College acts to limit downloads

By RICHARD WOOD

St Kentigern College has beefed up security and user management on its wireless campus network to prevent bandwidth blowouts caused by its students.

Walter Chieng, director of information and communications technologies, said the problem was not with objectionable internet material, but rather excessive downloading of tools, graphics for projects, and screen savers.

The college runs one of the largest wireless networks in the country, accessed by 1400 notebook users.

Fifty-four wireless access points cover one-third of the St Kentigern 100ha block in Pakuranga.

It is 1km from one end of the campus to the other.

Chieng said he got a weekly report showing how much was being downloaded and from what sites.

Despite already having filtering software to weed out unwanted sites the college was getting about 12 downloads a week of 1GB or more.

Chieng said its web filtering software already blocked mp3 music download sites and file-sharing software such as KaZaA.

Internet mail services such as Hotmail and Yahoo Mail are also blocked.

The introduction of specialised servers from Bluesocket, through local integrator Kalooma, will help the school lock down specific local network and internet use for each student.

For example, FTP access (for downloading) can be individually switched off.

Besides password security, every notebook also has a specific internal ID address that can be used to track events.

Chieng said the college had not had problems with "warchalking", or outsiders trying to access internet bandwidth for free.

But some students with networks at home had lowered their notebook's security parameters inadvertently.

He said the unique challenge for the college was the range of potential use, from administration and everyday classroom technology use, to boarders having the type of internet access they might have if they were at home.