“Students can't seem to get hooked up fast enough,” Diane Keller of
OCS says about ResNet, the new ethernet service that makes the Internet available to every
student in a campus residence hall.
ResNet, short for “residence hall network,” is based on ethernet, which
provides direct access to the Internet.
ResNet replaces the residence hall network installed in 1986. That system, which was
failing, allowed Internet access only by logging into another system, a relatively slow
process. ResNet allows students direct access to the Internet without logging into the
College's system, said David Cossey, director of OCS.
There are 1,400 ResNet connections, or, in industry jargon, “one per pillow.”
In 1986, Union was among the first colleges in the country to install data connections
in each residence hall room. This fall, the College is among the first in the country to
provide students with direct Internet access.
Students can get a ResNet connection by calling OCS at ext. 2659 and setting up an
appointment. Student computers must meet minimum configuration requirements, and they must
have a ResNet card or cable, which are available at the bookstore. Depending on the
computer, the card or cable could cost between $50 and $300, but generally they run less
than $100. OCS is installing the ResNet cards and providing the Internet applications
software at no charge.
If a student does not have a personal computer, it doesn't mean they will be
“locked out,” said Keller, director of academic computing in OCS. All OCS
computer labs have access to the Internet.