Department of Mathematics

F.A.Q.

If your question is not answered on this page or you do not understand the answer, you can contact the Helpdesk for technical help.

Windows

  • How to request network access for laptops

    To request network access for your laptop or your visitor’s laptop please go to the Network Access Request page.  You will need your Mathematics Department username and password to access this form.

    For help in determining what the laptop’s MAC address is see How do I find my computer’s MAC address

  • How do I find my computers MAC address?

    In order to connect a laptop to Mathematics computer network, you will need to provide your computer’s MAC address.

    The MAC address look like xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx where x is a hexidecimal character. The method for retrieving a computer’s MAC address varies for different operating systems:

    • Windows.
      • From the Start Menu, choose the “Run…” option.
      • Run the “cmd.exe” program.
      • Once the DOS box has appeared, type “ipconfig /all” into it.
      • The output from the ipconfig command lists the MAC address for each of the network interfaces on your computer. If your computer can connect to a wireless network, you have two MAC addresses. You need to find the non-wireless address.
    • Mac OSX
      • Click on the Apple (BlueApplefromMenu) in the top left corner of your screen.
      • Click the “About this Mac” option.
      • Click the “More Info” button.
      • Click on the top level “Network” link.
      • Select “Ethernet” in the pane at the top of the window.
      • Scroll down to the bottom of the resulting information, until you see the MAC address entry.
      • It will look something like this:
      • OSX.SystemProfiler.Network
    • Linux
      • Run the command: ifconfig -a
    • Solaris
      • Run the command: arp computer_name (or arp `uname -n`)

  • How do I connect to my Math Network Space from a Windows computer:

    To connect to your Math Account from a computer that is connected to the internet on campus:

    From a PC running Windows:

    1. Right click the Start menu.

    2. Click Explore.

    3. On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

    4. In Drive, select a drive letter.

    5. In Folder, type in the string

    \\smbhost.math.purdue.edu\yourloginid

    where “yourloginid” is your Math login id.

    6. When prompted, enter your Math Account login and password

    If you are running Windows XP/2000/NT, you may need to use the option on the Map Network Drive window Connect using different user name and enter your Math Account login and password. With Windows 98, your local User name must match your Math Account login.

  • How do I setup a VPN connection to Purdue's network?

    Visit ITaP’s website for detailed instructions to setup a VPN connection in Windows.

    http://www.itap.purdue.edu/connections/vpn/

  • How do I setup Windows XP to SSH into the math servers?

    You need to install an SSH client.

    Purdue’s Engineering Computer Network has SSH clients available for Purdue faculty, staff, and students. Below is a link to the ECN software download page.

    https://engineering.purdue.edu/PULS/pc_software/ssh_clients

    We recommend SSH Client 3.x (SSHWinClient). Once the SSH client is installed, create a connection to any of the math servers.

    Click here for more detailed instructions to setup a connection in Windows XP.