2008年9月15日 星期一

<轉載>好人不適合談戀愛

好人們其實就在你我身邊。 他們一般說來長相普通長得太帥的通常當不了好人),個性溫和且忠厚老實,往往有一項特殊的專長和技能,好比說是會修計算機,有設計專長,學問淵博,愛讀書…等等,但是在與陌生人交往時顯得有點害羞。 有些好人熱心助人,在同儕團體之間是大家都樂於來往的對象,不過只要一遇到漂亮的或自己喜歡的女生,好人馬上就變成啞巴。

他們的原則是,人與人之間本來就應該好來好去,特別是對他們有點友善的人,更是要加倍奉還。我們通常說的好好先生,就是他們。 好人和同性來往時,一點問題也沒有;但是遇到自己喜歡的女生時,麻煩就來了。他們的交友範圍不算廣,所以能夠認識的女生,可能就是同班同學,同事,或者是參加一些社團認識的朋友。他們喜歡的對象,也不至於要怎樣地國色天香,但是基本的姿色是不可少的,通常都必須具備甜美的笑容,禮貌的態度,以及一開始時對好人的和善。好人搞不清楚這個和善是這個女生的天性(是的話加分,非追不可),還是對他有好感(那開玩笑,更要追了)。也許,她就是他那個命中註定的女孩也說不定…好人這樣幻想著。

一開始的時候,好人覺得,那位女生對自己不錯,所以他當然要對她的好給與適當的回報,甚至更多,因為大家好來好去是他的信念,更何況是一個自己欣賞,還很有可能進一步發展的人呢?
於是,他和女生開始頻繁地來往,一起走路進教室(進辦公室),下課(下班)後有時一起喝個咖啡,除了業務往來外通個電話,訴說一天上課或上班的心得…。女生偶爾有什麼事情需要他的幫忙,或需要他提供一些訊息甚至勞務等等,他都義不容辭地盡全力滿足她。因為在他的心裡,這除了是朋友之間的互相幫忙之外,更是他好好表現的機會;做多了,一定可以打動她的心,每一次的幫忙,對好人來說,就是一種付出,他似乎已經可以看到兩人在不久的將來,手牽手,相互依偎,互訴情衷,親親我我的景象了。好人的幻想持續增溫…。 但是,事情不是這樣的﹗ 幾個月後(有些只有幾個禮拜後),隨著他們兩人的接觸越來越頻繁,他對她的渴望也越來越深,就在好人覺得跟她成為男女朋友的機會越來越高的時候,突然一切都不一樣了。

好人不知道自己做錯了什麼,不過很明顯地,這個女生突然開始「怪」了。以前她的電話,每打必接,現在卻常常沒有人接;以前聊天聊個半小時或一個小時都是家常便飯,現在講個兩分鍾她就有事得掛斷電話;以前傳簡訊給她的時候,寫過去的簡訊越溫馨,她的回傳簡訊讀起來也越溫暖,現在傳簡訊過去,就像石沈大海,響應的比率趨近於零,頂多就是告訴他,他的邀請她無法赴約;以前聊MSN的時候都有聊不完的話,每次下線前都還難分難捨,現在她在msn上的響應語句越來越簡短,不僅不會再主動打招呼,響應語句還大幅縮水,通常就是用「嗯」、「嘻」、「呵」之類的語句來打發人,看起來的感覺就像是在說︰「我不想跟你多說話,麻煩你找其它人好嗎?」 好人開始納悶︰「到底怎麼了」?「到底發生了什麼事」?「我是不是做錯了什麼」?他很想打電話過去問個明白,但是對方好像老早就知道他想問什麼一樣,永遠不讓他有機會把那
個問題提出來。

其實,他根本也不敢問﹗因為他知道,如果真的追問下去,傳說中的「好人卡」就要發到自己手上來了。他也不是沒有接過卡,但是總不能從十六歲開始想交女朋友,就一直收卡收到現在吧?(二十歲,三十歲,四十歲…No﹗) 漸漸地,她甜美的聲音,變成了他的夢魘,他再也不敢撥電話給她了。他也曾經安慰過自己,是不是自己太主動了點,嚇到對方了?是不是她需要更多的時間,才能接受自己的感情?是不是她想考驗他的熱情和決心,現在放棄的話一切的努力就白費了…。

替她想了那麼多,但是一個冷冰冰的,從自己心底深處發出來的聲音,不斷地有如魔音穿腦般地告訴他自己︰我被發卡了﹗我被發卡了﹗﹗我被發卡了﹗﹗﹗他可以短暫地麻痹自己,但是他騙不了自己啊﹗ 然後,幾個月後,甚至幾年以後,他又遇到了一個心儀的女孩子。他小心翼翼地,希望上次的情形不要再發生了。但是,他彷彿被詛咒了一般,一切情形就像鬼打墻一樣,不斷地重演。有時候,他都可以預測女生要開始不接電話,不回傳簡訊,不上MSN了。他變得越來越不敢打電話給女生,也越來越不敢對女生獻慇勤,更不要說對女生進行邀約了。因為,一開始的交往
越溫馨,之後的回憶也越痛苦。 有些好人選擇自暴自棄,讓魔鬼佔據他的心,開始對女生進行心裡和行為上的報復。他決定不再對任何人付出真心,只要有女生的表現有點像他以前遇到的「發卡機」,他心中的警鈴馬上響起,要嘛選擇立刻放棄,要嘛決心周旋到底,但是滿腦想著就是仇恨,以及最後「把」到人家之後,要如何把她甩掉的計謀。他失去了愛別人的心,也放棄了享受愛的權利。 也有些好人決定默默地承受沒有人愛,持續「收卡」的日子。

