|
|
Join The Student Room TodayBe part of the UK's largest and fastest growing student community. It's free to join and a lot of fun - Get inspired, express your ideas, interact and share University of Manchester: HornetFrom The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Manchester > Hornet Basic InformationHornet (Halls of Residence NETwork) provides internet service to all halls of residence run by the University of Manchester, as well as a few selected private halls, listed here. This page does not cover HornetPlus, which is a separate ISP for students living in private houses. Connected rooms are fitted with a RJ45 socket that provides a 10Mbps connection. There is no cap to the amount of data that users can send or receive over the network. However, the university does actively police the network for users whose computers are displaying erratic behaviour and making excessive use of the network resources, and users who break the T&Cs may be fined, disconnected and/or prosecuted as appropriate. A Hornet connection provides:
The service includes rental of the line for the specified period and full support. The connection period is until you leave the Hall, or until the start of the new academic year, whichever is the earlier - so if you stay in Hall over the vacation periods, including the summer, you'll still have the connection. Connection transfers between university-managed halls are possible and involve no extra cost. However, it is not possible to transfer connections between private and university-managed halls or vice versa How to connectRegistrationIn order to activate the internet in your room you need to register with Hornet using the student portal. Depending on which hall you live in, and which uni you study at, the sign up process differs.
If you're registering at the start of a new academic year, you won't be able to register your account or activate your connection until the portal opens for that years' registration. This date is set and publicised by Hornet (and at the time of writing was not yet known for 2008), but is often at the start of Fresher's week.
There are two main ways to sign up:
There are also a few Hornet terminals placed around in the halls themselves, in these locations. Before you try signing up, make sure you have the following details at hand:
If you are not a UoM or a MMU student then you'll only need a valid email address and the rest of the details. You also need:
What happens after I've registered with Hornet?If you are living in University of Manchester halls then you should be done at this point! It may take up to 24 hours for your connection to start working, but it is often a lot quicker. If it doesn't start working after this length of time, please log back into the portal and report a problem to Hornet. If however, you are living in a private hall, then after registration you will need to go to reception and pay the connection fee. Your internet won't work until after you've paid. If you have any problems after you've registered through the portal, log back into the portal and report a problem to the Hornet team who will contact you via the same site. Hornet usually run information sessions during Freshers' Week each year, to answer any questions that residents may have about Hornet, the registration process, sell patch cables and offer support for the service. These take place in certain halls, and Hornet also often have a stand at the Freshers' Fair. What cable will I need?You'll need an Ethernet patch cable (Cat 5 - RJ45). This should fit directly into both the data socket in your wall and your computer's networking card. Be careful that you don't try to use an Ethernet crossover cable - these are used for connecting two PCs together, and will not work with Hornet. The correct cables can be bought from both Manchester and MMU's students' unions, IT Services, and local computer supplies shops (such as Maplins - opposite the BBC on Oxford Road), as well as elsewhere. If you buy your cable from a shop, or bring one from home, make sure it's of the right type! Can't I use wireless?No. Hornet has a strict and actively enforced policy against student-run wireless networks. The short explanation can be found here, a longer, more technical explanation here. The university has its own WiFi network, avaible in the Main Library and many other university buildings, but neither this nor commercial WiFi networks currently extend to University halls. For information on accessing these elsewhere on campus, see here. What's a MAC address, and how on earth do I find mine?Every network device has a MAC address (Media Access Control) to uniquely identify themselves on a network. Hornet provide a good guide on how to find out yours, which can be found here. Check the safety & security of your computerBefore you connect to the network you must make sure that your computer is safe and secure. Failure to do so may often lead to a disconnection and in certain circumstances a reconnection fee. It is essential to have:
Frequently Asked QuestionsHow do I change my MAC address on the portal?Login through the Hornet Web Portal (located on the left hand side of this page) with your username and password. When you're in, click on 'Show Further Details' on the left hand side below your details, and then click on 'Change Details'. From there you will be able to change your MAC address. Remember to submit the new details at the end, otherwise it won't save your changes. It says my MAC address is already in use, what do I do?Please make sure you have got the correct MAC address, you may have misread or mistyped in yours. Quite recently, with the release of Windows Vista, a lot of people tried to register with the MAC address 02-00-54-55-4E-01 . This is the first thing that appears after typing in 'ipconfig/all' but it isn't the correct one. You will need to scroll up to the heading 'Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection'. If however there is another person with the same MAC address as you, then log the problem on the portal (If you haven't registered yet, just register with a made up MAC address so that you can log the problem). Are any VOD (Video on Demand) services allowed - like BBC iPlayer or 4oD?No. This webpage explains more about Hornet's policy on streaming video. How do I set up my Xbox 360 to connect to Xbox Live?Fortunately with the 360 there is an option to change its MAC address. What most people do is register with their laptop/deskptop MAC address and change the 360's MAC to match it. This way you will only have to swap the cables round between the two devices. Please note you are not allowed to have any routers, switches, hubs in order to connect multiple devices. How do I set up my PS3 to connect to PSN?Unfortunatey with the PS3 there is no option to change its MAC address. In this case you will have to register the PS3's MAC address on the portal and change your laptop/desktop's MAC to match it. Note: There are currently some connectivity issues with the game Call of Duty 4 on the PS3. It will work for some users but for others it will get stuck on the 'DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS'. See this news item on the Hornet website. How do I get my University username and password set up for Hornet?University of