This page is intended to assist front-line tech support personnel in troubleshooting
CampusNet (on campus) problems over the phone. This page will help you to quickly assess the
environment of the caller and aid in our effort to quickly resolve customer service issues. As always,
if a resolution is not reached within 5 or 10 minutes, log a call in Remedy in the appropriate
category. Typically, a member of the CampusNet team will call to set up an appointment
within 48 hours. During crunch times (such as early semester) it may take a little longer.
Think Your Port is Dead?
Students may call in worried that their port has not been turned
on or is not working. It is perfectly OK to have a student
TEMPORARILY switch jacks with a roommate to check to see whether
their jack has been turned off.
The validation is Ethernet-dependent. What this means is that after you pay, you have four days to register your Ethernet address at http://www.jmu.edu/campusnet/. If you don't pay AND THEN register your Ethernet address, your jack/port is turned off.
If your roommate's computer is running TCP apps just fine and yours is not, it is perfectly acceptable to temporarily switch cables with them to see if yours then works. HOWEVER....you had better switch the cables back because if you don't, you will be using another person's jack that has been paid for and validated.
If the student has failed to register within the four day period, we will
need to log a call to CampusNet so they can turn to port back on again
so the student can register.
Many student computers come to campus with remnants or residue of other ISPs (Internet Service Providers) on them. Having had other providers before coming into our environment means that it is likely that the TCP configurations have been modified to suit other ISPs and conflict with CampusNet. Ask whether they were using this computer with another internet service before they came to JMU. Then search their Network Control Panel for signs of Dial Up Adapters referring to specific ISPs. If you find any, delete them and re-install TCP/IP.
NOTE* Part of assesing the environment means to determine the level of competence you are dealing with - yours as well as the customer's. It also means helping users check for the basic components necessary to run CampusNet apps. If you feel that you are making progress with the customer, go ahead and spend a few minutes troubleshooting. Chances are you will resolve the problem for them quickly.
When I Launch My E-Mail, I Lose My Connection!
In many cases, students connect to the network just fine when they boot up, but they lose their
connection when they launch their e-mail client or browser.
An example is troubleshooting a PC that has had AOL (America On Line) installed. AOL uses
a protocol that mimics TCP somewhat and configures TCP to enable DNS. You will see AOL Adapters
in the Network Control Panel. Also, in the DNS Configuaration tab on the TCP properties, you will see DNS enabled.
This configuration launches the Dial-up-Networking when the application is run. So, if you have had AOL for
example, and you already have a fast ethernet connection such as CampusNet, when you try and run your e-mail client
it can cause you to lose your connection because it is trying to connect you to the internet through your modem
instead of your Ethernet card. You can resolve this by removing all of the AOL adapters in the network control
panel.
Back to Top
Payment
How long will my port stay on in the fall?
At the beginning of the fall semester, all jacks are live up until October 1st to give everyone a
chance pay for the service and register their Ethernet address on line. To receive CampusNet service
you simply follow these steps:
Students that transfer in after October, must pay at the JMU Telecom Office, then register on line at http://www.jmu.edu/campusnet/ within four days of paying for the service or the jack will be turned off. If the customer misses the four day window they must call the HelpDesk so a call can be logged in Remedy to CampusNet.
Do I have to pay for the whole year?
No. Although most students pay for the whole year up front, you can also pay for
CampusNet service by the semester. The cost is:
E-mail comments to Lon Jarvis jarvislb@jmu.edu
last updated 3/17/00