因為他們相信,好人到最後一定是有好報的,總有一天,會有一個命中天女出現,和他相守一生。果不其然,那個人最後出現了,但是通常都是相親認識的對象,兩人一認識,就是看彼此合適不適合結婚而已。他感受不到那份對愛情的悸動,有時候還要忍受對自己老婆過去的猜忌。 什麼猜忌呢?因為,他這個條件不錯的結婚對象,有時在不經意的時候,會透露出她最後為什麼選擇他的原因。通常都是看他經濟有基礎,做人忠厚老實,是個可以結婚的對象等等;她說她不想再蹉跎光陰,也不想再遇到那些懂得甜言蜜語,風趣自信,但是自己無法掌控,會讓自己痛苦不已的男人。

聽到女人的抱怨,好人的感覺是五味雜陳的。難道他永遠就是女人感情失敗後的備胎嗎?難道女人對他的青睞,一定只能發生在中年以後嗎?他並不是想對這個彼此盡夫妻義務的婚姻生活抱怨,但是總有那麼一絲絲的遺憾,為何他的愛情,沒有在年輕的時候到來?如果可以選擇的話,他寧可像自己的老婆一樣,嘗過愛情的酸甜苦辣,然後最後選擇一個,自己覺得最適合的對象結婚,而不是像個愛情世界裡的小學生,感情的世界一片空白…

2008年9月13日 星期六

3 Things They Should Have Taught In My Computer Science Degree

3 Things They Should Have Taught In My Computer Science Degree | Software, Technology and More
That’s right only 3 things. Oh, there are plenty of things that I wish I would have learned about at university, but I am well aware that no degree will give you an exhaustive education in your field. A degree is meant to teach you the basics and equip you with skills so that you can learn the rest yourself. However, as I get more experience as a software developer, I find that I am increasingly frustrated about not having been exposed to these three things before I entered the workforce.

I believe that any Computer Science degree can be made a lot more relevant simply by paying more attention to these three points. Had I had more exposure to these things before starting my working life, I believe it would have given me some real world skills that I could have applied straight away, rather than having to scramble to learn everything I needed to know on the job. It would have made me better able to deal with the requirements of my work and would also have made me a better citizen of the IT community.

1. Open Source Development

I found that open source was never really taught. Some students found out on their own and got into it, but the majority didn’t find out at all. At no other time in their lives will students have as much time on their hands to get involved as they do at university; it could truly be a mutually beneficial relationship. Instead, a great opportunity is lost here both for the students and for the open source movement.

I believe most CS subjects should encourage students to either start their own open source projects or preferably participate in existing ones. It should be part of the curriculum and part of the grading process. Open source projects could gain valuable contributions, while students not only gain skills in a real-world setting, but also the use of tools, processes and valuable interpersonal skills that a simulated university environment just can’t provide.

2. An Agile Process (e.g. XP, Scrum)

I’ll amend this; I wish they taught any process to such a degree that people can actually gain at least a passing familiarity with it, even waterfall. I found process was more or less glossed over during my university time. Sure there were a few lectures that mentioned it, but noone really explained the need for process and there was never any practical application of the knowledge. In this case without practical application it is almost impossible to take-in the concepts.

Of course it would have been even better had agile processes been taught since these are a lot more relevant to the industry today. Teaching agile processes to university students is probably one sure-fire way to start changing the software industry for the better. Students would come out with a decent understanding of how software should be built and would be a lot less likely to be brainwashed by companies with outmoded modi operandi (lets face there are still plenty around). Instead students enter the work force completely ignorant about how things should be done and another great opportunity is lost both for the students and for the IT industry in general.

3. Corporate Politics/Building Relationships

It may not seem so to most people, but I believe that this is by far the most important point where my CS degree let me down. So much emphasis is placed on technical subjects that you never get to find out how life really works in the corporate world. Of course this is the hardest to figure out on your own.

As a freshly minted CS grad, you think technology is the most important thing in the world. So, when you find your feet in the corporate world it is a bit of a rude shock how everything seems so dysfunctional and moves at such a glacial pace, until that is you figure out that technology is not the most important thing at all and that corporate politics rules the coop.

Even in high technology companies, politics is king and the cornerstone of politics is relationships. The right relationships can let you get things done, and make your life a lot less difficult. However the concepts around politics and relationships are not well defined, there are no hard and fast rules, everything is very relative and fluffy. Of course for technically minded people this is the most frustrating thing in the world.

It doesn’t have to be like this though, just like everything else, politics and relationship building have basic principles that can be taught, so I fail to see why they are not. Had they been maybe industry wouldn’t crying out anywhere near as much for technical people with great interpersonal skills. Because it is not the interpersonal skills that the grads are lacking (there are plenty of CS grads with great people skills), it is the ability to use these skills to effectively build relationships.

Well that’s, my take on it. It has been a few years since I was at university so maybe in the intervening years things have improved and what I mention above is part of the curriculum (somehow that strikes me as unlikely). Then again perhaps you disagree with me on one or all of the points I mentioned. Do you think there are any other vital subjects that your CS degree should cover? Let me know.

