Registering computers
To register a computer on the network you will need the following information: hostname and MAC address.
We do not need the hostname if the computer is connected to the Active Directory. You can see whether the computer is connected to the active directory if "Domain: AD" or "Domain: WiSo" is displayed on the Windows Logon screen and you are prompted for your user account details. The host names of these computers are transferred to us automatically.
This is why it is important that you inform us whether the computer is connected to a domain or not. You may optionally enter a specific IP address.
Form: Register Computer
To register new computers in UKLAN, you will need the hostnames and MAC addresses.
Hostname
Every computer has a hostname which is unique on the network. You will need to know the hostname of your computer when you contact RRZK regarding any problems you may be experiencing.
The random hostnames generated automatically during Windows installations are often complex to remember. We recommend that you specify your own hostname, which you will find easier to remember. Computer names are often given which are associated with the institute such as city names for geography.
We do not recommended names such as institutename-1 where each computer is given a consecutive number. Room numbers and account names can also become obsolete quickly due to office moves or staff changes. As all names are displayed in a public directory, they must not include any indication of the purpose that the computer is used for. A computer with the name "examinationsoffice" is much more interesting to would be attackers than a computer called "peppapig".
Computer names can only include lower case letters, numbers and hyphens (-). Underscores and other special characters are not permitted, even if Windows accepts these characters. The computer is accessible on the network under the complete host name (hostname.institut.uni-koeln.de).
You can register printers the same way. It is better to connect to printers using the DNS name and not the IP address.
Windows:
MacOS:
Under macOS the computer name does not have to be configured on the computer, as it is configured automatically from the data which is transferred from the RRZK domain name service. Please tell us which name you want to use for your computer.
Linux:
Please refer to your system settings for configuring your hostname. Due to the vast number of Linux distributions, it is not possible to document this here.
MAC address
The MAC address (MAC stands for Media Access Control and is not related to Apple computers) is a unique identification address which every network device has. Using the MAC address, the computer can be identified and assigned an IP address which can be used to access computers and printers on UKLAN.
Contact
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the RRZK-Helpdesk