Reference Information 2009
This document provides additional information about WIRED programs and student resources

Getting Help LAN Applications H-Drive Penalty Box Troubleshooting

 

Getting Help

The primary purpose of the WIRED program, beyond providing documentation, is to provide direct assistance to students. There are several sets of people who can help, and here's how:

Help Sources:

Procedures:

 

LAN Applications

Windows Software for many courses at Lehigh can be installed onto individual student machines from the Lehigh network via the "Install Software" Website. There are separate lists for:

Note that these both require that the Y: drive is mapped (the WIRED Login client does this automatically). As well, these pages only work with Internet Explorer -- it will not operate properly from Firefox or other browsers. It is also important to note that you should never install a LAN application that is already locally installed on your hard drive. (For example, if you had purchased and installed your own copy of Maple, do not install it again from the LAN.) This will provide problems with your license and registration of the software. The FAQs on those pages are valuable reading if you have any problems.

The easiest way to install a LAN application is to double-click on the Install Software icon found on your Windows desktop to be brought to the appropriate 'Install Software' page.

Please Note:
Although the LAN applications listed under the 'Install Software' icon as being for WIRED are set up to run from computers in student residences, not all LAN applications available at Lehigh are licensed and set up to do so. The Install Software list at the public sites, for example, is longer, and includes a 'Locations Restrictions' field indicating where it can be installed. While the system will let a user install a restricted application, it will not actually run.

 

H-Drive and Data Recovery

The H-Drive
Personal computers are great, but they aren't indestructible. With that in mind, Lehigh provides students with 500MB of backup-protected storage space on the network servers. It's enough space for papers, spreadsheets and other important schoolwork, but not intended for storing video or music libraries. If you use Windows and the WIRED login client, you will automatically have this space mapped to drive letter H. Mac users with the MacConnector will see it as a mounted network drive labeled with their username. WIRED highly recommends storing your schoolwork there. Check the WIRED Setup document to see how to install these programs.

Data Recovery
One of the great things about the H-drive is that it's backed up nightly to tape, and twice a day using the network's "Shadow Copy" service. This service operates on the network server, and so can be used not just from your machine, but anywhere on the network. Accessing it though, requires a Windows machine, so Mac users would have to run Windows, use a friend's machine, or head to a public site.

Procedure:

  1. In Windows, (Mac users will need to visit a public site or install Windows), right-click on the H-drive or any file within it, and select Properties.
  2. Click on the "Previous Versions" tab. This shows a series of dated versions of your H-drive Ð currently 7 am and noon, every day. Simply scroll to the date you're interested in, and click "View". A window showing the contents of your H-drive at that time will be displayed.
  3. Find the file you need, and copy it to a new location. In general, it's recommended to restore the file to a different location than it originally came from, at least until you've confirmed that it's the version you want and contains the data you need.
Depending on the timing of your last save on the file in question, and the timing of any unwanted changes or deletions that have been made, lost or damaged files can quite often be retrieved from the H-drive, even if your own computer is damaged or lost. If it's been more than a few days since the problem, though, see a WIRED consultant for help in retrieving backup data from tape.

 

Penalty Box (Internet Traffic Management)

In order to provide fair access to the Internet for all students, Lehigh University has implemented an automatic system that reduces the connection speed of a network jack to 56Kbps whenever the amount of traffic going through that jack to the internet (outside Lehigh) exceeds a reasonable amount within a specific period of time, or when spurious (non-Lehigh-assigned) MAC or IP addresses are detected. This automatic reduction is referred to as the "Penalty Box".

A student can determine whether his or her network jack is in the Penalty Box by first going to www.lehigh.edu/network (Lehigh username/password required) and then clicking on the "WIRED Rate Limiting Status (Penalty Box)" link to view a list of network jacks that are in "the box."

Symptoms of being in the Penalty Box include slow loading of Web pages, dropped connections to AOL Instant Messenger, and other general Internet access problems. Most of the time, students who complain of such symptoms are in the Penalty Box, and this is most frequently the result of running file-sharing programs such as Limewire, or high-bandwidth video chat programs (multi-person iChat on Macs). These programs are designed to make maximum use of (that is, monopolize) available bandwidth. With some of these programs it's possible to limit bandwidth use, or to create direct local connections to clients on the same network (i.e. not go through the internet). If you're not sure of the amount of traffic you're creating, it's best to limit use of these programs. Check with a WIRED Consultant to be sure.

