Some recent network problems
14 March 2001
Slow Internet connections
Over the past month CNS has heard complaints about slow data
connections, both to the Internet from York and to York from off
campus (@HOME cable network, Bell High Speed Edition, etc.). Our
investigation has identified three sources for these problems.
They are personal file sharing, @HOME service problems, and
campus computers and security.
Personal file sharing
The first and most serious problem has been a dramatic increase
in the demand for Internet bandwidth at York since January 2001.
A large portion of this increase, and a large portion of overall
bandwidth utilization, is attributed to the use of various
Internet file sharing applications and servers, such as Napster,
Gnutella, Direct Connect, etc.
Unfortunately, many people are using these and similar
applications in a way that degrades network performance for other
users. In the past two weeks CNS has been forced to caution
several campus network users against running file sharing servers
on their computers to distribute large files. Setting up a server
or file sharing software on your computer to let a multitude of
people download large files simultaneously will inevitably eat up
huge chunks of York's Internet bandwidth. This adversely affects
network performance for all Internet users.
Don't distribute copyrighted material
Using the York network to share copyrighted material is a
violation of the Senate Policy on Computing and Information
Technology Facilities. This states that
(http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/computng.htm)
users
"Shall respect the copyrights of the owners of all software and
data they use." The policy also forbids interfering with the
processing of a system, "such as deliberately overextending the
resources of a system."
Guidelines for efficient distribution
If you need to make non copyrighted material available to others
over the network, please configure your file sharing software to
restrict the number of simultaneous downloads/uploads to fewer
than 3. For large files, reduce that number to 1. Restrict large
transfers to off peak hours (3:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.).
CNS reminds you that York's Internet access is not limitless. If
this overwhelming demand for Internet bandwidth continues, we
will be forced to impose access limits.
@HOME service problems
Since January there have been significant changes in the way
Internet traffic is routed between York and the @HOME network. As
a result, almost all traffic between York and Toronto @HOME
customers is routed through New York, Washington and other U.S.
states. Moreover, the number of "hops" the data must take between
a typical @HOME user and York has recently doubled. CNS has no
control of this situation. Problems experienced by Rogers Cable
@HOME service are well documented in the local press. For
example, two Toronto Star articles dealt with a number of
unplanned service outages and slowdowns on the @HOME network.
There's nothing York can do there.
Campus computers and security
Like all networks attached to the Internet, the York network is
constantly probed by people attempting to find computers they can
break into. At CNS we can do certain things to try to reduce some
of the more blatant exploits. However, most computers are
cracked because of vulnerabilities in their operating systems.
In the past few weeks we have found it necessary to contact the
owners of several campus computers about the amount of Internet
bandwidth they were using. Further investigation revealed that
the offending computers had been cracked, and were being used by
unauthorized people in various ways that consumed excessive
amounts of Internet bandwidth.
Use the readily available security patches
It is the responsibility of the individual computer
owner/administrator to insure that your computer is as secure as
possible from attack. All major software and operating systems
vendors regularly issue software updates to fix and patch
security vulnerabilities. If you do not regularly apply these
readily available security patches, then your computer is clearly
vulnerable to attack.
Most vendors provide easy online methods for updating your
operating system. For example, Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000
users should use Internet
Explorer and go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and select
"PRODUCT UPDATES"
Apple MacOS 9.1 users should open Control Panels and select
Software
Update.
For more information or instructions on updating your operating
system, you should contact the makers of your operating system or
your local support staff.
Protect against viruses
You should also make sure that your computer is as safe as
possible from viruses. CNS supplies anti-virus software for
MS-Windows and Apple MacOS computers via the CNS website
(http://www.cns.yorku.ca). If you already have anti-virus
software installed, you should follow your software vendor's
instructions to make sure your virus definitions file is current.
Without a current virus definition file, your computer is
vulnerable.
Direct questions about any of the above to CNS Client Support
Services, T128 Steacie. Phone 416-736-5800 or send email to
[log in to unmask]
|
