'Overdrive' subscription service to offer ResNet users more bandwidth

January 22, 2007 —

ResNet users frustrated with slow downloads, choppy games, and sluggish Web browsing will have access to faster connections this semester - for a price.

ITS plans to launch ResNet "Overdrive" in the coming weeks, which will offer those with the means and desire an increased bandwidth allocation at a cost of $20 per month.

Officials say the service was designed with the "heavy hitters" in mind - residents who frequently use bandwidth-intensive programs like games and want more performance out of their connection.

ITS Executive Director Ken Schindler said the goal of the program, in part, is to increase the connection speeds for all users by allocating a special pool of bandwidth for those who use an especially large amount of it.

"The point is that if you can you get the heavy hitters out of the mix, it'll free up much more bandwidth for the other 1,800 kids," he said.

ITS hopes to have enough bandwidth for 30 to 35 Overdrive users by the time the system rolls out in the coming weeks. Next fall, Schindler hopes to be able to accommodate as many as 135 high-bandwidth users.

"I would like to get 50 or 100 students on it, but I think in a month we'll only have the capacity to do 30 or 35," he said. "Next fall, we could do 100 to 135."

According to Schindler, Overdrive subscribers could enjoy speeds up to 40 times as great as those currently experienced by residents.

However, connection speeds will vary depending on the number of residents logged in to the Overdrive sub-network.

"For each student that pays, we'll buy that much more bandwidth and put them in a special allocation," Schindler explained. "As more buy, the bandwidth gets bigger and they're all in this big puddle of bandwidth, and the math suggests that it's about 40 times more bandwidth per student."

For example, if the special allocation was an extra 40 megabits worth of bandwidth and 10 Overdrive subscribers were online, each user would have access to a four-megabit connection.

Schindler emphasized that Overdrive students would still have to abide by all ResNet guidelines, including the ban on file sharing programs.

"We're still not going to allow peer to peer," he said.

In addition to their work on the Overdrive service, ITS is making an effort to make the thrice-yearly University-wide password change as easy as possible. Sometime this spring, users of CardMail, BlackBoard, VSpace, and other University online services will be prompted to change their password as the deadline for the change nears.

While some may find this to be an inconvenience, Schindler argues that it is a necessary one. He said that many universities, including SVSU, are coming under pressure to protect sensitive financial data.

"I get a variety of comments back from staff, faculty, and students all saying 'Why are you torturing me? I have a password I like, I have bonded with it and it's my friend. I can remember it,'" Schindler joked. "And I'm the same way. I go nuts when I have to change my password. We're all in the same boat. It has to do with the fact that by and large, university security is lax when compared to private industry."