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IRIS

Instructional & Research Information Systems

Using Campus Wired Networks

All information on this page pertains to wired network connectivity.
For information about wireless (wi-fi) networks, see this page: Campus Wi-Fi

Device Registration Process

Quick Network Registration Links

Examples of Common Workflows

Contact us at help@eecs.berkeley.edu if you have any questions about these workflows, or about other options that may be available.

Personal Devices (Dynamic DHCP)
  1. Open Socreg and browse to: My Assets > My Devices > New Device.
  2. Enter the MAC address of your device, plus any human-friendly name or notes that will help to identify this device.
  3. If you would like a DNS name for this device, enter a hostname in the “DDNS Hostname” field. Your DNS name will be ddnsHostname.dyn.berkeley.edu.
Basic Network Connectivity (Dynamic DHCP)
  1. Open Socreg and browse to the appropriate Security Contact.
  2. Click: Devices > New Device > DHCP
  3. Enter the MAC address of the device, plus any human-friendly name or notes that will help to identify this device.
  4. If the device will be primarily assigned to one person, enter their CalNet ID. This field can be blank for shared devices.
  5. If you would like a DNS name for this device, enter a hostname in the “DDNS Hostname” field. Your DNS name will be ddnsHostname.dyn.berkeley.edu.
Fixed IP Address

Note: we recommend Dynamic DNS (DDNS) instead of fixed IPs where possible, and believe it should be sufficient for most informal use cases (such as being able to remotely access your machine, or for netgroup exports). See the Basic Network Connectivity example above.

  1. Open Socreg and browse to the appropriate Security Contact.
  2. Click: Devices > New Device > DHCP Fixed
  3. Enter the MAC address of the device, plus any human-friendly name or notes that will help to identify this device.
  4. If the device will be primarily assigned to one person, enter their CalNet ID. This field can be blank for shared devices.
  5. Use the dropdowns to select a Subnet and Subdomain for this device. The options available in these dropdowns will depend on what networks are available to the Group Security Contact. You will receive a fixed DNS hostname corresponding to your fixed IP, in the form of fixed-128-32-0-0.subdomain.berkeley.edu.
Custom DNS Hostname
  1. First, register for a Fixed IP Address, as described in the previous example.
  2. Fill out and submit a Campus “DNS DHCP and IP Addressing” form:
    1. For “Type of Request” select “Fixed DHCP / Static IP”.
    2. Enter the MAC address, subnet from Socreg, and desired hostname.
  3. If you requested a hostname in .eecs.berkeley.edu, .cs.berkeley.edu, or .banatao.berkeley.edu, the Berkeley IT and IRIS DNS Admins will collaborate to fulfill your request. For any other subdomains, your request will be handled solely by Berkeley IT.

Device Registration in Detail

All systems must be registered with Socreg in order to use the wired network. If you require additional services beyond basic network connectivity, you may also need to submit a Campus “DNS DHCP and IP Addressing” form or an IRIS Network registration, as described below.

  1. All devices must be registered in Socreg in order to connect to the wired network. Devices can be registered to an individual CalNet account, or to a Group Security Contact. See Socreg Usage below for more information. Socreg registration can provide the following types of IP and DNS configurations:
    1. Basic network connectivity without any DNS names or fixed IP address.
    2. Dynamic DNS with a yourhost.dyn.berkeley.edu hostname.
    3. A fixed IP address, without a custom DNS name. You will receive a DNS name which corresponds to your fixed IP, in the form of fixed-128-32-0-0.yoursubdomain.berkeley.edu. Socreg will allow you to choose the subdomain from a list of those which are available for use by your Group Security Contact.
  2. If you would like a fixed IP address with a custom DNS name (as opposed to the dynamic and fixed DNS options described in #1), you will need to register with Socreg for a fixed IP address, then submit a Campus “DNS DHCP and IP Addressing” form.
  3. An IRIS “Register a Device” form is required if the device will make use of any of the EECS services listed below. Before submitting an IRIS Network registration, you must complete Socreg registration and obtain either a Dynamic or Custom DNS name. See IRIS Network Registration below for more details. Cases where IRIS registration is required include:
    1. If the device will need any NFS or netgroup exports to access EECS home or project storage.
    2. If the device will need any special holes opened in the EECS Border Firewall.
    3. If the device will need to join the EECS Windows Active Directory.
    4. If you would like any DNS records in subdomains controlled by the EECS DNS system, including .eecs.berkeley.edu, .cs.berkeley.edu, and .banatao.berkeley.edu.

