[schoolza] Re: Hilton College on the web.
Terry Lewis
schoolza.
Hilton College is not positioned well into the Midlands - like Michaelhouse.
Hilton has an area code of 0331 - the same as Maritzburg.
Trunk calls are thus not required to the Pmb area where other than
the Varsity there must be at least one other sevice provider.
The University of Natal have been extremely helpful in the provision
of services to Natal Schools - just dont expect them to drop their
own work and work for the schools, as they appear to have more work
than they can handle.
The University of Natal Pmb have provided a link to Maritzburg
College - you can get their address from the Marques System www page
where Michael Miller can be contacted - he will certainly tell Hilton
how to get connected.
But then I suppose Hilton can't read this.........
Regards
Terry Lewis
Note from Bruce Meier : -
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> I discussed this with their computer teacher, Bruce MacLachlan, at the
> recent Internet and Educational Computing Conference at Cape Town. At
> present they are not online, because (a) they would need to connect
> via a dialup *trunk call* or cell-phone (or I suppose satellite dish!)
> and the costs seem unjustifiable, and (b) the universities in the area
> are not being very helpful in providing a ride onto the Uninet (as for
> example, we in the Western Cape are fortunate in having through UCT).
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Check-out our page : http://www.und.ac.za/school/gcth/gcths.html
email - gc...@superbowl.und.ac.za
Terry Lewis
PO BOX 20305
Durban North, 4016, South Africa
+27 31 322792w +27 31 3682610fax
+27 31 831642h
Terry Lewis
Your comment about UND is simply not true.
I have a citrix dialin from the university which gives me full
access. I have an IP address and will connect to UNINET via UND and a
dedicated line within the new year... when the line is installed.
The guys from networking at CSD have gone out of their way to help me.
The FRD have plans in the pipeline which would make a commercial
connection to the net a far more expensive exercise as our only
costs will be the rental of the line.
My Oh My.... TLAs are so irritating
Terry Lewis
Michael Miller
: The University of Natal Pmb have provided a link to Maritzburg
: College - you can get their address from the Marques System www page
The university of Natal, Pietermaritzburg HAS helped two schools to get full
TCP/IP connectivity. The schools are Maritzburg College and The Whykam
Collegiate. UNP's computrer science has also been responsible for providing
UUCP news & e-mail access to a couple of other schools.
I must however point out that UNP's Computer Science department is
responsible for the progress that has been made. UNP's Computer Services
Division (they run the campus network, file servers etc etc) were not too
keen on the idea since they did not want to have the burden maintaining more
machines than they need too. They did however, afer much negotiation, allow
Computer Science (CS) to run the schools program. At the ned of the day CSD
have had very little effort involved in the process. I do wish to, however,
extend my thanks to Richard Stubbs, who has provided me with a large amount
of help!
CS also does not have much to worry about. All they really have to do is
keep our news feed coming, reset our gateway once in a while, and keep our
gateway plugged in. At the end of the day, UNP's Computer Science Department
are the heroes in the PMB schools network exercise. Our thanks must be
extended to Rob Dempster who handled much of the negotiation with CSD.
Thanks also go to Leonard Els and Greg Hundermark who have provided must
"technical" backup when it was most needed.
A mention must also be extended to the Uninet office who are always
helpfull and willing to give advice!
As it stands the two abovementioned schools are connected on a rather
"loose" aggreement. CS's commitment is continuously under revisement and no
gaurantees are made from them.
As far is I know, the current arrangement is for schools first to have a
UUCP feed to get things working, and then maybe "upgrade" to TCP/IP.
However, for exact details you will have to contact Leonard or Rob at UNP's
CS.
Thanks again to all who have made Maritzburg COllege's connection possible!
Cheers,
Mike
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Michael Miller (MJM17) mmi...@mc.pmb.school.za
Systems Administrator http://www.mc.pmb.school.za/staff/millermj.htm
Maritzburg College
Gregory Massel
> Greg
> The university does not have the resources, - disk space, time,
> manpower etc to even provide a dialin for all of its own students via
> Citrix. I applied for a few extra accounts for the staff and pupils
> to use but was turned down. The students there are questioning the
> preference given to the schools - and if I was a student there I
> would do the same.
Precisely why schools should go with a discounted/subsidised commercial
solution. UND has to look after itself first, and no matter how much goodwill
they have, they have overstretched their traffic (which they pay for)
and according to you, have irate students. If this is the case, why not
get an ISP to give a special discount rate.
> This will be sufficient until I get the leased line which should be
> installed in the next few weeks. We could not justify the monthly
What bugs me, is that a teacher and I tried to arrange a leased line from
UND for my school over 12 months ago, and their first email said yes,
then they ignored our emails. Once, I saw the person on IRC who said
he was getting back to the messages I sent 3 months previously and he
ignored them. I sent more and they were ignores. I have contacted people
in CSD, EE and elsewhere, and UND have caused troubles. The guys there
want to help, but, there is a whole beaurocracy you have to get through
plus the fact that they are trying to reduce traffic.
> rental of a digital line so we will have an analogue leased line and
> run PCroute on both sides. This will do until the university put in
> a Cisco router next year(hopefully). Whether many more schools hang
> off the university or whether just two or so schools - for example
> Glenwood and Campbell hang off the varsity and then other schools
> hang off them---- remains to be seen and will be determined by
> demand.
Well, I can tell you there has been demand for about 18 months and nothing
concrete has materialised from it as yet.
> It does appear theat the varsity is quite prepared to handle the
> traffic and the connection to the net but are not able to manage all
> the accounts that a school would require.
I don't mean this in any personal way, but that is hogwash. My school said
to UND that if they gave us a 64kb line, we would assume all responsibility
of dialin accounts, AND providing other schools with leased lines, thereby
relieving them of all those burdens. 18 months later, they have shown
zero intention of taking up that offer.
> Just remember that when you deal with these people they are doing us
> a favour - they have no obligation to share their resources with us.
> Many of them are still learning - like us and need to be encouraged.
I thought that for 12 months. After 12 months, I felt like a donkey with
them hanging a carrot in front of me on a string.
--- NOTE, the views expressed here are my own personal views, and are
NO indication whatsoever of my (past) school's views.
Terry Lewis
The university does not have the resources, - disk space, time,
manpower etc to even provide a dialin for all of its own students via
Citrix. I applied for a few extra accounts for the staff and pupils
to use but was turned down. The students there are questioning the
preference given to the schools - and if I was a student there I
would do the same.
Although I leave this school at the end of the year, I have managed
to excite my headmaster enough to get him to carry on with this
account after I leave.
This will be sufficient until I get the leased line which should be
installed in the next few weeks. We could not justify the monthly
rental of a digital line so we will have an analogue leased line and
run PCroute on both sides. This will do until the university put in
a Cisco router next year(hopefully). Whether many more schools hang
off the university or whether just two or so schools - for example
Glenwood and Campbell hang off the varsity and then other schools
hang off them---- remains to be seen and will be determined by
demand.
It does appear theat the varsity is quite prepared to handle the
traffic and the connection to the net but are not able to manage all
the accounts that a school would require.
Just remember that when you deal with these people they are doing us
a favour - they have no obligation to share their resources with us.
Many of them are still learning - like us and need to be encouraged.
Regards
Terry