Also, it's worth pointing out here that the largest use of file sharing programs is the sharing of music, videos and other forms of media. These files generally constitute copyrighted material, and as such cannot be legally shared without the permission of the copyright owner. Anyone distributing copyrighted material without the owner's permission is in violation of federal copyright law, and may be liable for fines through suit by the copyright owner. WIRED's advice is to leave the choice of distribution of media, and the option of charging money to make a living at it, to the artists who create that media. It'll also leave Lehigh's network performing better for everyone on it.

Note again that the Penalty Box does not affect a computer's connection to on-campus sites, and automatically re-adjusts over time, when traffic levels return to normal. Specifically, one's LAN jack is put into the Penalty Box when the total amount of network traffic inbound from or outbound to the internet (off-campus) exceeds 9 Gigabytes over a 72-hour (3 day) period. Nine Gigabytes over a 72-hour period is a lot of traffic Ð it's roughly 8000 photos; "normal" Internet use will never generate this amount of traffic. One's jack is removed from the Penalty Box 72 hours after the amount of off-campus Internet traffic over the prior 72 hours falls to 9 GB or less.

A jack can also be put into the Penalty Box if an excessive number of Ethernet addresses, or IP addresses not assigned by DHCP, are observed at the jack within a 72-hour period. Such jacks are removed from the Penalty Box 72 hours after any spurious addresses time out from the jack. Since the time out period for addresses is itself 72 hours, this means that once a jack goes into the Penalty Box for these reasons, it will not come out of the Box for six days assuming no additional spurious addresses appear at the jack in the meantime.

Also be aware that the specific traffic amounts and waiting periods are updated periodically by LTS to reflect current fair usage rates.

 

Troubleshooting

Internet Access/Performance
I am unable to access the Internet from my web browser, e-mail client or chat program. There are several possible causes for this problem.  Try all of the following.

  1. Try another LAN jack.  
    If your roommate's PC can access the Internet, try powering off both computers and then temporarily connect your Ethernet cable to the roommate's LAN jack.  If you are able to connect to the Internet, then your LAN jack is bad.  You can report a bad LAN jack to a WIRED Consultant.
  2. Try a different Ethernet cable.
    It is possible that your Ethernet cable is bad. Try borrowing a hallmate's cable to see if that fixes your problem.
  3. Incorrect Internet setup
    It is possible that your PC is not set up correctly to access the Internet from Lehigh ─ especially if your PC was previously used on a network with a cable/DSL modem setup and has a specific IP address of another network hard-coded into the Internet settings.

In order to access the Internet at Lehigh it is necessary to configure your system to use DHCP to obtain an IP address automatically. To check if this is set correctly, you will need to access the TCP/IP properties of your LAN connection in the Network Connections Control Panel.  Make sure it is set to "Obtain an IP address automatically". 

  1. Corrupt Internet settings
    It is possible that file settings for TCP/IP have become corrupt on your PC.  This can occur for a variety of reasons but most commonly when spyware is removed from a system. 

    To fix/reset your Internet access, try running the utility Fix Internet Access which is available from the "Student Software" section of the WIRED website

My Internet access speed is very slow sometimes.  Web pages take a very long time to load or don't load at all.

Internet speed is affected by many factors.  Listed below are a few of the more common causes for slow Internet speed experienced by WIRED users.

  • High Internet usage times
    There are certain times of the day/week when Lehigh's Internet connection is maxed out and cannot handle the increased traffic.  If other people are having the same trouble as you, then this is the most likely reason for the slowness.
  • Specific web site problem
    It is possible that the web site you are trying to access is the cause of the slowness.  If you can access other web sites fine, then the problem is most likely with that specific site. 
  • Excessive Internet usage
    Lehigh has a generous limit on the amount of network traffic each WIRED connection is allowed.  If you exceed this limit, your Internet connection speed will automatically be reduced to the equivalent of a 56k modem connection for a set period.
    You can check to see if your computer is currently in the
    Lehigh "Penalty Box" by going to the following site: www.lehigh.edu/network.

    After you enter your Lehigh username and password to gain access to the web site, under "WIRED Rate Limiting Status (Penalty Box)" you will find information on the current limits and penalties as well as when your computer will be removed from the Penalty Box.  The most common causes of excessive network traffic are file-sharing programs like Kazaa and Limewire.   Throttle, Disable or remove them if you want to avoid the Penalty Box.
I am getting a large number of pop-up ads on my computer. Pop-up ads are normal on some web pages.  It is how some providers pay for the content you are viewing/accessing.  However, if you are receiving a large number of them or they are appearing at random times on your computer you could be infected with spyware. 

