The campus dial-in modem service, Nexus2, is available for all faculty, staff, and students to use in order to directly connect to the University's network via a modem.

Are there advantages to using Nexus2

It is cheap
Other Internet hosting services in the Oxford area either charge you a monthly rate (starting at around $20) or provide some means of pushing advertising to your computer while you use their service. Nexus2 costs only $12 per month.

Direct Connection Access
There are several campus systems and web areas where security and privacy issues have prompted us to limit access to only campus network connections. Accessing those sites from off campus is not possible unless you are dialing in through Nexus2.

Any Disadvantages?

And just what is that phone number?

How do I get started?

Additionally, you must be sure that your computer already has a modem installed correctly. If you are not sure, contact the Helpdesk (915-5222) for advice.

Can I pay someone to do this for me?

Where are the instructions for my computer

• For MS Windows Me/98/95, click here.
• For MS Windows 2000, click here.
• For Apple Machines, click here.
• For Mac OS X Machines, click here.

We do not have Linux instructions available at this time. However, most users of Linux should be able to determing the settings they need from the Windows Me instructions given here.

We also do not yet have Windows XP instructions. These will be available in the near future.

Windows Me/98/95 Dial-Up Instructions

Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
Win 98/85 users, skip to Step 3. Win Me users, double-click the Control Panel icon.
Double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon.
Double-click the Make a New Connection icon.
Type "nexus2" as the name of the computer you are dialing. Then click Next
Enter the phone number "915-6567" and click Next.
Click Finish. This will create a new icon in your Dial-Up Networking folder called nexus2.
Click once on the nexus2 icon to select it. Then go to File/Properties and uncheck the "Use area code and Dialing Properties" box if it is not a long distance call for you. Then click OK.
Create a shortcut to this icon on your Desktop to make dialing easier. To do this, click once on the nexus2 icon and then go to File/Create Shortcut and click Yes. Then close the Dial-Up Networking window to see the new nexus2 icon on your desktop.
To connect, double-click the nexus2 icon. Type your Nexus2 user name and password in the blanks. (If you aren't sure what these are, contact the Helpdesk.) Click Connect.
A status window will appear giving you information about what is happening.
When you get connected, you should see the Network Connection icon appear on your status bar at the bottom of your screen. At this point, you are connected to the Internet and are able to run your web browser, check your email, or do whatever you wish.
If you have trouble connecting, see the Troubleshooting Section at the end of this website.
When you are finished, double-click the nexus2 icon on your Desktop and select Disconnect.

Windows 2000 Dial-Up Instructions

Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
Double-click the Control Panel icon.
Double-click the Network and Dial-up Connections icon.
Double-click the Make New Connection icon.
Note: If this is your first time to set up your location settings, a window will appear asking for your location information. Enter your area code (662 for north Mississippi) and any special codes you are required to use when you dial normally (if any). Click Ok. The Phone and Modem Options window will appear showing the location information you set. Simply click Ok and continue with the Network Connection Wizard.
On the next window, select "Dial up to the Internet" and then click Next.
Now, select the option to "...set up my Internet connection manually..." and click Next.
Select "I connect through a phone line and a modem" and click Next.
Type in the phone number 915-6567 and leave the "area code and dialing rules" unchecked if it is a local call. Click Next.
Enter your Nexus2 account name and password. (If you don't know what these are, contact the Helpdesk.) Click Next.
Type "nexus2" for the Connection name and click Next.
For our purposes, do not set up an Internet mail account now. Click Next.
Leave the "connect immediately" box check and click Finish.
A Dial-up Connection window will appear along with Internet Explorer. Click Connect. A status window will appear giving you information about what is happening.
When you get connected, you should see the Network Connection icon appear on your task bar at the bottom of your screen. At this point, you are connected to the Internet and are able to run your web browser, check your email, or do whatever you wish.
When you are finished, double-click the Network Connection icon on your task bar and select Disconnect.
To put the nexus2 icon on your desktop, repeat steps 1-3 and then click nexus2 once to select it. Go to File/Create Shortcut and click Yes. From then on, you need only doubleclick the nexus2 icon on your desktop to connect.

Mac Dial-Up Instructions

Owners of new Macintosh machines (those running OS8 or later) may proceed directly to Step 1. Mac OS X users should see the instructions in the next section. Others should contact the Helpdesk to see if their systems will work for dialing up to Nexus2.

Click on the Apple menu icon and go to Control Panels.
Select the PPP or the Remote Access control panel, whichever you have available.
From the top menu, select Remote Access and then TCP/IP. In the TCP/IP control panel, make sure that "Connect via" is set to "PPP." Also make sure that "Configure" is set to "Using PPP Server." If the settings are not correct, change them. Close the TCP/IP control panel to save the changes.
Back in the Remote Access control panel, make sure that "Registered User" is selected in the "Setup" area.
Type your Nexus2 user name and password in the "Name" and "Password" blanks. (If you aren't sure what these are, contact the Helpdesk.)
Enter the phone number 915-6567
Click the Connect button to connect to Nexus2. The Remote Access window will give you status updates informing you of what is happening. When you get connected, you should see the status indicating that. At this point, you are connected to the Internet and are able to run web browser, check your email, or do whatever you wish. If you have trouble connecting, see the Troubleshooting Section.
When you are finished, click the Disconnect button on the Remote Access window.

Macintosh OS X Dial-Up Instructions

People who are using the Mac OS 10.0 software should upgrade to 10.1 before following these steps. Information on getting the upgrade is available on Apple's website (www.apple.com).

Double-click the icon for your hard drive.
Double-click the Applications icon.
Drag the Internet Connect icon to the Dock so it will be easy to locate. Then close the Applications window.
Click the Internet Connect icon on the Dock to open the Internal Modem window.
Click the Edit button to open the Network window and then select the PPP tab. Service Provider: nexus2 Telephone Number: 915-6567 Account Name: your Nexus2 user name Password: your Nexus2 password Click Apply Now and then go to System Prefs on the top menu and select Quit System Prefs. This will return you to the Internal Modem window.
Make sure "nexus2" is displayed and the telephone number 915-6567 is selected. Enter your password if it is not already there and press the Connect button.
You will see the Status line change indicating what the modem is doing.
Once you get connected, the bottom of the window will change to reveal information about your connection.
Click the Red "X" Button to close that window. You are now connected to the Internet and are able to run your web browser, check your email, or do whatever you wish.
When you are ready to disconnect, click the Internet Connect icon on the Dock. That will pull up the Internal Modem window once more. Click Disconnect. Then go up to Internet Connect on the top menu and select Quit Internet Connect.

Troubleshooting

• Plug a telephone into the phone jack and listen for a dial-tone. If you don't hear one, you will need to have that telephone jack fixed. If you hear a lot of static on the line, that can interfere with your modem connection.
• Verify that you are using the correct phone number and that your telephone service does not put a recorded voice message over the "busy signal."

• Go into the Control Panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel) and double-click the Internet Options icon. Click the Connections Tab and make sure it is set to dial a connectiion and that the nexus2 connection is the default.

• Verify that your system is using a version of Open Transport that is at least 2.6 or higher.
• Disable the DNS Plug-in in the Extensions manager.
• With the Remote Access window open, select Options and make sure "Connect to a command-line host" is unchecked.