Installing and Using Odyssey for Windows

The versions of Odyssey described in this Web page run on Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000 Professional or Server, or XP Home or Professional. The ACCC supports SecureW2 for Windows XP and Vista. It is much easier to install and use and won't interfere with your current wireless connections, as Odyssey will.

The ACCC no longer supports Odyssey; use SecureW2 for Windows XP and Vista rather than Odyssey. You will not be sorry; SecureW2 is much easier to install and use than Odyssey.

Juniper Networks -- formerly Funk Software -- Odyssey client software allows laptops running MS Windows to connect to and use the ACCC's UIC public wireless Internet network. The Odyssey client does three things for the Windows wireless user.

Initiates and supervises the wireless connection.

Odyssey does what is needed to keep your wireless connection going after you've logged in, allowing you to ignore it if you want to. But it also allows you to monitor your connection. See The Odyssey Client Manager -- Using Odyssey below for an overview of the services that Odyssey provides in managing your wireless connection.

Authenticates both the user and the network.

Odyssey asks you for your UIC netid and ACCC password and passes them off (encrypted) to the wireless access point and then to the ACCC's Odyssey server, which checks your netid and password and vouches that you are who you say you are. It also does the reverse -- the ACCC's Odyssey server provides your client with its credentials to prove to you that it's legit. This is extremely important in wireless networks, where it's easy for anyone to set up rogue servers.

Encrypts the wireless connection.

An Odyssey initiated connection scrambles the parts of your Internet connection that are wireless -- from your PC to the wireless access point and from the access point back to your PC, including when you enter your netid and password -- so that bad guys can't eavesdrop to steal your identity or other information.

The Odyssey Client software runs on Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000 Professional or Server, or XP Home or Professional and all varieties of Windows Vista; where applicable, you must have administrative privileges to install Odyssey client. It comes in three varieties: one for Windows Vista, one for Windows XP and 2000, and one for Windows 98 and Me. Do not use Odyssey for XP or Vista.

The ACCC has a site license for the Odyssey wireless connection client, which it to distributes to members of the UIC community at no cost.

• You can download Odyssey on the Web; copy it to a USB thumb/flash drive to move it to the laptop you are installing Odyssey on.

The current version of Odyssey for Windows works for both wireless and wired connections. It also works better under conditions of low signal strength and works better with more wireless cards; we recommend that anyone who is having any trouble with an older version of Odyssey upgrade to the new version.

Note that you must uninstall the previous version before you install the new version; see Uninstall Previous Versions for instructions.

• Odyssey has an online help system:
  • Help -> HelpTopics
  • Or get context-sensitive help by pressing F1.
    
    
• On the Web
  • On Juniper Networks' -- formerly Funk Software -- Odyssey Tech Notes at http://www.juniper.net/customers/support/products/aaa_802/odyssey_kb.html
    The Hardware Compatibility Issues section has information on how to use Odyssey with specific client and AP hardware setups.)
  • Or in Odyssey, select Web -> Odyssey User Page
    
    
    
    
• Odyssey FAQs: A link to the Odyssey FAQs as well as links to other Odyssey technical info is on the Web at Odyssey Tech Support; click View by Tech Note ID number (FAQs listed first)

Where applicable, you must be logged on to an account on the personal computer with administrative privileges to install the Odyssey client.

1. If necessary, purchase and install a supported wireless network card.
   1. You still need to have a supported wireless network card or built-in wireless to use with Odyssey, but Juniper Networks is not keeping a list of supported cards or laptops anymore. What you need is a 802.11g wireless network card or built-in wireless (or 802.11b, but that is much slower than the UIC-Wireless network is), that supports 802.1x with EAP-TTLS. The EAP-TTLS requirement means that not all wireless cards that support 802.1x work. But the boxes or specs for the wireless cards or laptops probably won't say "supports 802.1x and EAP-TTLS". But what will work and what will be on the box or in the specs is: supports WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) or WPA2 and WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). If it says these two things it will work with Odyssey. If it only says it supports WPA, most likely that's good enough, but there is an odd card or two that supports WPA and doesn't support WEP.
      