10 interesting open source software forks

Royal Pingdom » 10 interesting open source software forks and why they happened
A benefit of open source software is the ability to take the code base of an application and develop it in a new direction. This is, as most of you probably know, called forking, and is very common in the open source community. For example, many Linux distributions can be traced back to either Debian, Fedora or Slackware.

Much of the open source software that is in popular use today was born from other projects. We thought it would be interesting to take a look at the history of some of these software forks and find out WHY they happened in the first place.

We looked at the WHY because software forking is often seen as somewhat of a waste of development resources and isn’t considered a good thing. Sometimes the results can be great, though, as many of the examples below clearly show.

最終兵器彼女

香港動漫研究所 » 最終兵器彼女
我是她的男朋友,千瀨是我的女朋友
千瀨真的很可愛
但是,很遲鈍;個子矮,人又膽小
而且做事莽撞冒失,成績也只有中下程度
擅長的科目是歷史
口頭禪是『對不起』
座右銘是『想要變得更堅強』
這是我的女朋友─千瀨

Fonts for Academic Papers

Connor Wilson » Blog Archive » Best Fonts for Academic Papers
Best Fonts for Academic Papers


Some good Serif fonts:

* Georgia - Nice and round, and a relatively big font.
* Garamond - A good alternative to Times.
* Palatino - Another good alternative.
* Century - Don’t confuse it with Century Gothic!

For the headings of the paper, I like to have a different font. Whether you change the typeface or not, it will make the paper a little more aesthetically pleasing. I know papers aren’t about experimenting with typography, but sometimes you just can’t resist, right?

When using a Serif font in the copy, which you should be doing anyways, I like to put a nice bold Sans font in the headings. Sans Serif fonts are nicer to look at when they’re big and in short use, such as a heading.

A simple font like Lucida Sans (bold) works just fine. Be careful with that font though, it’s not very nice when it isn’t bold (unless it’s huge). For headings I like to have a font that isn’t too wide, like Verdana, Tahoma or Arial, unless it’s nicer looking, like Lucida. Georgia works nicely in headings (not bold works best) too.

Font size is something that you shouldn’t really have to think about. Here’s a short list on how to pick the right size:

* Small = bad.
* Too big = teacher thinks you’re just trying to fill the page. Bad.
* Just right = 16px max.

14-16px is a good range. A font like Georgia looks good at 16px, but it’s up to you how big you go. You don’t want it to look like you have one big heading, or your entire copy is bold. Copy should look like copy! Don’t forget that line height too! It’s something people tend to forget, but make sure you’re at at least 1.5 spacing.

I wish the best of you on your paper ventures, and maybe you’ll get a little aid in the grading if your paper looks nice :P

2008年9月6日 星期六

CUHK Resnet FAQ

Subject
Beyond Scope of Service
Check Proxy (Internet Explorer)
Disable and Enable Local Area Connection
Enable Local Area Connection
Error 1747
Error 619
Error 691
Error 733 (L2TP)
Error 733 (through Broadband)
Error 734
Error 752
Error 768 (L2TP)
Error 769 (L2TP)
Error 769 (PPTP)
Error 769 w/o Further Information
Error 781 (L2TP)
Error 800
Error 809
Error Disabled (Email Template)
Error Disabled Port
Hard Coded IP Address
Incompatibility between IPSec Client and ICS (Win98)
Insufficient Information
Mac with Unknown Version of OS
Reinstall LAN Card Driver
Reinstall VPN Client (WinME, Win98)
Release and Renew IP Address (WinME, Win98)
Release and Renew IP Address (WinXP, Win2k)
Reset TCP/IP under WinXP
Unstable Network Connection
With MAC Address 00-00-00-00-00-00


Beyond Scope of Service

We are sorry that we only deal with problems related to networking and data communications. However, your request is beyond the scope of our service, so we are unable to help.

Should you have other enquiries regarding the field of connection, please feel free to contact us again.



Check Proxy (Internet Explorer)

If you are using IE as your web browser, pleaes kindly check:

- Start your Internet Explorer
- Select "Tools -> Internet Options"
- Click the "Connection" tab, then click the "LAN Connection" button and see if there is any proxy server enabled. If yes, uncheck the option.
- Repeat the same step by select your VPN connection, then "Settings"
- Click the Ok button to save the change.

Please try it out.

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.


Disable and Enable Local Area Connection
It is due to the fast startup feature in WindowsXP. It could take less than 30 seconds to start the WindowsXP in PC's with fast CPU. In such case, there would not have be sufficient time for getting an IP from the DHCP server.

To re-obtain a correct IP address(10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Go to ""Control Panel"", double-click ""Network Connection""
2. Right click on the icon ""Local Area Connection"", select ""Disable"" and wait, then a red cross would then be displayed display next to the ""Local Area Connection"" icon
3. Right click on the icon ""Local Area Connection"" again, select ""Enable"""

Should you have further enquiries, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Enable Local Area Connection

From your information provided, it seems that your Local Area Connection has been disabled (or your LAN adapter is not properly installed). In order to connect to our VPN service, you have to first properly install LAN adapter and ensure that Local Area Connection is enabled.

To enable Local Area Connection:
1. Go to "Control Panel", click "Network and Internet Connections" and then click "Network Connections"
2. Right click on the icon "Local Area Connection", select "Enable""

Should you have further enquiries, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Error 1747

The error 1747 occurs when the "Client for Microsoft Networks" option is not installed.

