu.)
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