Wellesley College Computer Registration

Computer Registration, in use in the academic and administrative buildings on campus, allows you to quickly identify your computer on the College's network.

On April 13th, 2006, Information Services will expand Clean Access onto all College-owned Wireless Access points, replacing Computer Registration.

By Fall 2006, the entire Wellesley College campus will be authenticating through Clean Access and the Computer Registration system will be retired.

Computer Registration Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Questions

• Why do I have to register my computer?
  
  Registering your computer associates you with your computer. Computer Registration allows Information Services to quickly and accurately pinpoint computers on campus that may be compromised or infected with a virus. This will protect our network resources and also enable you to be notified more quickly if your own computer is compromised.
• Why didn't I have to register my computer in my Residence Hall Room?
  
  Beginning in the Fall of 2005, Information Services has implemented Network Authentication in the Residence Halls. This is a different system than Computer Registration. Please refer to the Network Authentication instructions when you open your browser while connected to the network in a Residence Hall room.
• How do I register my computer to use the Wellesley College Network?
  
  Just answer the brief questions you’re asked the first time you launch your web browser.
• How long will it take to register my computer?
  
  It should take no more than 5 minutes. Once you have filled out the registration information and restarted your computer, registration will be complete.
• Do I need to un-register my computer if I take it off-campus?
  
  No.
• Do I need to register my home computer?
  
  No.
• I have a laptop with a wireless card and an ethernet port. Will I have to register more than once?
  
  Yes, you will have to register twice: once for the wired Ethernet connection and once for the wireless connection.
• How many computers can I register?
  
  You can register as many computers as you have.
• What is the difference between a "guest" and a "visitor"?
  
  A "guest" is a friend or colleague being hosted by a student, faculty, or staff member of Wellesley College. Guests register their computers in the presence of their Wellesley host (who authenticates the guest by entering a FirstClass User ID and FirstClass password).
  
  A "visitor" is an individual whose longer-term visit to campus is sponsored by a department, such as the Office of Special Events, the Office of External Conferences and Summer Programs, or another administrative department. Generally, a visitor would not be using their computer in the presence of a current Wellesley faculty or staff member. Visitors will obtain a visitor password to register their computer from their sponsoring program or department.

Registration Expiration

• Will I have to register every time I want to use the Internet?
  
  As a Wellesley Student, Faculty or Staff member, you will only have to register your computer once each semester in academic buildings.
• When does my computer's registration expire?
  
  Student, Faculty and Staff computer registrations in academic buildings expire after each semester ends. When your computer registration expires, your computer will lose network connectivity until the computer is re-registered. For example, you will not be able to connect to FirstClass or Firewall, or print to a networked printer, from your on-campus computer. When this occurs, launch your web browser and navigate to any web page. You will be taken to the Wellesley College Computer Registration web page which will provide instructions to complete your computer registration for the coming semester.
  
  Guest and Visitor registratons expire one (1) week after they are created.
• It's after the registration expiration date, but I can still log into FirstClass and browse the web. Why didn't I need to re-register?
  
  If you have already registered your computer once this semester, then you will most likely not need to register it again until next semester. However, if you have not yet registered your computer, please restart it. If you are still not prompted to register, please wait one week to see if your computer is just delayed in seeing this change. In the meantime, if you are a staff or faculty member in a department with a computer support person, check to see if that person registered the computer for you. If, after a week, you still have not been prompted to register, post to Computing Questions on FirstClass.
• I saw the notice about our registrations expiring, but when I open up my browser, my home page shows up. Do I still have to register?
  
  Almost every computer on campus will be prompted to register soon after the registration expiration date. If your homepage comes up, it is likely because your browser's cache is storing it. Try going to an alternate web site such as CNN (http://www.cnn.com/). Lab computers as well as some departmental computers have been pre-registered and will not need to re-register.

What If...

• What if someone I know cannot remember their FirstClass password; can I give them mine?
  
  No, you should have that individual visit the Faculty/Staff HelpDesk in the Clapp Library with their OneCard to have their password reset.
• My network connection isn't working; I can't get into FirstClass. Help!
  
  Make sure you have tried launching a browser such as Internet Explorer, and have tried going to the Wellesley home page (http://www.wellesley.edu/). If you are prompted to register the computer, follow the instructions to do so. If you are still unable to get to the network, Faculty and Staff members should contact the Help Desk at x3333, Students go to their Residence Hall Computer Room to fill out a Student Computer Help Form, being sure to indicate in your request for help whether you did or did not get the screen asking you to register the computer.
• It says there was an authentication error. What can I do?
  
  Please make sure you are using the username and password you would use to log in to FirstClass rather than one of your other accounts.
• What if when I opened FirstClass, it gave me an error about the server not being found, but when I opened Netscape, my home page appeared. Do I still need to register?
  
  Yes. Your web browser is showing you the web page as it looked the last time you viewed. Please click the Refresh or Reload button. You should be re-directed to the Computer Registration home page.
• My department has a computer that a staff member shares with our students. Can I have a student register it for me?
  
  No, you should have a continuing faculty or staff member register all shared computers within a department. The person who authenticates the registration with their FirstClass account will be the person we would contact if there are problems.
• What do I do if my friend comes to visit and wants to use her computer on the network?
  
  You can register your guest; the Guest form will ask for contact information, in case IS needs to contact someone about a possible problem with that computer on our network. You must ensure that your guest understands the Responsible Use of Information Technology Resources. Guest registrations are valid for one week.
• What about my game console/wireless router/other device that uses the network?
  
  If you have a device other than a computer that uses the network, please email compreg@wellesley.edu for assistance. These special network devices must be registered with help from IS staff.

Security

• Does Computer Registration reconfigure, install software, or place information on my computer?
  
  No. The computer registration system does not change any settings on your computer or install software. It simply creates a record in a secure database with your FirstClass User ID and network card ID number, along with the contact information you provide on the form. This information will allow Information Services to contact you if your computer is infected with a serious virus or causing a significant problem on the campus network.
• Does Computer Registration track my activities on the network?
  
  No.

Error Messages

• "Permission Denied - You are not in my allowable IP range", "No Registration Required" or "Hardware Already Registered"
  
  This error message means that your computer is already registered. If you still cannot reach any web pages you should clear your browser's cache. This is usually done through the Internet Tools (Internet Explorer) or Preferences (Netscape) menu.
• "Invalid Login" or "Authentication Failed"
  
  This error message means that either your FirstClass UserID or Password are incorrect. Please go back and try again.
• "A required field is missing"
  
  This error message means that one of the fields on the registration form was left blank. Please go back and try again.
• "POP3 Command Stat maybe given in the transaction state, current state is authorization."
  
  This error is more likely to occur in the days following the semesterly expiration of computer registrations, and may be load-related. Please wait five (5) minutes and try again. If the error persists, please seek technical assistance from the Help Desk (for Faculty and Staff, Guests and Visitors) or your RCC (for Students).

Doug Chudzik
Information Services
Last modified: April 10, 2006
Expires: August 1, 2006