1) Click "START", go to "CONTROL PANEL"
2) Choose "Network Connection"
3) Right click your vpn logo, choose "PROPERTY"
4) Go to "Networking", click "install"
5) Choose "Service", click "Add"
6) Choose "Client for Microsoft Network"
7) Click "Confirm"

Try to connect VPN again. If it fails, try to restart your PC and connect VPN again. Should you have further enquiries, please feel free to contact us.



Error 619

A. The Error 619 is usually caused by wrong setting in your VPN connection.

You may correct the Security section of your VPN connection to solve the problem.
(Please refer to the user guide in the ITSC homepage for VPN, at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/network/vpn/vpn.html)

B. Firewall setting

It is due to the Firewall setting in your PC. Firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Some have default settings that crash with VPN connection. At the moment, the ITSC does not recommend users to enable Firewall setting in their Virus Scanner and other internet security programs."

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Error 691

Error 691 may due to the following problem:

A. multiple login

For the service of ResNet, ClassNet and Dialup (including connection via public ISP with VPN), multiple login is not allowed i.e. If you are using any of the above services, you would not be able to use any other services at the same time. Your problem is probably that someone was using your CWEM computing ID to make a connection. To solve this, just disconnect the other connection you made and connect to the VPN again.
You may also provide us the time of failure so that we can check your connection records and confirm this finding.

B. unterminated VPN session

It was because there was another idle connection initiated from your account left in the system. Please inform our administrator to remove it.
This is not the kind of problem that happens regularly. However, in case the same problem happens again, we suggest users to wait for some 30 minutes, then try again to connect to ResNet. You are also advised to disconnect to ResNet manually before shutting down your PC.

C. CWEM account disabled

You may check if you can login to CUHK webmail using your CWEM account at
http://webmail.cuhk.edu.hk
If you fail to login, you may have entered a wrong computing ID or password. Please check them again.

You can also view our knowledge base for more details
https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/kms/kblistentryAction?entryID=0000000088



Error 733 (L2TP) 

You may follow the instructions below in order to fix your problem.

A. On the client disable the "Negotiate multi-link for single link connections" setting. To do this:
1. Start > Settings > Control Panel
2. Open "Network and dial-up Connections"
3. Right click the VPN network connection giving the problem and select "Properties"
4. On the "Networking" tab, click "Settings"
5. Clear the check-box "Negotiate multi-link for single link connections"

B. Check that the server is assigning or specifying TCP/IP addresses to user.
(Automatically obtain IP address from DHCP server.)

C. Check that the network protocol TCP/IP is installed in your system
(Note: Right-click Local Area Network button/The VPN connection icon and check this protocol entry in the list or not)

If your problem still exists, please feel free to contact us again, we are glad that we can help you, thank you.



Error 733 (through Broadband)


It seemed that your computer could not locate our VPN server via the network. To let us further check your network status AFTER you made connection to your ISP, please run the following command:

- Select "Run" from the Start menu,
- Enter the command "command" (for win98/me) or "cmd" (for Win2000/XP)
- Click the Ok button

Issue the following commands:

ipconfig /all
ping vpn.cuhk.edu.hk
route print
netstat -n

Please let us know all results you obtained. We'd try to figure out the problem you encountered.

By the way, did you run any personal firewall package such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security?



Error 734


Error 734 is due to incorrect setting in your VPN connection properties. To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Connect To, and then click your dial-up connection.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Options tab.
3. Click to clear the "Include Windows logon domain" check box (if it is selected), and then click OK.
4. Click "Connect".
-If this procedure resolves the issue, and you can establish a dial-up connection; you do not need to follow the remaining steps in this article.
-If this does not resolve the issue, and you cannot establish a dial-up connection, go to step 5 to further troubleshoot this issue.

5. In the Connect dialog box, verify that your user name and password are correctly typed in the User name and Password boxes, and then click Dial.
- If this procedure resolves the issue, and you can establish a dial-up connection;
- If this does not resolve the issue, and you cannot establish a connection, please provide with us the following information:
a. Your whole error message / error code prompted or encountered;
b. Click START and RUN, then type "command" ("cmd" for Win2000 / WinXP users), type "ipconfig /all" and tell us the results;
c. Click START and RUN, then type "command" ("cmd" for Win2000 / WinXP users), type "arp -a" and tell us the results;
d. The version of your windows (e.g., Win98 / WinMe or WinXP?);
e. Your contact number for easy communication;
f. Your hostel address;
g. Your port number;
h. Are you using a notebook or a desktop computer?

We hope the above solution can help you to solve your problem. If you have further problem, please feel free to contact us.



Error 752

Error 752 may be caused by the IP assigned to you last time is still cached,
and Microsoft Windows try to get back that IP result in server conncetion fail.

Please try the following to see if it works

A. Release then renew IP

To re-obtain a correct IP address (10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Click the "START" menu and then select "RUN...".
2. Type "command" and press "OK".
3. A command prompt window will appear.
4. Type "ipconfig /release_all" and press "ENTER". Retry a few times if it fails to get an "0.0.0.0" IP Address.
5. If it still fails, unplug your LAN cable from the ResNet port and try again. (This step is very important)
6. Plug your LAN cable back to the ResNet port.
7. Type "ipconfig /renew_all" and press "ENTER". Retry until you obtain a "10.0.0.0" IP address.

