[31] in Resnet-Forum
Re: Evangelizing residence networking
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Leah Sheppard)
Tue Nov 2 23:37:59 1993
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 93 21:10:44 -0500
To: resnet-forum@MIT.EDU
From: sheppard@pobox.upenn.edu (Leah Sheppard)
Hi, everyone. I'm Leah Sheppard, the ResNet EndUser services
coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania, trying to answer
a few questions posed 10/31 about Ethernet Evangelizing.
>>* We offer up to two-hours free in-room software installation and
>>training (we'll install board, if required).
>
>Question: who is doing the installations? We've decided that the student
>consultants in the dorms should not do any board installations b/c we don't
>want to them to have to be responsible for potentially breaking someone's
>machine. We're going to tell the owners to either install the cards
>themselves or go to the on-campus service center.
We decided to chance our student techs doing the internal Ethernet card
installations, up to a point. With proper training, our techs have permission
to install internal cards in every model machine except what Apple calls
"compact Macs" (meaning models like the SE, SE/30, or Classic line
where the computer's casing houses both the CRT and the expansion slot).
Our decision not to train students to do the "compact" installs was due
to a concern for the student techs' safety, less the computer's. Students
who want the ResNet service and have a compact Mac have been instructed
to have the campus computer store do the installation and the University
picks up the tab (at their usual $37/hour fee). So far, we have had two
requests
for this type of installation, out of the roughly 350 requests for the Ethernet
service. We anticipate 4-6 more before the end of the semester, because
certain Asante cards have been backordered until 11/19.
>>(And we're experimenting with use of the AppleTalk server to provide
>>access to the required IP-based software, which might reduce need to make
>>house calls.)
>
>We thought about doing this but decided against it for a couple of reasons:
>1) It would require having 2 copies (a bad, bad thing!) of the binaries
>since we already have an anonymous FTP site & 2) we couldn't find an
>AppleShare server with enough oomph to potentially have all the Mac users
>auto-mounting it. The Apple WG server 95 only allows 200 users to be
>connected simultaneously. I think that we've pretty much decided to make
>the binaries available through TechInfo. However, I'd be interested in
>learning more about your tests.
Right now, the student techs (we have 20 ) take an Ethertalk disk
with them for Macintosh installs and once Ethertalk is installed,
they access a *IIx* back at HQ (running sys 7.0.1 file sharing) to copy
the IP-based utilities.
For the longer run, we are exploring a utility marketed by Aladdin Systems,
the makers of Stuffit, et al. The utility is called the Stuffit InstallerMaker
and would give us all the self-extracting possibilities of Stuffit, plus a
simple installer program. If the students can install the Ethertalk software
that came with their card, they could access any Mac running sys 7, copy the
"ResNet Macintosh Installer" program, let it do its self-extracting, and
choose the correct installation for their Macintosh from a menu.
Thus far, we've been less worried about finding the proper machine to
use for the server than finding the most user-friendly installer program.
Stuffit InstallerMaker is worth looking into, if you have similar needs.
Hope this answers a few questions about Penn's procedure,
Leah
Leah Sheppard ResNet EndUser Services Coordinator
UPENN Data Communications and Computing Services
Internet: sheppard@pobox.upenn.edu Voice:215/898-2262
