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Windows XP TCP/IP Configuration

These instructions assume:

  1. That the machine has a network card installed and is connected to an active network port.
  2. That you have received an IP address for that machine from the CIS Network folks.

Move to Start | Control Panel | Network and Internet Connections | Network Connections. Find the Local Area Connection icon within the LAN or High-Speed Internet group. If there are multiple Local Area Connections, make sure that you choose the one associated with the Ethernet card.

Open Local Area Connection and choose Properties. In the group, This connection uses the following items:, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and choose Properties.

Verify that both Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected.

Choose OK and Close to return to and close the Local Area Connection Status window.
This should be all that is necessary to configure your machine for use on the WHOI network.

Troubleshooting:
If network dependent tasks such as Internet Explorer or Netscape fail, try the following.

  1. Make sure that the network cable is plugged securely into both the computer and a known good network drop.
  2. Verify that your ethernet card's harware address has been registered with Netreg.
  3. Open a Command Prompt (Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt). Use the ping command to test basic connectivity.
    a. Ping WHOI's DNS server, e.g. ping 128.128.243.2
    b. Ping by name, e.g. ping www.whoi.edu.

Ping is successful if you receive a reply from the address that you are pinging. If you receive a connection timeout or host unreachable message, and you've rechecked your connection information and physical cable connection, contact the CIS helpdesk (helpdesk@whoi.edu or x2439) for assistance.