Archive for March, 2002
March 28th, 2002 by Dana Roode
One recent innovation in UCInet has been the initiation of a wireless computing infrastructure at UCI.
Based on the 802.11b standard, UCInet Mobile Access (http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/) began with installations in Engineering Gateway, GSM, the Main Library, Gateway Study Center, and the Student Center. Since then, the Science Library, the Physical Sciences Nobel Courtyard, the Cal-IT2 suite on the 4th floor of Engineering Tower, and within the Administration building, Research & Graduate Studies and the conference room 107 have been added.
NACS has identified funds for expansion of UCInet Mobile Access, and schools have been asked where the next targets for coverage should be. We expect the wireless network to be of increasing importance to the campus. Installations are proceeding in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Biological Sciences, Engineering, College of Medicine, and the Beckman Center.
NACS recognizes some individuals and departments have installed their own wireless access points. NACS recommends checking with us before installing any new access points to insure proper configuration. For workgroups looking into adding wireless networking, NACS would prefer to install wireless in your area for you. If the workgroup covers initial hardware costs, NACS will install, manage, and monitor the equipment at no cost. Working together in this way, UCI will enjoy a uniform campuswide wireless network
March 28th, 2002 by Dana Roode
There are many times when it would be convenient to conduct a small workshop or seminar in a computer-equipped facility, but such rooms are few at UCI, and most are configured for larger numbers of participants.
Recognizing this, NACS acquired and implemented a “Mobile Computing Lab” (MCL). The MCL consists of 16 laptop computers equipped with wired and wireless networking capability. Now workshops and seminars which would benefit from computers require only an available room.
The NACS Mobile Computing Lab comprises 16 IBM Thinkpad a22m laptop computers, with 256MB memory, 20GB disks, CD, DVD, and floppy disk drives, 15″ screens, and 850MHz Pentium III CPUs. Also included are wireless ethernet (802.11b) PC cards, a 100 megabit/second hub, and a high-resolution LCD projector, all of which can be readily transported to any building and any room on the main campus.
With as little as a week’s notice, if the laptops are not already booked, a Windows 2000 or Windows XP configuration will be copied onto the systems, along with the majority of popular academic and productivity applications. With more time, any application needed can be licensed and installed as well.
The MCL has been successfully used many times, for uses ranging from Microsoft Office or CorporateTime training, to EEE seminars, through Windows XP system administration training. If you have a room, NACS can help you make it into a computer lab.
March 28th, 2002 by Dana Roode
Unlike packaged Unix workstations, such as those from Sun, SGI or Compaq, Linux hardware purchases can result in frustration, unexpected expense, and even failure if a little planning isn’t done prior to purchase.
While it may seem very easy to buy the latest PC at Fry’s and assume it will accept a Linux install smoothly, there are many potential hardware incompatibilities. Manufacturers seldom advertise Linux compatibility, assuming the majority of their customers plan to run Windows. If you are considering purchase of a machine to run Linux, NACS offers free consulting to help you plan a machine that will run Linux reliably, and which will facilitate cost-effective, timely support from NACS, if desired.
While it would be convenient to be able to work from a list of supported hardware, PC hardware and Linux are both evolving continuously, drivers for Windows and Linux are constantly revised, and marketing labels are fluid and inconsistent. NACS maintains expertise in a range of successful configurations, and cooperative discussion is the best way to arrive at current hardware which best meets individual needs.
March 8th, 2002 by Dana Roode
North Campus has been connected to UCInet via a new 100 megabit/second (Mbps) laser link connection. The TereScope 3000, from Optical Access, provides a full-duplex connection at more than sixty-five times the bandwidth of the previous 1.5 Mbps microwave connection. In addition to the higher bandwidth laser link, a backup 11 Mbps network connection has been installed using 802.11b wireless Ethernet. (The laser can suffer degradation in extremely foggy conditions.)
The new link improves the transfer of data between the two sites to keep up with increasing demand as well as to address the problem of legacy equipment no longer supported by the manufacturer. The laser solution was chosen over trenching cable to North Campus which would have entailed three times the cost. The laser employs an “eye safe” beam which will not harm creatures straying into its path.
This upgrade improves the networking capabilities of the Air Pollution Labs, Facilities Management, the Arboretum, the College of Medicine’s Child Development Center, and other North Campus organizations.
March 8th, 2002 by Dana Roode
First popularized by Napster, peer-to-peer file sharing, or P2P for short, is a growing concern for network administrators. The newest generation of P2P programs, such as Morpheus and Kazaa, download not only music files, but photos, applications, and even video files with sizes ranging from multi-megabyte to multi-gigabyte. Users engaging in this activity can adversely affect network performance.
Instruction and research on campus and affiliated locations depends on a high-performance network infrastructure, and the University must act to preserve it for its intended use. Beyond this concern, increased downloads from the commercial Internet increases the cost of UCI’s connection to the Internet.
In response, Residential Networking Services has installed a specialized gateway that allows Housing to fine-tune the flow of specific kinds of network traffic. In particular, Housing has limited the amount of total bandwidth that P2P can consume, while keeping connections for academic uses wide open.
P2P applications are not permitted on the campus wireless network (UCInet Mobile Access, http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinet/mobile/) because such traffic would overwhelm the network and prevent other uses. Wireless is both a slower technology as well as a shared one (that is, all users are sharing the bandwidth of a single connection). We welcome campus comment on this issue.
March 8th, 2002 by Dana Roode
How many people between the ages of 18 and 24 with an income above $50,000 live within 4.5 miles of the Pacific Ocean between Oceanside and Redondo Beach? What is the proximity of children in a community, who have elevated concentrations of lead in their bodies, to older structures that might contain lead-based paint?
These questions, which require both spatial (i.e., geographic) data and tabular information to answer, are typical queries that can be posed to a Geographic Information System, or GIS. At its core, the GIS combines and employs two computer technologies: a graphical display of digital map features and a database that contains records which characterize each of those map features.
Simple queries can pull up data regarding a given geographic location or display all locations matching a criterion. More elaborate queries can be composed which allow researchers to detect new relationships (and derive new data) between things on the ground surface – or on any surface for that matter. GIS technology is used in support of such divergent applications as restoring ancient frescos and landing probes on Mars.
GIS use at UCI is relatively new, as is campus support for the growing interest in GIS. This year UCI purchased a campus-wide license for the use of ArcView and ArcGIS software (at no charge this year to researchers). ArcView and ArcGIS, the leading software in the GIS industry, are being installed on Windows-based computers in NACS’ laboratories and in various departmental laboratories around campus. GIS classes are in progress this year in Social Ecology, GSM and University Extension. Contact NACS for more information about GIS at UCI