Welcome to Dickinson's Computer Network
Where to get help
- If you have a computer question or problem, contact the Library
and Information Services Help Desk (x1000) or send an email message
to helpdesk.
- Visit the LIS Technology Services home page for a good starting
place.
- Check out the current training schedule here.
Network Anatomy
Attempting
to understand the network can be a somewhat confusing and daunting
task for new employees, so we'll try to simplify it. The "network"
is not one physical thing located somewhere specific on campus.
Rather, it is a
collection of things scattered at various placed
across campus. Just like our physical brain controls our nervous
system and sends signals to other body parts, such as our legs, arms,
eyes, ears and fingers, our campus network has a central control point
called the
backbone. Without getting into too
much "tech-talk," the backbone consists of two major pieces of equipment
-- a
router and a
switch. All network components ultimately
tie into this backbone, or "brain." Ah, but there's much more!
Fiber optic cable extends underground to key places on campus so
that outlying buildings and residence halls can "connect" to the
network. Within each building or residence hall, there is
wiring which connects the individual offices and rooms. If
you look around, you will no doubt see a plastic wall plate into
which phone-like cable is plugged. This is where your computers
and printers "hook up" to the campus network, and why you have network
access from your computer.
One more thing. The Internet is that marvelous
entity which allows us to send email to each other and friends around
the world, as well as browse the world-wide web. Most people
are familiar with the fact that if you want to get connected to
the internet from home, you must pay for the service from companies
like AOL, EarthLink or Cumberlink, to name a few. Dickinson
is no different. We, too, have an internet service provider.
Just like our central nervous system, signals travel back and forth
over this collection of hardware and wiring to make up, collectively,
Dickinson's network!
The network and you
So how do you fit into this network scheme? Your desktop PC
or Macintosh software has been made ready to utilize the network by
adding additional hardware, if necessary, and configuring the appropriate
software. Sure enough, if you look behind your computer, you
will find a cable, which is similar to a telephone cable, running
from the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to the wall plate housing your network wiring.
Now, because you have this connection, you can access other machines
and services on Dickinson's campus-wide network. For instance,
you can log in to a computer and read email, or you can
share a laser printer with others in your office, or you can browse
the world-wide web!
- Electronic
mail (If you
would like step-by-step instructions for learning this
system, please
click here)
|
- Web pages
All users are invited to set up and maintain a personal
web page. Using an authoring tool, such as Dreamweaver,
you can create and store web pages on Alpha for the world
to view. (For
more information regarding publishing web pages at Dickinson, click
here.)
|
- Contacting the Help Desk
If you are experiencing
a computer-related problem, you can contact the Library
and Information Services Help Desk by
email or call 717-245-1000.
|
NT-Network
Another major piece of the Dickinson campus-wide
network is the NT network,
which is really a combination of many computers, servers, printers
and cabling. Every employee having access to a personal computer
(Mac or PC) at their desk, has a network connection. The NT
network allows users to share computer files, such as Microsoft Word
or Excel documents, with other colleagues around campus. Another
benefit of the NT network is the ability to share more expensive,
high-quality laser printers or color printers in an office or department.
There are several servers in
this NT network, each serving a particular group of users or a particular
function. Think of it this way -- when you are at a restaurant
eating dinner, your "server" finds out what you want and takes your
order, then the "server" brings your food to your table. The
NT servers perform a similar function -- you request to open or
save a document and the server either retrieves it for you or takes
it and stores it. When you want to send a document to the
printer, a "server" sends that request to the appropriate printer.
Every user of the network has a network
login
and network
password,
which grants them access to use the NT network. To avoid adding
more confusion, your login name will always be the same for any account at Dickinson College. Normally, most users log into
their network accounts when they start their computer at the beginning
of each day, then logout of the network when the computer is shut
down.
While many accounts utilize the same server,
there is little need to be concerned about the confidentiality of
your files. The NT server employs sophisticated file security
to make sure users are only granted access to those areas they need.
For instance, the ADMIN server contains a folder for each department
which utilizes it. Members of one department cannot get in
and open the departmental folder of another. When a person
opens up their office folder, they will see individual folders for
each alphabet. Find the letter that starts your username.
Again, while they can see the users in the list, the cannot
actually get in and access the folders. That type of permission
is denied to them. But each departmental folder contains a
shared folder, which can be accessed by all within a given
department, for the purposes of sharing necessary files.
Example of the Network folder structure at Dickinson College.
The Internet
The
Internet is the vast
collection of computers around the world which are connected together
via some form of communications link (cable, satellite, etc.).
Each one of these computers has a unique internet
domain name,
or address. Whenever you send email to a colleague at another college
or organization, in addition to the user's internet name, you must
also supply the unique domain name of the computer where their account
resides. For instance,
dickinson.edu is Alpha's domain
name. Using the various communications links between your computer
here and their computer there, your email message bounces from computer
to computer, taking a particular route to get from Point A to Point
B. If it helps, visualize the internet as
a highway system
which interconnects computers around the world.
World-Wide Web
Now that we have a vast connection of computers world-wide, how can
we share information with one another most efficiently? Some
people use PCs, others use Macs, and still others use workstations
or terminals. Each of these platforms works independently of
one another, so whatever method we use, it should be platform independent.
This is one of the biggest strengths of the web. Someone can
create documents using a Mac, and someone using a PC can instantly
read them. The web breaks the incompatibility barrier! The World-Wide
Web is one of the vehicles which travels on the highway system. In other words, it's a service
of the internet. Just as there are different types of vehicles
which travel a real highway system (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc.),
there are other services which utilize the internet.
All employees with a network connection may access the World-Wide
Web using browsing software like Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Each employee also has the ability to create their own personal
web page, as well as assist in the development of departmental web
pages. For an overview on creating web pages click
here.
Last updated on:
Thursday, February 14, 2008 9:58 AM
Questions or Comments about
his page?
Print-Friendly