Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove my access restriction?
Go to [http://www.udel.edu/network]. If your account is on the restricted access list, you will have the option to Remove Network Restriction.
Does the limit include my traffic to sites on campus?
The 1GB limit is on traffic in and out of the University. Traffic within the University's domain is currently exempt and unrestricted.
I responded to the warning letter sent Saturday. When will you take me off the restricted list?
Students who are put on the restricted access list get a separate mailing stating that their access has been restricted and providing instructions on how to restore it. If you have not received this separate message, you are not on the restricted access list. Your network connection is slow because someone in your residence hall is sharing big files.
I can't be using more than 1GB. I haven't downloaded a file for days!
When you install file-sharing programs, you create a folder for your shared files. Anyone else in the world with the same software can copy files out of that folder. The program runs in the background quietly serving files without your knowledge. Let's say Tom downloaded 100 songs last week. Suddenly he is a very popular server. UD has a very fast connection. Other users go to Tom's computer to download their favorite tune. So while Tom did not download anything in the last three days, he served several gigabytes. Students need to remove the programs entirely.
How do I remove the file-sharing programs?
Windows 98 and 2000 users: Click on Start, choose Control Panel, select Add/Remove programs. Scroll down the list and select the program you wish to uninstall. Follow the prompts on your screen. You may be asked to restart your computer after the program is uninstalled.
How do I know how much bandwidth I am using?
If you follow the directions above and remove your file-sharing programs such as KaZaA, Aimster, Morpheus and BearShare, you will not have a problem. The one GB limit is not intended to imply that transferring 990 MB is permitted. One GB is far more than any student should need to complete their coursework. If your situation is an exception, call the Help Center (831-6000). If you use your network connection for entertainment, STOP IT. You are denying access to students doing legitimate work, and if you share copyrighted material, you are breaking the law.
What is a restricted network connection?
Students who use more than 1GB per day will connect to the network at a slower rate (28K/s) than their hall mates (30M/s).
I should be able to download as much as I want because I only share files in the public domain!
Even though the files are in the public domain, the vast majority are copyrighted. However, even if they're not, you may not download as much as you want because of the impact on other network users.
How much is 1GB?
One GB is 2 to the 30th power (1,073,741,824) bytes. One gigabyte is equal to 1,024 megabytes. To put this in perspective, it takes one byte to store one character. Imagine 100 file cabinets in a building, each of these cabinets holds 1,000 folders. Each folder has 100 papers. Each paper contains 100 characters. One GB is all the characters in the building. "A gigabyte is roughly the amount of data required to encode a human gene sequence (including all the redundant codons)." (Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing [http://www.nightflight.com/foldoc/].
It would take about 712 diskettes to hold one gigabyte of data.
You could fit 93 copies of Tolstoy's War and Peace into a gigabyte and still have room left over for a dozen or so copies of Anna Karenina.
How much bandwidth is being used by file-sharing applications?
See [http://entropy.nss.udel.edu/] for a graphical representation of network traffic. File sharing is shown in the 'other' category.