   2. The installation should be fairly easy: Insert the card while your computer is turned off, then Windows will offer to install it when you turn your computer back on. You will need to have the driver software that came with the wireless card and your Windows installation media to install the card.
      
      
2. If necessary, install or upgrade Microsoft Internet Explorer to version 5.5 or higher. A suitable version of IE is available on the ACCC Network Services Kit, or look on the Microsoft IE download site; you should be able to find what you need in the Most Popular Internet Explorer Downloads page.
   
   
3. If your computer has ethernet card (NIC) and a hard-coded IP address, take the ethernet card out before you begin to use Odyssey. (If you can't take it out, disable it.)

New: If you are installing the Odyssey Client on a machine on which an earlier version of Odyssey had been installed, you don't have to uninstall anything unless you install the new version and the installation fails.

And if that happens, Juniper networks has a tool which installs it for you. See How to Manually Uninstall the 4.6 Odyssey Client if a Regular Uninstall or Upgrade fails.

Where applicable, you must be logged on to an account on the personal computer with administrative privileges to install the Odyssey client.

1. If your laptop has ethernet card (NIC) and a hard-coded IP address, take the ethernet card out (or disable it) before you begin to use Odyssey. (Having problems? See the Odyssey FAQ I'm connected and my signal strength is strong, but still I get "Unable to Access Internet". How can I fix this?)
2. If using the Odyssey client install CD, put it in your laptop's CD drive, double-click on your My Computer icon, and then double-click on the CD-ROM drive, then double-click on the appropriate install file for your version of Windows.
3. Or if you've downloaded the Odyssey Client Installer for your type of Windows, just double-click on the install file.
4. The Installer will open.
5. Click Next> on the Welcome screen.
6. Read the end-user license and click the I accept the terms in the license agreement radio button if you do. Click Next>.
7. On the Customer Information screen, fill in your User Name:, Organization:; the license key is already filled in. Click Next>.
8. Select a Destination Folder. Click Next>.
9. On the Ready to Install the Program screen, click Install.
10. Wait while the installer installs the program.
11. Click Finish when the installation finishes.
12. Restart your system if you're asked to do so.

1. The Odyssey Client Manager will automatically open. It will ask for your password, but it probably won't be time to enter it yet. Click Cancel to close the password dialog box.
2. Click Profiles on the left-hand side of the Odyssey Client Manager window (below).
   
   
3. Click on UIC-wireless to highlight it, and click Properties.
   
   
4. Very Important: On the User Info tab, the default for Login name: is the userid of the laptop account you're using; if that is not correct, type your UIC netid in the Login name: box. The other defaults -- selecting Permit login using password and prompt for password are correct. Don't forget this step. You can't get logged into Odyssey if you don't get your correct netid in for your login name.
   
   
5. Click OK to return to Profiles.
6. Click on Adaptors in the left panel.
   1. If your wireless adaptor is not listed, click Add ....
   2. On the Add Adapter screen, click the Wireless tab, click Wireless adaptors only, and it should find your wireless adaptor. Highlight it and click OK.
      
      
      
7. Go back to Connection. Make sure your wireless adaptor is selected and the Connect to network: is UIC-Wireless and it is checked.
   
8. Odyssey is now set up for your use.

1. Remember to take out or disable your ethernet card/NIC out before you start Odyssey if your laptop also has a hard-coded UIC IP address. (Having problems? See the Odyssey FAQ I'm connected and my signal strength is strong, but still I get "Unable to Access Internet". How can I fix this?)
2. The Odyssey Client Manager should automatically open whenever you boot your laptop with your wireless card inserted; if it doesn't, click Start -> Programs -> Funk Software -> Odyssey Client -> Odyssey Client Manager.
3. Odyssey should automatically open your connection; if not, click the Reconnect button.
4. A dialog box will open; type your ACCC password in the Please enter your password: box and click OK. Also check and make sure that the Login name listed is your UIC netid. If not, go to Set Up Odyssey above.
   
   
5. Once your wireless connection is open and you've authenticated, Odyssey should take care of your connection for you, including re-authenticating if it times out and moving your connection from one access point to another if you're walking around.
   