B. Re-installing the VPN adapter.

Another possible cause is that your VPN adapter setting is corrupted accidentally for some unknown reasons. You could solve this by re-installing the VPN adapter.
1. Click the "START" menu, select "SETTINGS" and then "CONTROL PANEL".
2. In the Control Panel window, select."ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS".
3. Under Add/Remove Programs, go to the Windows Setup tab, select "COMMUNICATIONS", then click into "DETAILS".
4. In the "Communications window", check the box "VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKING", then uncheck other boxes unless you understand their usage. Press "OK".
5. The system may ask you for the Windows setup disks to install the required files. After installation, the system will prompt you to restart your Windows. Click "YES" to confirm.

C. Wrong security setting

Error 752 may also caused by wrong setting in your VPN connection.
Please carefully check our page to make sure the security setting in your computer is correct:
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/network/vpn/vpn.html

You can also view our knowledge base for more details
https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/kms/kblistentryAction?entryID=0000000087

If you have further enquiries, please feel free to contact us again, thanks.



Error 768 (L2TP)
Error 768 is caused by the termination of system service. Please try the following:
1. Right click "My Computer" and click "Manager"
2. Under the catagory "Service and application", choose "service"
3. Look for "IPSEC service". Check that this service is running.
4. If not, please start the service by double-click the entry and click the "Start" button in the prompted window.

We hope this can solve your problem. If you have any further problem, please feel free to contact us.



Error 769 (L2TP)


Error 769 may be due to wrong Hostname. Please refer to the following website for VPN client setup:
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/network/vpn/winxp_setting.html
Please make sure that you have type in "ipsec-vpn.resnet.cuhk.edu.hk".

Also, please try to renew your IP address after you setup your VPN client:

To get a correct IP address
============================
A. Release then renew IP

To re-obtain a correct IP address(10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Click the START menu and then select "RUN...".
2. Type "cmd" and press "OK".
3. A command prompt window will appear.
4. Type "ipconfig /release" and press "ENTER". Retry a few times if it fails to get an "0.0.0.0" IP Address.
5. If it still fails, unplug your LAN cable from the ResNet port and try again. (This step is very important!)
6. Plug your LAN cable back to the ResNet port.
7. Type "ipconfig /renew" and press "ENTER". Retry until you obtain a "10.0.0.0" IP address.

B. Disable then enable Local Area Connection

It is due to the fast startup feature in WindowsXP. It could take less than 30 seconds to start WindowsXP in PC's with fast CPU, such as Pentium4. In such case, there would not have sufficient time for getting an IP from the DHCP server.

To re-obtain a correct IP address(10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Go to "Control Panel", double-click "Network Connections"
2. Right click on the icon "Local Area Connection", select "Disable" and wait, then a red cross would display next to the "Local Area Connection" icon
3. Right click on the icon "Local Area Connection" again, select "Enable"

Then run "ipconfig /all" and see if a 10.0.xxx.yyy address is obtained or not.

If you have further problem, please feel free to contact us. Also, if your problem presist, please reply us with your error messages and situations, IP address you obtained in "ipconfig" and socket label.



Error 769 (PPTP)

Error 769 may due to the lan card driver problem,
It may be corrupted accidentally for some unknown reasons.
You could solve this by re-installing the lan card driver.

Before the installation, Please make SURE you already have an updated lan card driver in your hand.

1. Click START, then SETTINGS and go to CONTROL PANEL;
2. Click SYSTEMS;
3. Click the HARDWARE tab; (For Win2000 / WinXP users, please click the DEVICE MANAGER button also);
4. Under the NETWORK ADAPTER, you should find your LAN card's model;
5. Right-click on the name of your LAN card, choose UNINSTALL;
6. Click OK and reboot your computer;
7. The system will then automatically search for your LAN card;
8. Follow the NEW HARDWARE INSTALLATION WIZARD as instructed to install your LAN card;

If you have further enquiries, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Error 769 w/o Further Information


Error 769 may be due to wrong Hostname. Please refer to the following website for VPN client setup:
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/network/vpn/winxp_setting.html
Please make sure that you have type in "ipsec-vpn.resnet.cuhk.edu.hk".
Also, please supply with us your hostel address, room number, port number and operation system you are using. More information we have, more quick we can solve your problem.



Error 781 (L2TP)


From the error you reported, the error is probably due to the incorrect setting of the IPSec.
You have to enable the IPSec preshared key as discussed on the guide-line at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/chinese/network/vpn/cwinxp.html
1. Go to "Start"-> "Control Panel" -> "Network Connections".
2. Right click the VPN Dialup icon, select "Properties".
3. At the "Security" Tab, You should see a "IPSec Settings..." button.
4. Click on "IPSec Settings..." and check the box "Use pre-shared key for authentication"
5. Enter the key "ipsec-vpn" and press "OK"
6. Try to connect again.

If you still have any problem on connecting to resnet, please feel free to submit problem at http://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk.



Error 800


Error 800 in window XP/2000 may due to many reason (e.g. wrong server name, firewall)

Please try out the following solution:

A. Release then renew IP

To re-obtain a correct IP address(10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Click the START menu and then select "RUN...".
2. Type "cmd" and press "OK".
3. A command prompt window will appear.
4. Type "ipconfig /release" and press "ENTER". Retry a few times if it fails to get an "0.0.0.0" IP Address.
5. If it still fails, unplug your LAN cable from the ResNet port and try again. (This step is very important!)
6. Plug your LAN cable back to the ResNet port.
7. Type "ipconfig /renew" and press "ENTER". Retry until you obtain a "10.0.xxx.yyy" IP address.

