More Options for Mobile Computer Users Scheduled for Fall

By Jeff van de Pol

 
The projects made possible through the allocation of one-time Instructional Technology Funds (ITF) have progressed significantly in the past several months, according to a report given to the Academic Computing Coordinating Council (AC4) by Kent Kuo, ITF Project Coordinator and Associate Director, IT-Communications Resources. Some of these projects are completed and nearly all of the others are on schedule for Fall 2000 implementation (see "Other ITF Projects: Summary"). In this article, we highlight three of those projects: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, General Network Access Ports, and Campus High-Speed Wireless services. Each is scheduled for rollout in Fall 2000 and, when completed, will make connecting to the UC Davis network on campus more convenient than ever for mobile computer users. "We need to continue to make progress in allowing faculty, staff, and students the freedom of movement when accessing the campus network and network resources," said Kuo. "These projects and pilots will help us to unleash this potential and move us away from being tied down to specific computer stations on campus."

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows users to dynamically configure desktop computers and laptops to access the campus network. This means that UC Davis faculty, staff, and students can connect to the network from any port at UC Davis. In the past, most of the campus was comprised of many small Local Area Networks (LANs), which required that LAN administrators assign a specific number (called an IP address) to each person authorized to use that local network. If this person then left that physical location (for a meeting or to teach a class, for example) and wished to connect somewhere else on campus, he/she was required to find the network administrator for that area, obtain another IP address, and reconfigure his/her computer.

This constant switching of addresses created several logistical problems, particularly for instructors who wished to use technology in their classes and for the network administrators (often staff persons with many other position-related duties) who had to assign new IP addresses to different users.

To alleviate this problem, in the past, a few departments on campus purchased their own DHCP servers or used the OLD DHCP campus server along with a product called JOIN to connect laptop users to the campus network. These steps proved the potential benefits of DHCP, while also highlighting the need for equipment which could handle a campuswide rollout.

The DHCP project consists of three phases. During Phase I, existing DHCP clients (including ResNet residents) will be automatically switched to a new, campuswide DHCP product called NetID. Phase II, scheduled to start this summer, will roll out the service to the campus groups which already administer DHCP. Phase III, expected to occur in November, is a whole-campus rollout. A Web site will also be available in November to assist those interested in this service.

General Campus Network Access Ports
Available in public areas throughout the campus, these ports allow registered individuals to connect their laptops to the campus network. While convenient for the mobile computer user, these ports are few in number (34) and in high demand. This project will greatly increase the number of these ports on campus (an additional 220), while improving accessibility to the campus network. The number of campus access points will be expanded to include highly-frequented places like Shields Library, King Lounge in the Memorial Union, and the Physical Sciences Library. This port increase presents many advantages to users, including reducing the impact on campus computer rooms, allowing students to access the Internet from various areas while studying or between classes, and enabling faculty and staff to quickly check their email between classes or meetings.

Campus High-Speed Wireless
The third project, Campus High-Speed Wireless, will test the feasibility, support issues, and costs of supporting a new type of wireless access that is limited by proximity (~200 foot radius) to the main transceivers in a given location. A small pilot will be conducted this Spring with students to test the wireless capability in an open-access room in the Law Library at King Hall. A similar small test installation at the Extended Hours Reading Room at Shields Library and the Griffin Lounge and Patio at the Memorial Union will occur this summer, in preparation for the Fall quarter implementation.

Unlike the AT&T Wireless project currently in the works, this service will be available free of charge and offer higher connection speeds (~2 mbps (or 2000 kbps) versus19.2 kbps for AT&T wireless service). (For more information on AT&T's wireless service, see "UC Davis Gets Wireless Data Service.")

For more information on ITF projects, see "Instructional Technology Fund Projects: At a Glance" from the June 1999 IT Times. The included sidebar provides a quick overview of each project along with anticipated completion dates.