[306] in Resnet-Forum
Summary of earlier questions
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Margaret Ellis)
Thu Jun 30 17:54:24 1994
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 14:37:32 -0700
To: resnet-forum@MIT.EDU
From: ellis@netcom.ubc.ca (Margaret Ellis)
Cc: central-networking@netcom.ubc.ca
Thanks to those of you who responded to my May 30 series of questions.
Here's a summary of the five responses I received.
1) Network interface devices - purchase, installation, support
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We are not specifically identifying cards that students MUST buy,
but we are providing cards to students who wish to get them from us.
Network ready back-to-school bundles are available for students to
buy; we'll be installing all the software and hardware at no
additional charge to the student (except for the cost of the e-net
card.)
I am concerned about students installing their own cards; we are
going to to create documentation and a video that we'll broadcast
over the campus network. We will install cards for the technically
challenged, but we're going to charge.
My big concern is University's liability in the event a student
is injuried while installing the card. However, our counsel feels
that as long as we provide the manufacturer's warnings, it shouldn't
be a problem.
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We will probably have ethernet adapters for sale, at cost, to students. I'm not
sure if we'll build in an installation cost or not.
We are planning to "hire" some students to assist other students in the
residence halls. This should be handled through the Academic Computing
department. (see below)
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I have bulk purchased Accton 16bit combo cards for the
ISA/EISA bus machines and Asante cards of varing models for the
Macintoshes. I lease them at cost over a 24month lease to the
students with the understanding that unless I get them back in
functioning order this is a lease to own arrangement. They will be
billed the remaining cost of the card when they disconnect. I did
this because either students couldn't afford ethernet cards or they
chose cheap X brand cards that I couldn't begin to consider
supporting. This way they can buy something else if they prefer
but I will not support it. For the most part students have been able
to install these on their own or with help from a friend. I include
install instructions and try to keep it as simple as possible. (the
accton cards are software configurable and easily to install).
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We budgeted for hardware/software installation support for each
student who requests it. We feel that students being required to
purchase the NICs will thin out the number of participants. Our high
end estimate for the fall is 2000 participants out of 5300 active
network ports. The costs of these installations comes mostly from a
per port line charge levied upon all students living in Residence
Halls. (about 3.00 each, I believe)
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Students will be able to purchase or lease interface "cards" from us.
Most Mac users had no problem last year, and we anticipate even fewer
problems because we are limiting Mac Ethernet to AAUI and SCSI adapters.
DOS folks seem to have lots of trouble. Installing the card isn't
particularly difficult, but getting all of the network drivers and irqs
to cooperate gives people lots of problems.
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>2) How do you handle the configuration of student computers? Do
> you issue an IP and gateway address and point them at a sample
> ncsa telnet, config, for example? How much support have you found
> necessary to get an individual student up and running?
We assign IP addresses via BOOTP, and give them access to software
servers via kerberos authentication. We only install the necessary
extensions/control panels or configuration files necessary for them to
access the net.
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We use bootp campus wide so I ask that they send me
back the ethernet address and then add them into the table. This
makes it nice for software too, because I can preconfigure the
freeware I give out (some shareware that the University holds site
licenses for as well). I put this software on a Novell fileserver and
let them just copy it down. As far as how much support, it depends
on the student. Some require no support from me and others
require a bit. I have found that I can generally handle the
configuration issues over the phone.
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Thus far, we have had static addresses assigned to each port, and
configuration of TCP/IP is part of our installation support. We
install all basic IP software packages (Telnet, POP client, NNTP
client, Gopher, TN3270, Mosaic). We budget one hour for all hardware
and software configuration, although Macs take more like 35-45
minutes.
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We are going to use a bootp server, where addresses are dynamically assigned.
Hopefully, all they'll want is the stuff we give them (see next).
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Installing and configuring software is another biggie. The documentation
needs to be very detailed, which our's wasn't. We're working on it this
summer and it will be available on gopher. We do issue each student an
IP address permanent for their tenure here.
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>3) Do you make a list of suggested public domain software that
> they can ftp from anonymous archives somewhere, e.g. Hgopher,
> mosaic, a newsreader, e-mail, etc. If so, have the students been
> generally successfull in getting the software and setting it up?
> Have you prepared specific software installation procedures for
> the students?
We have most of this software on local file servers; we have two
documents, "An Intro to [Mac | PC] Networking at Northwestern" that go
through the main packages, describing how to get them and what they
do. Students are pretty clever, but still, most are content with
e-mail.
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We will have that available on our own local ftp site. We are working on a set
of diskettes that do all installations automatically. We got the idea from
University of Illinois.
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We will be giving students access to software servers which have the
public domain software you metioned available, among other things.
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> 4) Have you specified a minimum hardware configuration that a student
> must have before they are even considered for networking?
Yes; you can see our FAQ, which includes this, at
http://www.nwu.edu/resnet/faq.html
or I can send it to you.
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We are assuming that the student will have an open slot for an ethernet adapter
and enough RAM to install the drivers. We will not make gaurantees since there
are too many variations on the theme when it comes to PCs.
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No, but I will have to make some assumptions in the fall
when I start serving software from the Novell fileserver. I am only
going to offer Windows and Macintosh software. Those students
with older machines not capable of running the software generally
have understood so far that their access is going to be limited by
the low end computer they have. Pretty much anything can be
used as a terminal into our campus mainframe (DEC running Ultrix).
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YES! And we highly recommend lots of memory.
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Yes. A 386 machine or better on the DOS side and a Mac with a hard drive,
enough RAM to run system 7.
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> 5) Have you hired students in the dorms to act as network administrators
> and support staff? If so, how are they compensated?
We have very little extra budget for support, so we have recruited
volunteers -- we ask for about 4 hours a week of consulting service,
and compensate them with preferred room picks, an NIC, and training
(worth quite a bit to these students, who can't figure out where else
they can learn about this stuff...) In our tests, it seems very clear
that students ask each other for help far more than they ever call our
central support desk...
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This is a big issue that others on this list have asked. I am hoping that
Academic Computing will assume a leadership role here. (Academic Computing is
not under the same Executive Director as Network Services,)
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Yes I have hired a couple of students and will be hiring
one per Hall. I have made arrangements with the Housing office to
make them "affiliated" with the housing staff and compensated with
free room. We are having a problem keeping rooms filled so giving
up the room wasn't a sacrifice on Housings part and they also want
to help support the net. I have found so far that the students
interested in the net are not terribly concerned with compensation,
they just want to learn about networking. I have a feeling this will
change when our net is up to full speed next fall.
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Another area we're working on. We've used volunteers at the start
of the school year -- they need training and supervision, we've found.
There also needs to be some kind of tracking system to ensure no one
falls through the cracks. Partly because of our network configuration,
it works best if support happens in the dorms, so the students don't
move their machines.
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We already had in place Resident Computer System Consultants (RCSCs) who
are compensated with room and board. They provide frontline support and
pass anything they can't handle on to full-time staff. RCSCs, of course,
receive lots of training.
============================================================================
Margaret Ellis
University Computing Services
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C.