B. Disable then enable Local Area Connection

It is due to the fast startup feature in WindowsXP. It could take less than 30 seconds to start WindowsXP in PC's with fast CPU, such as Pentium4. In such case, there would not have sufficient time for getting an IP from the DHCP server.

To re-obtain a correct IP address(10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Go to "Control Panel", double-click "Network Connections"
2. Right click on the icon "Local Area Connection", select "Disable" and wait, then a red cross would display next to the "Local Area Connection" icon
3. Right click on the icon "Local Area Connection" again, select "Enable"
Then run "ipconfig /all" and see if a 10.0.xxx.yyy address is obtained or not.

C. Incorrect hostname

You may have entered an incorrect hostname for your VPN connection.
If you are connecting to the VPN in hostels, you should use ResNet. Please type "vpn.resnet.cuhk.edu.hk" for the hostname when setting a new VPN connection.
If you are connecting to the VPN in classrooms or some area in CUHK, you should use ClassNet. Please type "vpn.classnet.cuhk.edu.hk" for the hostname when setting a new VPN connection.
If you are connecting to the VPN at home or outside CUHK campus, you should use CUHKnet. Please type "vpn.cuhk.edu.hk" for the hostname when setting a new VPN connection.

D. Firewall

It is due to the Firewall setting in your PC. Firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Some have default settings that crash with VPN connection. At the moment, the ITSC does not recommend users to enable Firewall setting in their Virus Scanner and other internet security programs.

E. Line speed

Similar to case B, it is due to the communication failure between your PC and the VPN server.

1. Click the START menu and then select "CONTROL PANEL".
2. Click "NETWORK AND DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS" (or "NETWORK CONNECTIONS")
3. Right-click on the "LOCAL AREA CONNECTION" icon and choose "PROPERTIES"
4. Under the name of your LAN card, click the "CONFIGURE" button
5. Choose the "ADVANCED" tab
6. On the left column, you should choose "Media Type" or "Connection Type" or "Line Speed", and then change the value to "10 BaseT" or "10 Mpbs Half-dulplex"
7. Click "OK" to confirm changes

F. Install WindowsXP Service Pack 1 and re-install LAN card driver

The networking component of your Windows or your LAN card driver may have been corrupted. You can install WindowsXP service pack 1 from the Microsoft website, and the latest LAN card driver from your manufacturer's website.

You can also view our knowledge base for more details
https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/kms/kblistentryAction?entryID=0000000085



Error 809


Please make a notice on the Norton Internet Security installed on Windows Vista, which can cause error 809. Even if you have never install Norton Internet Security, there should be a Norton Internet Security Free Trial provided by Windows Vista. It is known to interfere with CUHK's VPN connection. Even if you have no Norton firewall, but have the installation of Free version of Norton Internet Security, the error will still prompt out. You are advised to uninstall Norton Internet Security and have a _minimal installation_ of Trend Micro Internet Security (that is, install ONLY the anti-virus software component but NOT the firewall component), then turn on the Windows firewall.

The following is the solution of uninstall Norton internet security:
In order to uninstall the Norton program, I suggest you to download and run the Norton Removal Tool to remove the previous version of the Norton program from your computer.

NOTE: Norton removal utility is removal tool which removes all versions of Symantec products completely from your system.

For detailed instructions on uninstalling the Norton program using the Norton removal tool, please visit the following link and follow the steps provided in it.

Title: 'Download and run the Norton Removal Tool'
Document ID: 2005033108162039
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

In order to troubleshoot the VPN, please note that Norton AntiVirus includes a firewall that is called Internet Worm Protection (IWP). This feature protects the computer against unwanted attempts to connect to your computer.

In order to fix this issue, I suggest you to follow the document provided below:

Title: 'Cannot access your Virtual Private Network (VPN) after installing Norton Internet Security 2007'
Document ID: 2007032701294536
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/nip.nsf/docid/2007032701294536

Should you still have further problem concerning network usage within CUHK, please feel free to contact us at the electronic helpdesk or at our hot-line: 2609-8845.



Error Disabled (Email Template)
Submitted By YOUR_NAME
AR : AR_NUMBER
Hostel: HOSTEL_BUILDING, ROOM_NUMBER
Switch: SWITCH_NAME

Port Name Status Vlan Level Duplex Speed Type
----- ------------------ ---------- ---------- ------ ------ ----- ------------
2/21 RM:0112 0112A connected 260,901 normal a-full a-100 10/100BaseTX


Error Disabled Port 

Your port had been disabled because our network equipment has received a lot of error packets generated from your computer. Now, your port is on the way of activation. You may try to connect to VPN after three working days. If you still fail to connect to VPN after a week, please feel free to contact us again.

Meanwhile, please check out the following suggestions carefully OR
you will face the same problem immediately after we re-enabled your port.

