ROHAN Academic Computing

#0100 Academic Information Technology Guide

Accessing Computers and Information Technologies

Section Contents:

• Accessing from On-Campus
• Accessing from Off-Campus using TACACS
• Accessing from Out-of-Town
• Common Accessing Problems

Accessing From On-Campus

Students have access to both X Terminal and microcomputer labs at SDSU. In addition, students can have Ethernet connections to their personal computers in the residence halls; see REZCON .

X Terminal lab:
Two types of logins are available. You can choose either VT300 terminal emulation through TELNET or an X session, which provides access to X applications (such as Netscape) on those hosts which support X.

• Telnet - At the NCD User Services: Console window, select the Terminals menu and choose the New Telnet option with the left or right mouse button. This will display the Default Hosts window containing a list of all available computers that support Telnet logins. Select a campus host computer on which you have an account, and double-click on it's name in the list to begin the Telnet session. Once connected, proceed with your usual log-in (username, password, etc.)

NOTE: The advantages of this type of login are (1) access to nearly all host computers that support standard TELNET logins, and (2) better performance due to lower network and CPU resource requirements. The disadvantage is that X applications can not be accessed.

• XSession - At the NCD User Services: Console window, select the Login menu and choose the Login New X Session option with the left or right mouse button. This will display the NCD User Services: Login Chooser window with just those host computers that support X applications. Select a campus host computer on which you have an account, and double-click on it's name in the list to begin the Telnet session. Once connected, proceed with your usual log-in (username, password, etc.).

NOTE: The advantage of this type of login is that it supports both VT300 terminal emulation and X applications. The disadvantages are (1) reduced performance because of increased CPU and network requirements and (2) the host must support direct XDM logins (ROHAN - does).

Microcomputer lab:
See the lab assistant for the correct procedures.

For further information on lab locations, refer to the General Access Microcomputer and/or Terminal Labs and College/Department Student Computer and/or Labs sections.

Campus Office
On-campus users who have an Ethernet connection and Internet software on their office computers can connect using the World Wide Web or by opening a TELNET session using VT100/220 terminal emulation. Software for both methods can be downloaded from the TNS website. For more information on using the World Wide Web and TELNET, see Internet The Information SuperHighway, as well as the #0300 TELNET Guide (found in BA-110 and LL-200, and available through the ROHAN web server).

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Accessing From Off-Campus using TACACS

To dial into SDSUnet, it is necessary to get a TACACS account. Bring your SDSU ID along with your fee receipt card to LL-200 and an account will be set up for you. Once the account is established, you can dial in using your TACACS account. This will allow the use of Internet applications including Netscape, Internet Explorer and TELNET. In addition, you can also run Email programs, such as Eudora, which require a POP connection. The following information will help when trying to set up a connection to SDSU:

The modem must be at least 14.4 kbps or faster for all connections. All of the SDSU modems are high speed with a maximum baud rate of 33.6 kbps.

Student access to the SDSU modem pool is limited to 48 free modems that have a restricted connection time of two hours. Students can read and send Email as well as complete homework assignments, but they will only be able to access SDSU specific World Wide Web information. The student access number is: (619) 594-9900.

SDSU has a dial-in modem pool consisting of 288 modems dedicated to provide free, unlimited Internet access to faculty and staff. There are multiple phone numbers that SDSU faculty and staff can use to access SDSUnet from different parts of San Diego County. A complete list of SDSUnet San Diego County Numbers and additional information on Remote Access can be obtained from the TNS Network Information & Service web page.

Configuring the setup for dialing into SDSU is different for every machine and platform. To find out more information about configuring your system, go to the TNS Network Information & Service web page.

Once a connection is made, a dialog box will pop up displaying the speed of your connection and the amount of time connected. At this point, you can run whatever Internet software is available (Netscape, Eudora, TELNET, etc.).

It is possible to dial into SDSU with a terminal only connection; however, this option is not supported by TNS. Instructions for dialing into the system vary widely depending upon the platform and software being used. In many cases, after the dialer has successfully connected to SDSU, it is necessary to press the ENTER key 3 or 4 times before being prompted to input a TACACS username and password. After this information is entered correctly, the system will display a freeforall prompt and ROHAN can be accessed as well as other host computers on the Internet.

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Accessing From Out-of-Town

Telecommunication & Network Services (TNS) has implemented an Internet security measure that restricts access only to campus IP address ranges and to certain areas outside the campus. By logging into one of the campus hosts, users can then TELNET to off-campus locations. From a terminal session on ROHAN (See Accessing From On-Campus and Accessing From Off-Campus sections of this guide), it is possible to reach any computer on the Internet from on-campus, off-campus, out-of-town or directly from a PC, MAC or X-Terminal (with its own campus IP address - See Internet Addresses section of this guide for related information on IP addresses). If you have questions regarding Internet security issues, call 594-5261.

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Common Accessing Problems

I dial into SDSU and get connected, but when I use Netscape, I get an error that says the software cannot resolve the domain name. Why?

Frequently, the software fails to authenticate because the user's password is incorrect. Sometimes, the software will connect erroneously with the incorrect password. At these times, it will appear that there is a connection, but no Internet software (Eudora, Netscape, etc.) will be able to connect. If the user calls the TNS Help Desk at 594-5261, the TNS personnel can tell if the TACACS password is correct. If not, the user can bring their ID to LL-200 and get a new TACACS password.

When I try to access any pages that are off campus, I get a Winsock Error. Why?

Students dialing into the SDSU modem pool only have access to SDSU specific information. All other Web access is blocked. If a student wants to have full Internet access, it is necessary to get an external Internet Service Provider. San Diego State can only provide access for students needing information available through the SDSU campus servers.

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General Access Microcomputer and/or Terminal Labs

or

Academic Computing Handouts, Manuals, and Help Files

SDSU Faculty and Students may send questions about software on ROHAN or ROHAN UNIX problems to problems@rohan.sdsu.edu