Students may encounter some trouble communicating over the Internet today because Saint Louis University’s campus computer network (SLUnet) is being upgraded.
SLUnet will be switching its Internet Service Provider (ISP) from PrimaryNet to Southwestern Bell to improve SLU’s connection speed.
According to Student Computer Use Coordinator Tom Hanley, despite the change in ISPs, students using on-campus connections should not have any problems surfing the net or sending e-mails, but they will temporarily be unable to receive messages from off-campus.
Hanley said, “I’ve been telling campus residents that if they have family that is going to try to e-mail them, they may have problems getting a message from them.”
This disruption is expected to last between four and 24 hours.
Students who live off-campus but still connect to the Internet through SLUnet will experience more difficulty, however. They will be unable to sign on to the Internet through SLU for several hours.
The switch should substantially increase the bandwidth, or carrying capacity, of SLU’s Internet connection. Currently, SLUnet has a bandwidth of six megabytes per second. Switching to Southwestern Bell allows the bandwidth to improve to 10 megabytes per second after Nov. 16 and eventually to 20 megabytes per second in January.
Hanley said that the University’s current bandwidth has never been overwhelmed, but during peak hours of usage students would notice a significant reduction in speed. The popularity of downloading of large files, such as music in MP3 format, also slows Internet connections because the transfers consume large amounts of bandwidth.
Students seem willing to endure the inconvenience if it is necessary. Scott Young, a freshman commuter, said, “Mail can sometimes be a crucial thing, but I don’t see it as being that bad if I miss a day.”
Jenni Wilson, a freshman resident in the Griesedieck complex, agrees that an increase in connection speed is worth putting up with some minor problems. “People I know have been buying faster computers,” she said, “so they might as well be able have the capability to go faster [on the Internet].”
Other upgrades include expanding SLUnet access in dorms and classrooms, providing additional modem access for faculty and improving management of modem access.