Spyware on your computer can cause large numbers of pop-ups to appear as well as slow down the speed of your computer.  To remove the spyware, install one of the spyware removal programs listed in step 5; the number of pop-up ads should decrease.
E-mail
I just tried setting up my e-mail software (Apple Mail, Outlook, etc.) to access my Lehigh e-mail account but I am unable to receive any messages. Lehigh uses secure mail servers to handle e-mail.  To access your Lehigh e-mail you will need to set up your e-mail software to use SSL for the incoming mail server (mail.lehigh.edu).  More details are available in the WIRED Setup document.

Specific instructions for configuring e-mail clients can be found at the Helpdesk web site at www.lehigh.edu/computing
I had been using IMP to access my e-mail but now there are no messages in my Inbox.
or
I get error messages about my disk quota being exceeded.		 You have exceeded your disk space quota on the mail server.  To correct the problem use the "Bump Quota" function at www.lehigh.edu/account. This will temporarily increase your quota; you will then be able to see messages in your Inbox. 

Note: It is very important that you delete and purge or move unneeded messages before your disk space quota goes back to normal or the same problem will occur again.
I can only send e-mail with IMP or the Portal.  I am unable to send using my e-mail client (Netscape, Mozilla, Outlook).  There is no error message when I attempt to send about my disk quota being exceeded. You are most likely in "Mail Jail".   The Lehigh network automatically restricts computers that are sending out excessive amounts of SPAM from sending any e-mail at all.  Check www.lehigh.edu/network to see if you're on the list.

Most computers in Mail Jail are infected with computer viruses that are sending out hundreds of SPAM messages every hour, unbeknownst to the computer's owner. 

To have send-mail privileges restored, a user will have to remove the virus causing the problem and then contact a WIRED Consultant to have the computer removed from Mail Jail.
I cannot compose or reply to e-mail messages using the Lehigh Portal. Nothing happens when I click on the compose or reply buttons. In Portal e-mail if you click on either the compose or reply buttons and a new pop-up window doesn't appear then it is most likely being blocked by a 3rd party pop-up blocker. 

Pop-up blockers are designed to block pop-up ads on web pages.  However, they are known to cause problems with the Lehigh Portal.  You will have to either remove the pop-up blocker or configure it to not block pop-ups on the Lehigh Portal site.

Two pop-up blockers known to cause problems with the Portal are the AIM Toolbar and Viewpoint Manager Toolbar.  The built-in Windows XP pop-up blocker and the Google Toolbar work fine with the Lehigh Portal.
WIRED Login Client
When I try to log in using the WIRED Login Client I am unable to map the H: and Y: drives. If you are running a 3rd party firewall such as ZoneAlarm, McAfee Firewall or Norton Firewall it may be blocking the WIRED Login client from connecting.  You will need to configure the firewall to allow the WIRED Login Client to access the network.  Instructions for doing this can be found at the WIRED home page ( www.lehigh.edu/wired) under the Installation Instructions section.
Printing
When I try to print to the WIRED printer in my residence I get an error message that says "Host Not Found". It is possible that the WIRED printer in your residence is powered off.  Make sure it is powered on, then try printing again. 
When I try printing to the WIRED Printer nothing comes out.  I don't get any error messages Try powering off the printer and then back on again.  If this doesn't help then find out if other people in your building are having the same problem printing.  If they are then call the LTS Helpdesk at 8-HELP to report the problem. 

If you are the only person having trouble printing then contact a WIRED Consultant for further assistance.
Password
I am having difficulty using my Lehigh username and password to log in.  I can log in for some accounts (i.e., e-mail) but not others (i.e., Banner). Your Lehigh username and password gives you access to a variety of computer accounts.  When you create a password it is automatically changed on all Lehigh computer accounts.  It is possible that the password was changed on some computer accounts but not others.  The best solution is to go to
www.lehigh.edu/change

Change your password again, wait approximately 30 minutes and then attempt log in again.  If you are still experiencing problems then go to the Computing Center located in the Fair-Mart Library to have your account checked. 
Miscellaneous
My PC frequently shuts down on its own. Just before it shuts down a message appears saying that the PC will shut down in 60 seconds. You most likely have an Internet virus/worm on your computer.  Other infected computers on the network are attacking your computer and shutting it down.  Simply disconnect the LAN cable from the wall jack to prevent the shutdowns. 

Before you can safely reconnect to the network your computer will need to have the Internet virus removed and your PC secured (steps 1-3 of this guide). Contact a WIRED Consultant if you need assistance in removing any viruses.