Welcome to our eNewsletter, Spotlight on IT, where each month we spotlight a different trend or topic in the information technology world. If you would like to receive this publication in your inbox, subscribe here.
This month’s edition is all about the internet.
Internet
- The internet got its start over 50 years ago and in 1969 the first ever message was sent from one computer to another over ARPANET.
- Tim Berners-Lee invented the Word Wide Web and the first web page went live on August 6, 1991.
- Carleton’s IT department launched its first website in 1996.
- In 1997, to access the internet at Carleton (as per the Internet Dial-up Software Installation Notes) you had to have a computer which met the following requirements: 386 PC or higher, MS-WINDOWS 3.1 or 3.11 or Windows 95, and a 9600 bps (or greater) modem. And Netscape was referred to as a ‘graphical program’.
Wireless
- In 1985, 802.11 was made available for use which released the three bands of the radio spectrum now used for nearly all wireless communication: 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz.
- The original 802.11 standard was a tad slow allowing a maximum data transmission rate of only 2 megabits per second (Mbps).
- The latest technology, 802.11ac transmits data across multiple signals and bandwidths allowing for maximum transmission rates of 1300 Mbps with extended ranges and nearly uninterrupted transmission.
- This year Carleton’s IT department replaced access points in Academic Buildings with new ones that support 802.11ac.
Eduroam
- Operated by CANARIE in Canada, eduroam is a free wireless network that you can access at any participating institutions. Carleton students, staff, and faculty can access this network using their MyCarletonOne credentials.
- Over 90 institutions across Canada and over 17,000 global locations are taking advantage of eduroam.
- In the first quarter of 2016, over 90,000 Canadians used eduroam within Canada and abroad to login over 34 million times.
- At Carleton, 7,337 people logged into the eduroam network this past September.
History of Wireless at Carleton
In 2003 the Library offered a pilot wireless system to provide access to its resources from designated areas within MacOdrum Library and in 2004 ITS tested two access points in Robertson Hall.
The growth of wireless and the demand for the service has since increased significantly. Today there are over 1600 access points across campus and last month over 18,000 concurrent users connected to the network.
To find out more about wireless at Carleton, check out the history of wireless at Carleton University infographic.
5 Things We Thought You Should Know
- Cyber Security Awareness Month: As champions of this initiative, throughout October Carleton’s IT department have been talking about safe practices for email, computers and mobile devices, passwords, and websites.
- Windows 10: This fall ITS will begin rolling out Windows 10 to all staff and faculty computers.
- Knowledge Base: All of the documentation on the ITS website is currently being reviewed and updated. This is in preparation to moving over to a new knowledge base, similar to the current CMS Help Centre.
- Intranet: Carleton staff and faculty are getting a new intranet. Once launched, the intranet will be the place to go for news, access to services, HR forms, and more.
- Research Year in Review: Carleton’s Research Office have published a year in review report summarizing some of the research accomplishments realized at Carleton over the past year.