The person who did your installations made reasonably sure that your PC worked before he left it to you. The interface card was checked and software and hardware conflicts were resolved. In the best of all possible worlds, that would be enough. However, evil gremlins lurk in every corner, and when you leave your PC alone, they have a way of wreaking havoc with it.

Your RCC is certainly not a GhostBuster, but before you pick up the phone and call your RCC, try the following:

• The computer won't turn on - no lights on the computer/monitor, and/or no picture

  • Are all the power cord plugged in? One end goes to the wall outlet (or power strip) and the other connects in the back of the computer. Make sure this is the case.
  • Is the power strip plugged in?
  • Is the switch on the power stip ON?
  • Is the power switch on the PC ON?
  • Is the monitor connected to the computer and ON?
  • Some rooms, like Decker, have outlets attached to the light-switch. They go on and off as the switch is flipped. Is that switch on? (**NOTE: If your PC is plugged into a switched outlet, please consider moving its power cord(s) to a non-switched outlet. You never know when a "friend" (or you) will turn that switch off (or on). Such a small action can be a mere annoyance, but it can also mean the loss of an unsaved term-paper.)
  • If all the above is fine, consider plugging a lamp into the outlet powering the PC. If the lamp does not light, the outlet is either attached to the light switch (and id off - see above), or that outlet is faulty. Do other appliances in the room fu nction? If not, the power to your room may have been cut off. In either case, this is a job for Maintainence, not the RCC.

• Can't connect through the network

  • Is the cable that connects to the wall plugged in fully?
  • Is that cable plugged into the Network Interafce attached to the PC?

  • Most network interfaces have status lights on them to indicate the state of the network. Usually there is one green light, and maybe one yellow light; others may be present as well.

    • The green light usually indicates that a connection exists between the interface and the network hub. The connection is physically OK if the green light is glowing STEADILY (ie. ON and probably NOT flashing) If this light is OFF, a problem exists with the hub connection. Most likely the cable from the wall to the network interface is disconnected. See above. A flashing green light may indicate a wiring problem.
    • Some network interfaces (more expensive ones) have a yellow light to indicate activity is taking place on the network. The light flashes when information is being transmitted by the Network Interface or other Interfaces attached to the network. A rapidly flashing yellow light usually means the Network Interface can detect activity on the network. A slow flash indicates the Interface is trying to send data to the network. If there is no flash or only a slow flash, the connection to the ne twork is faulty in some way.

  • The room's data jack (to which your Network Interface is connected) is adjacent to the telephone jack. Each jack should be labeled, consisting of a series of numbers and a V or D. V indicates VOICE, and the telephone should be plugged into this jack. D indicates DATA, and the Interafce plugs in here. Make sure these connections are not switched. Plugging the phone into the data jack or the Interface into the phone jack can result in damage to the computer and/or Network interface, the phone, or the network hub system. Such damage means a h efty bill for YOU, as well as inconvenience.

• I can connect to a campus computer system (UNIX, TSCVM, Novell), but can't get an Internet system to come up.

  
  OR
  

  I can connect to an Internet computer system (using FTP or Telnet), but can't connect to a campus system.

  • Are you sure you have permissions to use the system you are trying to connect to? Remember, RES.net does not permit you to use those facilities for which you do not have a login ID and password.
  • If you get a Login: prompt during a telnet or FTP session, the remote system is up. You should double-check that you're typing your login ID and password correctly. Some systems are case sensitive (ie. Logging in as Bil l may not be the same as logging in as bill, and a password like CAT is not the same as cat, CaT or cAt).
  • Of cource, the lack of a Login: prompt may mean that the remote system is down or unreachable. To see if the campus Internet connection is down, try to telnet or FTP to a few different sites. If you can reach those sites, the In ternet connection is functional. If not, send your RCC E-Mail to let them know that there may be a problem. If some or all of the other remote systems are reachable, the site you wanted to logon to is probably down. The only remedy is to wait some tium e and try again. The remote system is probably down for maintainence or has crashed. There is nothing the RCC can do about this.

• Yesterday, things seemed to go very quickly on the network; today, it takes for ever for the system to respond.

  • Network load is at play here. You've probably chosen to use the system at a "prime-time": A time when many of its regular users are using it, or many people are using the network. It could also be that the system is having maintainence done on it, slowing it down. Or, there could be a malfunction in the system, network, or other system connected to the network. In any case, try again later to see if the load has subsided. For further explaination, see the Highwa y-Network analogy document.

of course, if you are confused about how to approach your problem, feel free to contact your RCC. They will be able to find an answer to your questions and concerns and help you get up and running.