Inside Tufts University Information Technology

Network Engineering

Pelican: DHCP and Nomadic Computing

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a standard data network service that allows computers connecting to a data network to automatically self-configure without human intervention. DHCP makes getting connected and moving around much easier than it might be if you had to manually set your computer's address every time you connected to the network somewhere.

Network Engineering operates a distributed, redundant DHCP system that serves all of Tufts' three main campuses. Computers must be registered with our DHCP system in order to take advantage of it. Once a computer has been registered on any one of the campuses, it can travel to any of the others. This is commonly refered to as Nomadic Computing.

Registering to use DHCP

Network Engineering operates an automated DHCP self-registration system called Pelican that enables members of the Tufts community to register their computers (desktops, laptops, PDAs, etc.) without the help or intervention of support staff.

To take advantage of Pelican, you must have three things:

  1. A web browser. Mozilla, Safari and IE have been tested, but any standards compliant browser that can accept cookies should work fine.
  2. A Trumpeter email account.
  3. A valid, current entry in the Tufts enterprise directory. This normally happens as part of the hiring and student registration processes but in some cases it lags behind.
If your computer has never been registered and you are connected to a network that runs Pelican, any website you try to visit should redirect you automatically to the Pelican login screen.

If you've already registered, but are still having trouble using the network...

Registrations are valid for one year, after which time they expire and you will be automatically redirected to the Pelican registration screen again the next time you try to visit a website. Student registrations expire at the end of spring semester and again just before the start of fall semester.