A. Network Bridge Enabled.

It happens mainly in Window XP. When the network bridge is used, your computer acts as a network bridging equipment, which sends out network protocol to communicate with the adjacent network equipment. However, these network protocols are not allowed to communicate with ResNet for security concerns. To disable the network bridge, please
1. Open "Network Connections"
2. Under Network Bridge, right-click "Network Bridge", and click "Disable"

B. Virus Infection

The delivery of a huge number of irregular message packets indicates that your computer may have been infected by computer virus. To avoid harming other users in the network, you should install the latest version of anti-virus software and scan your computer thoroughly. Please use the anti-virus software provided by CUHK and update the virus definitions daily. For details, please refer to http://avserver.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/. Besides, please do not open or execute any files or e-mail from unknown source. If the problem still exists, we may consider to temporarily disable your computer from the connection.

C. Inappropriate Network Driver.

Please check if your network card driver matches your Windows version. We suggest you to update the driver at the manufacturer's website.

D. Faulty Cable.

Please check if your cable has been broken and replace it with a good one.

The reason for disabling your port is that our network equipment has received a lot of error packets generated from your computer. It takes extra processing time for the equipment to process these errors. In order to safeguard the security and the proper running of the network, the equipment therefore disables your network port automatically.

You can also view our knowledge base for more details
https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/kms/kblistentryAction?entryID=0000000002



Hard Coded IP Address

Please check if your have hard-coded an IP address onto your computer.
To ensure that you have not hard-coded your IP address,

( Windows 98 or Windows ME )
1. Click "START", then "SETTINGS" and go to "CONTROL PANEL";
2. Click "NETWORK";
3. Choose the "TCP/IP" settings of your LAN card ("TCP/IP -> [the model of your LAN card]), and click "PROPERTIES";
4. Under the tab "IP Address", choose "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically"
5. Click "OK" to reboot your computer;

( Windows 2000 or Windowns XP )
1. Click "START", then "SETTINGS" and go to "CONTROL PANEL";
2. Click "NETWORK AND DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS" (or "NETWORK CONNECTIONS");
3. Right-click on the "LOCAL AREA CONNECTION" icon and choose "PROPERTIES";
4. Choose "INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP)" and click "PROPERTIES";
5. Under the tab "General", Choose "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically"
6. Click "OK" to confirm changes;

(Windows Vista)
1. Click "Start" Menu, and go to "Network";
2. In "Network and Sharing Center", Click "Manage network connections"
3. Right-click on the "Wireless Network Connection" icon and choose "Properties";
4. Under the tab "Networking" , Choose "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click "Properties";
5. Under the tab "General", Choose "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically"
6. Click "OK" to confirm changes;

You can also view our knowledge base for more details
https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/kms/kblistentryAction?entryID=0000000483

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Incompatibility between IPSec Client and ICS (Win98)


As the IPSec VPN client is not compatible with the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature that is available with Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and Windows Me. You must remove ICS before installing Microsoft L2TP/IPSec VPN client.

To remove Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), please follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, and then click the Windows Setup tab.
3. Click Internet Tools, and then click Details.
4. Click to clear the ICS check box, and then click OK.
5. Restart the computer.

Please then try reinstall the Win98 VPN Client and follow the instruction on the ITSC webpage to finish the installation of the VPN setup.
Thanks for your attention.



Insufficient Information


We are glad to help you to solve your problem. From your information provided, we are still unable to spot out the cause of problem.
Please kindly help to provide the following additional information:

1. Your whole error message / error code prompted or encountered;
2. Click START and RUN, then type "command" ("cmd" for Win2000 / WinXP users),
(For Windows Vista users, hold down shift and right-click on desktop and you will get the option to "Open Command Window Here.")
type "ipconfig /all" and tell us the results;
3. Click START and RUN, then type "command" ("cmd" for Win2000 / WinXP users),
(For Windows Vista users, hold down shift and right-click on desktop and you will get the option to "Open Command Window Here.")
type "arp -a" and tell us the results;
4. Click START and RUN, then type "command" ("cmd" for Win2000 / WinXP users),
(For Windows Vista users, hold down shift and right-click on desktop and you will get the option to "Open Command Window Here.")
type "ping ipsec-vpn.resnet.cuhk.edu.hk" and tell us the results;
5. The EXACT time when the problem occurs;
6. The version of your windows (e.g., Win98 / WinMe or WinXP / Vista?) and the version of your windows service pack (e.g. WinXP SP2 / Win2000 SP4);
7. Your contact number for easy communication;
8. Your hostel address;
9. Your port number;
10. Are you using a notebook or a desktop computer?

The more information we have, more fast we can spot out the problem.
We are looking foward for your reply.



Mac with Unknown Version of OS


Mac OS can also access to CUHK VPN network. If you are using Mac OS 10.4 or above, you can just connect to resnet VPN with the VPN client provided by your computer.

If you are using a Mac OS of older version, please contact us with more details, e.g. your error messages, your configuration of the computer, etc. We can help you to solve your problem as soon as possible.



Reinstall LAN Card Driver 


For your problem, we suggest you to re-install your lan card driver which may be the source of your problem.
Before you do so, please ensure that you have the correct version of your LAN card driver for installation purpose.

1. Click START, then SETTINGS and go to CONTROL PANEL;
2. Click SYSTEMS;
3. Click the HARDWARE tab; (For Win2000 / WinXP users, please click the DEVICE MANAGER button also);
4. Under the NETWORK ADAPTER, you should find your LAN card's model;
5. Right-click on the name of your LAN card, choose UNINSTALL;
6. Click OK and reboot your computer;
7. The system will then automatically search for your LAN card;
8. Follow the NEW HARDWARE INSTALLATION WIZARD as instructed to install your LAN card;

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Reinstall VPN Client (WinME, Win98)


For your problem, we suggest you to re-install your VPN adapter which may be the source of your problem.
Before you do so, please ensure that you have the windows CD for installation purpose or you are using an internal windows version.

