If you have any questions about installing and configuring your dial-up connection, please contact our technical support line at (865) 974-9900. Please note you will be billed long distance charges by your carrier, if you use your ERA account outside the Knoxville calling area.
NOTE: Your NetID and password are automatically assigned to you as an affiliate of the University of Tennessee. By default, the password is the first two letters of your birth month (lower case), the last two digits of your birth year, and the last four digits of your UT ID number. For example, a birth date of December 2, 1967 and a corresponding UT ID number of 333-44-5555 would yield a password of de675555. However, if you use a different password for WebMail, you will use that password instead of the default.
The following are the Minimum and Recommended System Requirements needed by Windows to effectively use your Enhanced Remote Access account. Please note beginning January 1, 2005, OIT will no longer provide ERA technical support for computers running Windows 98 or Mac OS lower than 9.0.
Minimum System Requirements
-
Pentium 166 processor
- 32 MB RAM
- 50 MB of available hard drive space
- 12X CD-ROM Drive
Recommended System Requirements
-
Pentium 200 processor
- 64 MB RAM
- 100 MB of available hard drive space
- 16x CD-ROM Drive or better
To successfully complete the following installation and configuration instructions, you will need the following:
- CommSuite 7.0 CD
- Original Windows CD (you will only need this if problems occur)
Before using your ERA Account for the first time, you must complete the following installation and setup instructions in the order shown here. Please be sure that you have a minimum of 50Mb free on your hard drive. To verify this, double-click the My Computer icon and click on your hard drive icon with your right mouse button once. Click on properties in the menu box that appears. You will then see a display of both the used space on your hard drive and the amount of free space available.
Step 1: Run the CommSuite Installer
1. Please make sure your computer is turned on, Windows has started successfully, and that your modem is connected to the telephone jack on the wall with a standard telephone cable. (The telephone cable will usually need to be inserted into the port on your modem labeled line or with an image of a stair-stepped pyramid.)
2. Put the CommSuite 7.0 CD, (obtained from OIT Computer Support Service Center located in the Commons on the second floor of Hodges Library) into your CD-ROM drive. The installer should auto-start several seconds after the CD tray is closed. If it does not automatically start, double-click the My Computer icon, and double-click on your CD-ROM drive. The installer should then launch.
3. When the CommSuite 7.0 installer launches, you will see that you have three choices of how to install this software. You may choose:
- Install a UTK Dial Up Connection only
- Install Netscape 7
- Install Internet Explorer 6
4. From this point, simply The Dial Up Networking installer will install and configure your modem, dial-up networking, the correct networking settings, and a dial-up connection to the UTK Network if any of the above has not yet been completed. (If you have more than one modem installed in your computer, you will be asked to choose which one to use for this connection.)
(WARNING: Installing the ERA software will add Windows components. Therefore, you may be asked to insert your Windows CD during the installation process. For this, you must have a Windows CD. Insert your Windows CD, and follow the on screen instructions to complete the process of adding Windows components. Following the use of the Windows CD, you may see a blue screen with a message stating there was an error reading from your CD drive. Simply replace the Windows CD with your CommSuite CD, wait about 15 seconds for the CD to become accessible, and hit the Enter key on your keyboard. If you do not see this blue screen, continue with the installation process.)
5. If you would like a web browser installed, choose either Install Netscape 7 or Install Internet Explorer 6. From this point on, follow any on-screen instructions you may encounter. If you would like both Netscape 7 and Internet Explorer 6 installed, simply install one web browser and once the installation is complete click on the other button.
Step 2: Using Network Applications with your ERA Account
Before you can use any network and/or Internet application with your ERA Account, you must first establish a dial-up networking connection to the UTK modem pool. To establish this connection, you should use the dial-up networking connection created during the following installation process.
1. Double-click on the Shortcut to UTK Network icon on your desktop.
2. Enter your NetID and password.
3. Click on the button labeled Connect. You should then hear the modem dial, and try to connect to the UTK modem pool. After several seconds, you should see the messages such as Verifying Username and Password, and Connecting to Network on your computer screen. When you have successfully established a connection to UTK, you may get a message box describing the function of dial-up networking. At the bottom of this message box, you should see a check box entitled Don't show this message again. Check that box, and click the button at the lower right corner labeled, Close. If you do not see this message box appear, the window seen during the dialing process will either minimize to an icon of two flashing computer screens in the lower right corner of your screen, next to the clock, in what is called the Tray. Or, the window will remain on screen displaying the amount of time you have been connected, along with several buttons. (Do NOT close this window, or it will break your connection to UTK).
You may now use Netscape, Internet Explorer, or other types of network applications using your ERA Account's dial-up networking connection.
4. When you are finished using your dial-up connection to UTK, click on the button labeled Disconnect found in the window discussed in step 3 above. If you do not have this window on your screen, double-click the small icon of the two flashing computer screens found in the lower right corner of your Windows screen in the Tray. This will open the window described above. You may then click on the Disconnect button.
Step 3: Using Your UT E-Mail Account
Registering for an Account
Signing up for an ERA account does not automatically register you for an UT e-mail account. If you wish to register for an e-mail account, you may do so at http://accounts.utk.edu/uact/register/.
Supported E-Mail Clients
Once your e-mail account has been set up, you have several options as to how you can access your email. The University automatically provides you with access to your email through our web based e-mail program, WebMail, which can be found at http://webmail.utk.edu. In addition to WebMail, the OIT HelpDesk also supports the clients listed below. If your mail client is not listed, our mail servers probably still support your client, but our technicians may not be able to help you if trouble should ever arise.
E-Mail Terms
You may be asked for some of the following information when setting up your e-mail client.
User Name Your e-mail user name is usually the same as your NetID user name. If you do not know your NetID, you can go to http://directory.utk.edu and search on your name to find it.
E-Mail Address If you do not know your e-mail address, you can go to UT Directory at http://directory.utk.edu and search on your name to find it. If you have not registered for an UT e-mail account, you will not have an e-mail address in the Directory.
Incoming Mailserver:
imap.utk.edu
(if you wish to leave mail on the server)
OR
pop.utk.edu
(if you wish to download mail to your computer)
Outgoing or SMTP server: smtp.utk.edu
