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Connecting to CSUN Using Dial–Up Networking - Mac

This guide is designed to assist Macintosh users in connecting to the university's dial–up services. To begin, from the Apple Menu on your Macintosh, choose (click) Internet Access, then Internet Setup Assistant. The first dialog box you'll see asks if you would like to set up your computer to use the Internet. Click the Yes button to continue. In the next dialog box answer (click) Yes to the question "Do you already have an Internet account?" All faculty, students and staff at the university have access to email and web browsing through their campus account. Now the actual setup begins. Each dialog box is numbered in the lower righthand corner and is described below.

  1. Introduction: The Apple Internet Setup Assistant (from now on referred to as ISA) starts by definiing relevant terms. In this dialog box, and those that follow, click the right arrow at the bottom right when you're ready to continue.
  2. Configuration Name and Connection Type: The configuration session you set up to dial in to the university can be called anything you wish, however for simplicity's sake, we're going to call it CSUN. You will be connecting to CSUN through your Modem, so make sure that option is selected.
  3. Modem Settings: The ISA should automatically detect the type of modem you have. With a built–in Apple modem, it should typically indicate some kind of Global Village modem, but there are many other choices. Normally you modem is connected to the Modem Port. The type of phone line used is almost always Tone.
  4. Configuration Information:
  1. Phone Number: The phone number for connecting to CSUN is (818) 677–6700. You do not have to include the area code unless you are outside of the 818 area code.
  2. Note: Dial–in is not allowed from phone numbers with caller ID blocked. You don't have to enable caller ID permanently, just each time you make a modem connection. The code for enabling caller ID may be included in your dial–up string (as in *82,6776700, where *82 is the caller ID code.
  3. Login Information: You must authenticate (that is, connect to CSUN with a valid User ID and Password) and you type this information in the text boxes provided. You can leave the Password field blank, but you will have to type in your Password during the authentication process, and this delay can sometime cause problems, so it is not advised.
  4. Note: Your valid CSUN User ID is not your email alias (tom.smith, for instance) but rather your UNIX account ID which typically looks something like xyz12345, where the "xyz" are your initials and "12345" is a set of randomly–generated numbers.
  1. PPP Connect Scripts: CSUN does not require you to use a PPP Connect Script to connect to campus, so the default here is No.
  2. IP Address: You are not assigned your own IP address to connect to CSUN. IP addresses are assigned dynamically; that is, your "address" will be different each time you connect, so the answer here is the default No.
  3. Domain Name Servers: The information you enter in this dialog box is very crucial to your success connecting to CSUN. The DNS address and Domain Name server allow you to access CSUN's server and to connect to other servers beyond CSUN. There is a primary (130.166.1.242) and secondary (130.166.252.242) DNS address. There is only one Domain Name, csun.edu. Note: The DNS address is an actual set of numbers which is necessary to "find" the address of the server, much like street numbers help you find a particular house or business. The Domain Name, or host name, is a series of words which express the same thing that the DNS expresses in numbers.
  4. Email Address and Password: When you use CSUN as your Internet service provider (that is, the source of both your dial up connection and your email and browser access), your User ID (and Password) serves as both your authentication ID and your email ID. So in the Email address and password dialog box you need to type in your User ID (such as xyz12345) and your Password again. Here, you can leave off the Password information if you like. If you do, you will be prompted in your mail session to type in your Password before getting your mail.
  5. Email Account and Host Computer: The next questions refer to mail server information. Enter your email account in the format UserID@email.csun.edu (such as xyz12345@email.csun.edu). For email host type email.csun.edu.
  6. Newsgroup Host Computer: Newsgroups is a popular Internet feature that allows you to find out information on a wide variety of issues and ideas. If you are interested in accessing the newsgroups carried through the CSUN newsfeed, then type in the news server host name, news.csun.edu.
  7. Proxy Servers: CSUN does not require the use of a Proxy Server, so the default answer is No.
  8. Conclusion: After answering all these questions in the ISA you should be ready to connect to CSUN. You can open a connection to CSUN by clicking the Go Ahead button.

If you have entered all the information in the ISA correctly, you should see the Remote Access control panel appear on the screen. The Status section at the bottom should be active (as indicated by the "movement" of green "lights" in the Send and Receive boxes). Once you've connected to CSUN, you should be able to launch your browser (such as Netscape) by double–clicking its icon. When you're finished browsing the Web, checking email, or reading newsgroups, close your browser and then click the Disconnect button in the Remote Access control panel.

Connecting (and Disconnecting) Some Other Time

Once you have configured your computer for dial–up to CSUN, the next time you want to make an Internet connection, do the following: From the Apple Menu choose (click) Control Panel, then Remote Access. When the Remote Access control panel appears, click the Connect button. To disconnect, close your browser, then click the Disconnect button in the Remote Access control panel.

WARNING: If you don't disconnect when you're finished, you'll continue to tie up your phone line. By remaining connected to CSUN, you may also prevent someone else from being able to connect.

Need Help?

If you need further assistance, please contact the IT Help Center at (818) 677-1400.