   When using UIC-Wireless, be sure to select UIC as the Connect to Network.

If your authentication fails because you entered the wrong password, the Odyssey sailboat in the lower right corner of the Odyssey Client Manager window will be red. You can click on the Odyssey sailboat in the bottom right corner of the Odyssey Client Manager window to see the results from the last authorization attempt; see below. If the attempt failed because you entered the wrong password, it will say Authentication rejected by server.

You might be able to convince Odyssey to allow you to try again (including entering your password again) by clicking the Reconnect button. Or you may not. If not, this will work.

1. Exit Odyssey by right-clicking the Odyssey sailboat icon in the Windows System Tray (extreme right-hand side of the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your monitor) and selecting Exit from the right-click menu. Closing the Odyssey Client Manager doesn't close Odyssey.
2. A dialog box will open asking whether you really want to close Odyssey. Click Yes.
3. Then open the Odyssey Client Manager: Start -> Programs -> Funk Software -> Odyssey Client -> Odyssey Client Manager.
4. Login again.

Maybe your problem is with the server certificates. This is a special problem with Windows XP, and the Odyssey server certificates do expire and get replaced now and again. See I've recently installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 and my Odyssey client will no longer authenticate. How do I fix this? in the Odyssey FAQ for step-by-step instructions on how to solve this problem.

Once you've connected and authenticated, Odyssey should do whatever is necessary to keep your connection going, including re-authenticating if your connection times out and moving your connection from one access point to another if you're walking around. So you can pretty much ignore it once you get logged in.

But if you want to keep track of how your wireless connection is going, Odyssey will allow you to do it.

Whenever Odyssey is running, the Odyssey stylized sailboat icon will be displayed in your Windows Systems Tray (extreme right-hand side of the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your monitor). The Odyssey sailboat is blue when Odyssey is running and your wireless connection is open, authenticated, and running. (More about the sailboat below)

For more information about your wireless connection, double-click the Odyssey sailboat in the Windows Systems Tray to open the Odyssey Client Manager. (Or use Start -> Programs -> Funk Software -> Odyssey Client -> Odyssey Client Manager.) The Odyssey Client Manager window is shown below.

The three icons in the lower right of the Client Manager window tell you the status of your wireless connection.

1. The four vertical bars represent the signal power; the more of the bars that are colored green, the stronger the signal. Click on the icon to see the actual signal strength.
   
   
2. The Odyssey sailboat is blue when Odyssey is running and your wireless connection is open, authenticated, and running, and:
   • Transparent when you're not connected.
   • Red when your connection failed due to an authentication error. (Most likely you entered your password wrong; see If you have to re-authenticate.)
   • Blue when you're connected and authenticated. (You should always see this when you're connected on the UIC campus.)
   • Black if you're connected but not authenticated. (You shouldn't ever see this on the UIC campus.)
   Click on the sailboat to see the results of the last authentication attempt.
   
   If you're not connected, the error message should give you an idea what went wrong. See, for example, If you have to re-authenticate.
   
   
3. The key graphic gives you the encryption status of your connection. When the graphic is blue, data will be encrypted with dynamic keys, which you should always see when you're connected on the UIC campus. You should never see the other two possible key colors when you're connected on the UIC campus: transparent for no encryption or black for static key encryption. Click on the key icon to see the encryption status of your wireless connection. (See Data Security: Encryption in the wireless for departments Web page for a bit about static vs. dynamic keys.)

Your wireless laptop can be configured to print to the ACCC public computing lab printers. Print your jobs at any hour, day or night, pick up your output at your convenience by selecting the job(s) to be printed from a U-Print station in any public computing lab. This is the same printing system as is used with Res-Net in the dorms, and to use it, you will need to install the Res-Net Printing System client. See Res-Net Printing for links to pages with detailed instructions.

You can use Odyssey to connect to all the wireless and wired 802.1x networks you connect to. Instructions on setting up Odyssey to use with your home wireless network are on the following pages:

• Setting Odyssey For Windows Up for Other Networks
• Configuring Odyssey for Home Use