ManchesterWhen you finally register at the University you will be given an student ID card ("library card"). On this card will be your University ID Number, which you'll need to set up your IT account. To do this you need access to the internet, so either use a friend's computer or one of the computer clusters located all around campus. To sign up at one of the computer clusters, use these following details to log in at the blue screen: Username: signup Password: signup Once logged in, it will take you directly to the https://iam.manchester.ac.uk website and from there you will be able to retrieve your University username and choose a password. Manchester Metropolitan UniversityFor MMU users, your University ID is the first 8 digits of your UCAS ID, and your password is your Date of Birth in a particular format (eg 10th January 1988 = 10Jan88). Remember that the first letter of the month has to be upper case. TroubleshootingPlease note that these troubleshooting tips are for Windows based systems. I can't get past the Hornet page!In 99% of cases, this is caused by having registered the wrong MAC address. It's a very easy mistake to make, but also easily fixed. Double check by running "ipconfig /all" again, and looking for the one underneath "Ethernet Adaptor Local Area Connection". An easy way to spot the one you're looking for is to leave your computer plugged into the wall, and look for the one with "halls.manchester.ac.uk" listed. Wireless or tunnel adaptors are no good. If you're a Mac user, then double check you selected the Ethernet interface when you were looking for the MAC address. It's easy to forget, and to end up taking down the AirPort one, which is no good for Hornet. Room NumberPlease check that you have registered in the correct room. Failure to do so will enable a live connection in a different room rather than yours. It will also mean that the person living in the incorrect room that you registered in won't be able to sign up as their room number won't be available on the list. Unfortunately, if you have realised that you have registered in the wrong room you won't be able to amend your room number yourself. Your best bet is to leave a message on the Hornet web portal stating which room you are actually living in and the Hornet Rep will be able to make amends. IP settings In order for your connection to work you must set your TCP/IP settings to 'Automatically Obtain an IP address'. To do this in Windows, go to the START menu, then RUN and type in 'ncpa.cpl'. This will take you to the network connections window. Right click on 'Local Area Connection' and select properties. Double click on 'Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)' and you'll be able to check if your IP settings are correct.
NIC DriversIn order for your Network Card to work it must have the correct drivers installed. Normally if you have brought your computer/laptop from a retailer it will have it pre-installed. If you're having a problem with faulty network card drivers, then a Hornet Rep will be able to help you install correct or up to date drivers. High Internet SecurityCertain third party internet security packages (such as Norton or Kaspersky) can block a high amount of internet traffic, and so you might find that MSN Messenger or your web browser isn't working. If you have problems with this, it might be worthwhile to lower these settings or make sure that the specific programs that you use are unblocked (the method of doing this differs between software packages - if you don't know how to do this, check with the manual or user help page for the sofftware you use). Also, although it may seem like a good idea, it isn't recommended to have two firewalls or antivirus scanners running at the same time, as they can conflict with each other and do more harm than good. Duplex Settings on NIC Your NIC duplex speed settings must be set to 'AUTO' as an incorrect settings may lead to a 'Cable Unplugged' message in Windows (Speed set too high) or an unstable connection (Speed set too low). To check the settings in Windows, go to the START menu, then RUN and type in 'ncpa.cpl'. In the Network Connections menu right click on Local Area Connection and select Properties. Next in the new window that has popped up click on the 'Configure' button and this will lead you to your NIC properties. Select the 'Advanced' tab' and you will be able to check your 'Speed & Duplex' settings on your NIC.
Local Area Connection not enabled When trying to retrieve your MAC address but after typing in 'ipconfig/all' in the command prompt and no information is displayed in regards to your Network Card then you may find that your 'Local Area Connection' is disabled.  To enable your Ethernet in Windows, go to 'START' then 'RUN' and in the box type in 'ncpa.cpl'.
When the Network Connections window has popped up, right click on 'Local Area Connection' and select 'Enable'.
Proxy Settings If you have managed to get connected (obtain an IP address) but for some reason web pages don't load then the problem might be to do with your proxy settings. Please unclear any proxy settings that you may have set up from a previous connection in order for your connection to work
Reporting a ProblemIf you have fully registered for the internet service in your room and followed our troubleshooting guides but the Internet still doesn't work in your room, then you can report a problem on the Hornet web portal. To access this portal you can either use one of the Hornet Terminals or go to the Hornet web portal After the problem has been logged onto the system a Hornet Rep will be assigned to your problem. Please ensure that you do come back and check the portal again for possible recommended solutions as the Hornet Rep will reply to your problem via the portal. You will get notification of this via email. If you do not check the portal after the Hornet Rep has replied, you will be given a certain time frame - usually 48 hours - to reply. If you don't reply within that time, it will be assumed that the problem has been fixed and the problem will be closed. Usually if a problem persists and it cannot be fixed via messaging, then a Hornet Rep will arrange an appointment to visit you, so that they can physically check your computer. Current IssuesInternet issues with recent Windows UpdateThere is a potential conflict between ZoneAlarm and one of Microsoft's recent security updates (specifically KB951748). The symptom is the lack of network access beyond the campus (and in some cases to any IP address not on the 130.88.x.x subnet), which could be confused with the IP address of the machine being blocked at the campus perimeter [note, all such blocks have a notification sent from the University CERT team] There are 2 known workarounds: a) un-install the security update b) set the 'internet zone security' level in ZA to medium Windows Vista Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)This functionality in Vista allows multiple devices to be connected to the internet. It is believed that this function causes problematic issues on the DNS servers by overloading it with more requests than usual. As this can degrade the quality of Hornet's service it is required for all Hornet users' using Windows Vista to disable this function. Instructions can be found here |
|
|
|