Get Connected to MITnet
What is MITnet?
MITnet is MIT's campus network. Members of the MIT community can access the network via high-speed Ethernet, wireless, ISP (Internet Service Provider), or dial-up connection. Once connected, MITnet provides access to a diverse set of computing resources at MIT. The ways you use MITnet will depend on your needs. For example, you might use MITnet to:
- Browse the World Wide Web
- Send and receive email
- Send and receive instant messages
- Download a wide variety of software available to the MIT community
- Backup and restore data
- Exchange files with colleagues and friends
- Publish web pages
- Work in Web and network-based applications
What do I Need to Get Started?
Every user of MITnet must have a unique username and password to identify themselves. Kerberos is an industry-standard protocol (developed at MIT) which provides a secure method to authenticate users on MITnet. Your MIT Kerberos username and password is also known as your Athena, MIT e-mail, or MITnet account.
- If you are not yet set up with a Kerberos username and password, begin at the Get Ready section of this guide.
- If you have a Kerberos username and password, and have connected a computer to a network before, you can go directly to the section of this guide that will help you Get Connected with your operating system.
Next: Get Ready