1. Click START, then SETTINGS and go to CONTROL PANEL;
2. Click ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS;
3. Click the WINDWS SETUP tab;
4. Uncheck the COMMUNICATIONS option;
5. Reboot your computer as instructed;
6. Click START, then SETTINGS, go to CONTROL PANEL, go to ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS, go to WINDOWS SETUP as before;
7. Select the COMMUNICATIONS option;
8. Click DETAILS button;
9. Check the DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS and the VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKING options;
10. Click OK to reboot your computer again;
11. Try to connect again;

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Release and Renew IP Address (WinME, Win98) 


You may try to release and renew your IP address to see whether the problem could be fixed. The procedure of release and renew IP address is provided below:

To re-obtain a correct IP address (10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Click the ""START"" menu and then select ""RUN..."".
2. Type the ""command"" command and press ""OK"".
3. A command prompt window will appear.
4. Type ""ipconfig /release_all"" and press ""ENTER"". Retry a few times if it fails to get a ""10.0.0.0"" IP Address.
5. If it still fails, unplug your LAN cable from the ResNet port and try again. (This step is very important)
6. Plug your LAN cable back to the ResNet port.
7. Type ""ipconfig /renew_all"" and press ""ENTER"". Retry until you obtain a ""10.0.0.0"" IP Address



Release and Renew IP Address (WinXP, Win2k)

You may try to release and renew your IP address to see whether the problem could be fixed. The procedure of release and renew IP address is provided below:

To re-obtain a correct IP address (10.0.xxx.yyy),
1. Click the ""START"" menu and then select ""RUN..."".
2. Type the ""cmd"" command and press ""OK"".
3. A command prompt window will appear.
4. Type ""ipconfig /release"" and press ""ENTER"". Retry a few times if it fails to get a ""10.0.0.0"" IP Address.
5. If it still fails, unplug your LAN cable from the ResNet port and try again. (This step is very important)
6. Plug your LAN cable back to the ResNet port.
7. Type ""ipconfig /renew"" and press ""ENTER"". Retry until you obtain a ""10.0.0.0"" IP Address

Then you may try to connect to VPN again, if your problem still exists, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Reset TCP/IP under WinXP

You cannot uninstall TCP/IP in Windows XP, because there is no Uninstall button for this protocol.
According to Microsoft, that is because TCP/IP is an integral part of the operating system,
and removing it would cause major problems.
You can, however, use the Windows XP command line utility NetShell to reset all IP-related Registry settings
to their default values. The result is a brand-new TCP/IP configuration.

The Netsh.exe program is located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory. To reset the TCP/IP configuration, enter the command:

Click START and RUN, then type "command" ("cmd" for Win2000 / WinXP users), type
netsh int ip reset vpn.log

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



Unstable Network Connection


The unstable network connection may caused by the following:
1. automatic timeout setting in Windows.
2. speed settings of your LAN card's configuration

A. Automatic timeout setting in Windows. You can try the following procedures to correct the situation:

(for Windows ME / 98 users)
1. Double click "Dial Up Networking" in "My Computer"
2. Right click on your VPN connection icon, left click on the "Properties" menu
3. Click "Configure" and select the "Connection" tab
4. Uncheck the item "Disconnect when idle for more than XX minutes"
5. Click the OK button to save the changes
6. On your desktop, right click "Internet Explorer", left click "Properties" menu
7. Click "Connection" tab and click "Settings"
8. Uncheck "Disconnect if idle for XX minutes"

(for Windows XP / 2000 users)
1. Open "Network and Dial-up Connections" in "Control Panel"
2. Right click your VPN connection icon, and choose "Properties"
3. Choose "Options" tab
4. Change "Disconnect when idle for xxxx" to "never"
5. Click "OK" and exit
6. Open "Internet Options" in "Control Panel" (WinXP users need to change to "classic view" before continuing)
7. Choose "Connections" tab
8. Select your VPN connection and click "Settings"
9. Click "Advanced" button
10. Uncheck "Idle xxxx minutes before disconnection"

B. It may be caused by the speed settings of your LAN card's configuration. Please set up the speed with "100 Mbps Full Duplex".

You can re-configure your LAN card's speed as follows:
1. Open "Network and dial-up connections" in "Control Panel"
2. Right click your LAN card's connection (usually stated as "Local Connection") and click
"Properties"
3. Make sure that you have selected the right connection of your LAN card, and click "configure"
button
4. In the "Advanced" tab, find "Connection Type / Media Type / etc", and change it to "100 Mbps Full Duplex"
5. Click "OK"

You can also view our knowledge base for more details
https://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/kms/kblistentryAction?entryID=0000000056

If you still face the same problem after trying the suggestions, please feel free to contact us again, thank you.



With MAC Address 00-00-00-00-00-00


Our system cannot locate your LAN card and show a invalid hardware address. To solve this, please update or re-install your LAN card driver.

Also, please click "Start" => "Run" and type in "cmd" in the text box and press enter. Then the command prompt window appears. Then type in "ipconfig /all" and press enter. This information can help us to locate your problem

If the problem presist, please feel free to contact us and supply with the details of your error messages.