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How To Gain Access To The Network in SCS

Gaining access to the network in SCS for Windows and Mac.

 

Every computer must be registered in order to be allowed access to the wired internet in buildings managed by the School of Chemical Sciences IT. 

As of December 2022, the wired network is reserved for University-owned devices. If your personal device needs a wired connection, we will judge on a case by case basis whether to grant access.

To initiate the process of registration, visit https://go.scs.illinois.edu/network-request

To request access to the SCS Network, you will need the following information: 

How to Find your device's Ethernet MAC (medium access control) address if you don't know it: 

  • Building and Room Number for the computer
     
  • Label of Network Jack (e.g. HAP01-01)
     
  • PI / Supervisor's NetID (this is the portion of their email address before the @illinois.edu)
     
  • Type of Device (Laptop, Desktop, etc.)

  • Make / Model of computer (e.g. Dell Latitude 5500)
     
  • Is this computer owned by the University?
    • A University-owned device is one purchased on a University CFOP (account).  The source of funding can be state funds, gift funds, grant funds, etc.
    • Occasionally, a device may come to the University on loan from the federal government or from a corporation.  In this case, answer "No", then explain the ownership in the follow-up question, below. 
       
  • If the device is NOT University-owned, you'll need to explain why your device needs a wired network connection
     
  • Operating System (edition and version) of Computer
    • Windows: Press the Windows key, type About, and select About your PC.  Scroll down to "Windows Specifications"
      • Example:  Windows 11 Enterprise v24H2 
    • Mac: Click on the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, and choose "About This Mac". 
      • Example:  MacOS Big Sur v11.6.1
    • Linux:  Type lsb_release -a.  This should work on most distributions.  
      • Example: "CentOS 7.7". 
         
  • The MAC address of the device's Ethernet (wired) network adapter - for instructions on finding this, see below. 

Windows: 

Note about MAC addresses:  Every network adapter (whether wired or wireless) has a globally unique number that identifies it. For computers with both a wired and wireless adapter, each adapter will have its own MAC Address. Make sure you provide the MAC address for the Ethernet adapter or the registration will not work.
SCS Computing generally only registers USB network adapters for faculty and staff.  

Mac: 

  1. Open a command line by pressing the windows key and typing cmd and hitting 'Enter' (this should bring up a Command Prompt)
  2. Type the command: getmac /v
  3. Find the line titled "Ethernet" (in red)
  4. Get the physical address listed for your wired connection (in yellow)

    windows MAC show

Linux

  1. Click on Go, then on Applications.
  2. In the Applications window, double-click on System Preferences  
  3. In the System Preferences window, double-click on Network
  4. On the left side, look for your Ethernet adapter (in this case, it's an Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, in purple).  
  5. Highlight it, and then click on Advanced (in blue)
    Apple Advanced Network
  6. In the new screen (the Advanced window), click the 'Hardware' tab (in orange) to get your MAC address (in green)

    Apple Mac Address

On most Linux distributions, you should be able to type ifconfig -a.

The wired Ethernet adapter will generally be called "eth0".  

On the first line, you'll see the "HWaddr", which will be followed by 12-digit hex code (0-9, A-F) that will look like: A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6.  It may be all numbers, or a combination of letters and numbers.


Keywords:
network, scs, it, wired connection, mac address netaccess 
Doc ID:
101707
Owned by:
Mark H. in School of Chemical Sciences
UIUC
Created:
2020-05-05
Updated:
2025-03-24
Sites:
University of Illinois School of Chemical Sciences
Clean URL:
https://answers.illinois.edu/scs/netaccess
Documentation for SCS Computing services