ResNet 'Overdrive' to premiere this week

ITS says Daylight Saving Time change will affect some systems

February 26, 2007 —

After months of planning and weeks of testing, Information Technology Services is preparing to launch ResNet "Overdrive" over the course of this week and into next.

As previously reported, Overdrive is a subscription service that will offer students an additional bandwidth allocation at the cost of $20 per month.

According to Executive Director of ITS Ken Schindler, the service was designed to satisfy users who use an exceptionally large amount of bandwidth, such as dedicated gamers or YouTube users. But the reasoning behind the creation of Overdrive was the same.

"It's basically the result of some students saying, 'Okay, you're really annoying me,'" Schindler joked.

Overdrive should be able to accommodate around 20 students by the time the system launches, although Schindler said that ITS will plan the service according to the demand. If demand skyrockets next fall, for example, Schindler may petition for more bandwidth, although budgetary constraints will be taken into consideration.

"It's not a perfect system," Schindler said. "A perfect system would be like a water meter - just use what you want."

While on the topic of bandwidth management, Schindler said that ITS was working on improving performance for streaming videos, which some instructors use as teaching tools.

He mentioned that some people have suggested that the University doesn't provide enough bandwidth for streaming online content.

"A lot of people have the perspective that we don't have enough bandwidth - that's not true," he said.

He explained that the "packet-shaping," or bandwidth-management routines that ITS employs are being reworked, in order to provide speedier access to online videos.

Schindler also mentioned that students should take into consideration that the recent change in Daylight Saving Time will affect their computers, and especially time-sensitive applications like appointment calendars.

Faculty and staff should also make sure to change the clocks on their computers in order for GroupWise, the staff e-mail client, to function properly. For instructions, visit svsu.edu/its.

Finally, Schindler talked about online gaming and specifically how the game Second Life is figuring into everyday lives of some people. He said that upon reading about online classes meeting in the game, he had to sign up.

"Some of these online classes actually meet in Second Life," he said. "So I thought, 'Okay - this is really weird.'"

Schindler said that at this stage, it's still a game, although it possesses some perks over the non-virtual world.

"There are advantages," Schindler said. "For example, everybody's 20 and buff."