Six RCAs worked all afternoon on Saturday, April 10th to assist users in getting connected to the new fiber optic network. Their hard work and the willingness of the students to experiment with new technology bodes well for the future and for UIS s successful completion of the goal to have all of the residence halls wired by Fall 1999. At the time of this writing there were still eight possible slots for students to sign up to participate in the initial testing of this network in New South. Students who are interested in participating may call the Student HelpDesk at 687-4577. Students who live on campus next year and who are not able to be involved in this trial period will have the opportunity to access the Georgetown network during the 1999 to 2000 school year.
New South is the first building on campus to use the new fiber optic technology.
Fiber optic technology will not only prepare GU for the future and launch dorm connectivity above that of peer institutions, it will also become the more affordable and functional solution. The decision to go with fiber optic wiring was based upon the fact that fiber involves the transmission of data via infrared or visible light while copper transmits data via electrical signals over copper wire. These characteristics of fiber allow for wiring to be done on a hall-wide basis rather than running copper wire to closets on each floor of a hall and attaching them to expensive network equipment on each floor. One of the most significant of these was that fiber wiring requires different connectivity to an individual s computer than standard copper wire. Since most computers today are fitted with ethernet cards, not fiber connectors, the Student Technology Services team from UIS has been working to distribute and help install special MT-RJ connectors.