Wired Network Connections
Revised: August 22, 2019
Most offices and labs in the Electrcial and Computer Engineering Department
have one or more wired network ports that can be used to connect computer to
the campus network. In order to get connected you have to do two things:
- Find an active network port
- Register the device with the USC computer center (ITS) for access to the
network.
Active Network Ports
Note: All wired network ports in USC offices and labs are
identified by a 10-digit "grid number" that should be written on a small label
next to the port. For example, "2560041005". When communicating with anyone
about the status of a port, you will need to use the grid number to refer to
it.
If you know that an available network port is active because you or someone
else in the office was recently using it with another device, then just go
ahead and use that port. If there are unused ports and you are not sure if
they are wired for network use, you may be able to use your device to determine
the port status. If you know how to determine the network port status on your
device, then try plugging your device into the wall port and see if your device
reports a connection. You can also try checking the wiring status of the port
on the EE-Systems Ports Status web page.
Ports that are not currently wired for network use can be activated by ITS.
Contact Ted Low in EEB 100 (theodoyl@usc.edu) to request activation of the
port. To identify which port you want activated, you will need to provide the
grid number of the port. Activation normally takes a few days, but can take
significantly longer at times.
Registering the Device
All devices connected to wired network ports in USC office and labs (see below
for some exceptions) must be registered with ITS in order to have network
access.
To register a device for a wired connnection, send the following information to
Seth Scafani (
).
- MAC address of the network port to be used. This is a 12 hexadecimal digit
number, for example "
50:9a:4c:80:37:7d".
- Hostname you wish to use (????.usc.edu)
- Location of the system (building and room number)
- USC email address of the primary user
- USC email address of the owner of the system
The information will be sent to ITS and an IP address is normally received
within a few days.
For security purposes, the IP address you receive will be a private address
that will not be visible to systems outside the USC domain. You will be able
to access the Internet from your system, but systems on the Internet will not
be be able to reach your system. If you need to connect to your system from
outside the USC domain you will have to open
a
VPN connection to the USC
network first, and then should be able to connect to your system.
Network cables
If you need a network cable to go between the port on the wall and your system,
we may have some in our supplies. Send the request to Seth Scafani
(scafani@sipi.usc.edu) and make sure to indicate how long the cable needs to
be.
Private Net Connections
Some office and labs in EEB are connected to a privately supported network that
does not require registering connected devices with ITS. Devices connected to
this network
must be registered with the ECE staff resposible
for operation of the network.
If you are installing a device in any of the following offices or labs contact the department staff
about getting it online.
- EEB 4th floor, all offices
- EEB B10, B12, B14, B16, B16A, B18
Connection Problems
The ECE Department does not maintain the wired network ports in our offices.
This is handled by ITS and if you have a problem with a wired ports going dead,
or it doesn't work after it has been activated, you will have to contact ITS to
get the problem resolved. Their 24/7 customer service number is 213-740-5555 or
email to "consult@usc.edu".
