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OBi110 on University LAN

Started by danman, September 12, 2014, 06:34:37 AM

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danman

With this new development, I need some advice regarding an OBI-100.  I am fairly tech-savvy but am very challenged when it relates to this type of technology.  My son and I each have our own OBI-100 and talked successfully last year to one another using the **9XXXXXXXXX direct dial method.  However, my son lived off-campus last year in an apartment with his own router.  He is now moving back on campus.  The university supplies a wireless network as well as direct Ethernet connection in his dorm room.  How can we make the OBI-100 work in this environment?  The university policy is listed below in case this helps.  Thank you for help in this matter.

"Registration is required for nearly every device attached directly to OIT Ethernet Service or OIT Wireless service, or attached via any mechanism that bridges to OIT Ethernet service:
Devices attached to the campus network via OIT Ethernet Service or OIT Wireless service must be registered in the Host Database.
Devices attached to the campus network via private Ethernet or private Wireless services that are bridged to OIT Ethernet Service must be registered in the Host Database.
Devices that should not be registered in the Host Database include:
Devices that connect to the campus network solely via a VPN service should not be registered.
Clients of Temporary Visitor Wireless Network Access (TVWNA) do not register in the Host Database.
Clients of Visitor IP (VIP) Service do not register in the Host Database.
Devices attached to OIT VoIP Ethernet Service should not be registered in the Host Database. These devices are normally Voice over IP telephones. The only exception is that devices attached to the voip-servernet subnet (a small network containing the VoIP servers managed by OIT) should be registered in the Host Database.
Computers are not the only type of device that must be registered in the Host Database. Any network-attached device that meets the requirements above must be registered, regardless of whether it is a computer, printer, Wireless Access Point, NAT (Network Address Translator, aka "NAT Router"), bridge, switch, router, IP phone, game console, DVR, music player, etc. What matters is that the device is attached to the campus network and meets the requirements above, not that the device is a particular kind of device.
Assuming your device speaks IP (most do), an IP address is also assigned as part of the registration process. Your device must be registered in the Host Database before you can configure the IP software on your device.
Host registration should normally be performed by the person responsible for the device, or the person responsible for attaching it to the network. In some cases, OIT staff perform the initial host registration on your behalf. See Who Needs to Register a Device in the Host Database? Once the device is registered, the Technical Contacts specified in the registration are responsible for keeping the Host Database entry current, updating it as necessary."

gderf

Sounds like all they need from you is the MAC address of the device.
Help me OBiHai PhoneOBi. You're my only hope.

danman

After registering the OBI-100 with the university, does my son just plug the device into the Ethernet plug in his room or does he need a router too?

CheapSk86

Just curious about your son's situation and a potential workaround. When I was in college we had a single ethernet port in the bedrooms and family room and each device was registered to the network upon plugging in.

To work around the limitations of limited ethernet ports, we plugged a laptop into the family room port and had it register to the network. Then, we took a wireless router (4 port switch) and plugged it into the laptop used. Wireless routers have an option to "Clone MAC address" which clones the MAC address of the computer being used to set it up. By doing this, the school's network saw the router as the machine that was registered. This gave us the ability to have a private wireless network in our room for all our wired devices. If you take this approach, you might be able to plug the Obi into the switch instead of the schools wired outlet.

Obviously every school is different and your mileage may vary, but this is a potential option to try if they are configured similarly.

danman

Spoke to technical support at the university and they have registered some internet phone devices on the network but not all of them seem to work when connected.  He said they do not allow routers so I guess I would try connecting the OBI-100 to the dorm room wall ethernet port and give it a try after registering it.  I know his registered laptop does work so I could fall back on your suggested solution if the above does not work.  Does that sound right?  Thank you for your help

MySpoonsTooBig

Quote from: danman on September 12, 2014, 10:12:02 AM
He said they do not allow routers so I guess I would try connecting the OBI-100 to the dorm room wall ethernet port and give it a try after registering it.
Yes, I would not expect them to support routers, but a switch should work fine. I switch is cheap and fairly dumb. Think of it like a "splitter". A router does all sorts of stuff to the Ethernet traffic.

danman

#6
But otherwise the OBI-100 plugs straight into wall Ethernet port.  If that doesn't work, plug a switch into the USB port of his computer and then connect the computer to the wall Ethernet port and the OBI-100 into the switch.  Or do I need a router connected to his computer?  Thanks.

danman

So I would connect the OBI-100 directly to the wall Ethernet port after registering it with the university.  If that does not work, I would connect a wired router, splitter, or wireless router to my son's laptop and then clone the MAC address after connecting the OBI-100 and see if that works.  Is that correct?  Thanks

gderf

If the OBi, when directly connected to the wall ethernet port, doesn't work, it's because of some underlying network problem, port filtering, etc. Changing the way it's connected isn't going to fix that.
Help me OBiHai PhoneOBi. You're my only hope.

azrobert

#9
If it doesn't work with a direct connection, try defining a bridge on the laptop and connect OBi directly to the ethernet port on the laptop.

See: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=6164.0

Edit:

I agree with gderf.


danman

Thanks for all the help.  I will give it a try.

JeffJames

Often, a slow Internet is characteristic of densely populated university students. In this case, users often install special antennas that capture the signal of the provider and amplify it.
_______________________________________
do my homework

drgeoff

@JeffJames.

You are late to the party.  5 years late.