This article explains how to renew or re-register MAC addresses which are about to expire on the network.

Please note: any university device that has not been registered by iSolutions Deployments, or the Audio Video (AV) team, will need to be re-registered 3 years after the initial registration.

What is a MAC address?

The MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier. It consists of six pairs of letters and numbers separated by colons, for example 00:01:23:a4:5b:cd.

This identifier helps you find your device on a local network. Every device connected to the Internet has one.

The MAC address of your device or console is hardcoded to your Network Interface Controller (NIC), which is the device that connects your machine to the Internet.

Find more about finding your device’s MAC address in the article "How to find out the MAC address on networked devices".

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What happens when the MAC address is close to the expiration date

You will receive a notification email 30 days before the MAC address expires.

This email comes from noreplynetwork@soton.ac.uk and contains the following content:

Dear (receiver),

Any university device that has not been registered by iSolutions will need to be re-registered three years after the initial registration. We’re reaching out to you as your registered device, with the MAC address (device's MAC address, for example: 00:01:23:a4:5b:cd), is nearing its expiration date. The device was initially registered on (date of creation) and is set to expire on (date of expiration).

What do I need to do?
To ensure uninterrupted access to the network, you will need to renew the device before the above expiry date. We’ve created a helpful knowledgebase article with step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Alternatively, please remove the MAC address from your account if it is no longer in use. 

If you need any support, please contact the ServiceLine team who will be more than happy to help you.

Your iSolutions team

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Renewing the MAC address expiration date

Renewing the device’s MAC address expiration date will ensure uninterrupted access to the network.

How to Renew or Delete Your Device:

1. Go to network.soton.ac.uk:

2. Select the option "I want to connect to the wired network"

3. Login with your university username (for example: ab1c23) and password

4. Navigate to the "My Computers" tab located at the top left corner of the page:

5. You will see your registered device(s) on the 'My Registered Computers' list:

Every device listed there will show the following information or options:

• MAC address number
• Comments
• Date of creation
• View leases (option)
• Unregister (option)
• Expiration date
• Renew Expiration Date (option)

6. Starting from 3 months before the expiring date you will be able to renew the MAC address of your device.

Go to the column "Renew Expiration Date" and select the "Renew" button:

  

7. At the end of the process you will receive an email confirming that the procedure has been successful.

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Exceptions- Devices without an expiring date

Looking at the list of your registered computers or devices, you might find that some of them:

• Are registered, but have no expiring date:
  
  
  
• Are registered, but are not appearing within the list: 
  

This happens when you are using a device that:

• Is managed by specific staff of iSolutions (for example part of the shared docks or desks around the University), or
• Is not set to have an expiring date.

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Getting IT help

iSolutions is ready to help you if you need IT support. You can both:

• Email or call our staff
• Chat in person with our technicians at Tech Hubs

Find all the information on the web page "Getting help | iSolutions | University of Southampton".

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Related content

How to find out the MAC address on networked devices