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Network registration

Overview

Yale requires that all equipment utilizing the University data network be registered and that the registration information be associated with either the owner or primary user of the equipment. ITS enforces this policy by controlling access to usable Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. In order to get a legitimate IP address, you have to register the machine. When ITS provides an IP address, we collect the hardware address --sometimes called the Machine Access Code (MAC) or Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA)-- of either the wireless card or the ethernet card. If you are connecting via Wireless and via your ethernet cord (at different times), you would have to register both of these MAC addresses for the same machine. This system ensures accountability and helps ITS to provide better service for

all the community, but in order to streamline the transaction, we provide tools to minimize the burden of registering your machine.

If you are a faculty or staff member you may either contact your primary support provider (or the ITS Help Desk) to assist in the timely registration of your equipment. For students or those wishing to assist University guests in their access to the network, please read on!

Net registration for students

Students are obliged to register their computers once a year (typically in the fall) during their stay at Yale. This serves several purposes:

• The student is given an opportunity to update the inventory of equipment they are using at the University.
• The addressing information vended to a student can be optimized to reflect a new primary dwelling (e.g. moving from Old Campus to a residential college).
• The student is given a chance to review the Yale network Appropriate Use Policy and assure that they continue to be in compliance.

In order to register a computer, the student will go to our automated network registration page and answer some simple questions about their primary housing location as well as the MAC and/or EHA address of their computer. As this last piece of information is not commonly known to the average user, the application attempts to auto-detect the MAC address of the current machine (assuming you are registering the machine you are currently using).

For those of you paying attention, the above statement might suggest a "chicken/egg" conundrum. One might ask, "If I can't use the network until I register my computer, how can I possibly use the network for the purposes of registering my computer?" The answer is that some parts of campus allow access to certain campus resources (including Network registration). After registration, the University will vend you an IP address that is capable communication with the entire internet.

Guest registration

YaleGuest is intended to support short term (less than 1 week) access to the Internet for visitors to the campus. It is not intended for regular use by students, faculty or staff. As it is primarily intended for Internet access, some protected Yale websites and services are not be accessible from YaleGuest.