Bulk registration processes are also available if you need to register a large number of devices at once. See Bulk Device Registration below.

IRIS Network Registration

IRIS Network registration will be necessary for systems on campus-managed wired networks (such as in the Gateway or campus datacenter) if they need to use certain EECS-managed services:

  • NFS or netgroup exports for home or project storage
  • EECS Border Firewall special configuration (usually to make ssh or http/s services available)
  • EECS Windows Active Directory
  • Use of any DNS subdomains which are managed by the legacy EECS DNS system, including .eecs.berkeley.edu, .cs.berkeley.edu, .banatao.berkeley.edu.

Before registering with IRIS, the device should already be on the network with a Dynamic or Custom DNS name. A Fixed DNS name (e.g. fixed-128-32-0-0.subdomain.berkeley.edu) will not be sufficient.

When submitting your “Register a Device” form, make sure to enter certain information:

  • “Device name” should be your device’s hostname.subdomain, without “.berkeley.edu” (e.g. myhost.dyn or myhost.eecs).
  • “Will this wired MAC address be used on an EECS wired network?” should be “yes”.
  • “Do you require a fixed IP address / fixed DNS name?” should be “yes”.
  • “Port cable ID” should be “GATEWAY”.

Additional Information

Socreg supports registering a device to:

  • Your own individual CalNet Account (for personally-owned devices)
  • A Group Security Contact associated with your lab or other group (for group-owned or group-managed equipment). 

Devices registered to your individual account will lose network support when your CalNet ID expires; devices registered to a Group Security Contact will retain network support for as long as the Group Security Contact exists and is maintained by your group.

If you don’t know which Group Security Contact to use in Socreg, please talk to your PI or system administrator.

If you’re a PI or sysadmin and you need a new Group Security Contact, or have questions about which Contact to use, please email us at help@eecs.berkeley.edu.

For more information about using Socreg, please see the campus documentation:

[link to useful socreg pages]

Socreg supports bulk registration of devices to a Group Security Contact. Group admins can use the “Devices > More > Device Bulk Upload” menu option to see information about how to craft a CSV file for upload. This form can be used to bulk register devices for Dynamic DNS, but cannot be used for fixed IPs or custom DNS names.

For devices requiring fixed IPs and/or custom DNS names, use the “Fixed DHCP Bulk Upload Form”, available through the Campus “DNS DHCP and IP Addressing” form, instead of the Bulk Upload option within Socreg.

If you need help with either form, you can contact us at help@eecs.berkeley.edu.

The Gateway building has different sets of networks intended for use by the different departments existing in the building (EECS, Stats, Comp. Bio., etc.). Each department generally has its own subnets, DNS subdomains, firewalls, and Socreg Group Security Contacts which are managed by that department’s staff. Devices will need to be connected to a cable ID that is on an appropriate subnet for the department. Please contact your department’s IT or support people for any questions.

DNS Subdomains

The .dyn.berkeley.edu subdomain is used for devices which are registered in Socreg with a DDNS Hostname. This use is recommended instead of fixed IPs where possible, and should be sufficient for most informal use cases (such as being able to remotely access your machine).

If your group or lab would like a DNS subdomain for its own use, contact us at help@eecs.berkeley.edu or submit the Campus “DNS DHCP and IP Addressing” form.

The .eecs / .cs / .banatao subdomains are available for use in the Gateway, although they require additional steps to register. To use these subdomains, submit an IRIS Network registration as described above, or contact us at help@eecs.berkeley.edu.

Moving fixed IP devices from Soda, Cory, or SDH to the Gateway will involve a change of fixed IP and DNS name. If you are using NFS or netgroup exports for home or project file shares, have any EECS Border Firewall holes open for services hosted on your device, or would like to retain your current DNS name, then some special handling will be needed. The most common firewall holes are for ssh or http/s servers which need to be accessible off-campus (for ssh) or outside of EECS (for http/s).

Before you move: If you are moving a fixed IP system to the Gateway and it uses any of these IRIS services, please email us at help@eecs.berkeley.edu, so that we can prepare in advance and prevent any gaps in network service.

Separate wired subnets are available for printers, with firewall rules which allow printing while also protecting the printer from malicious network activity. Before setting up a printer, please contact your IT person or help@eecs.berkeley.edu in order to locate or configure a network port for a printer.