[Currents headergraphic]

September 13, 1999

Campus modem technology upgraded over summer

Over the summer CATS has changed its remote access modem technology for Y2K-compliance and to improve aspects of remote access services. Among the changes are slightly faster modems and a new 15-minute Express modem pool for users needing short connections (e.g., to download or upload email).

This Express Modem pool allows the "PPP" connections required by web browsers and popular email clients such as Eudora. All modem pools support "direct PPP connections" and do not require a connection script.

These changes will require all remote access users to change the phone numbers in their computer dial-up configurations. Old modem pool phone numbers will NOT work after November 1. The CATS Internet Starter Kit 4.0, available this fall at the BayTree Bookstore, will configure PC and Macintosh systems with these new phone numbers. Users that have already used an older CATS ISK to install their connection software can use an Updater utility available on the web ( http://www2.ucsc.edu/cats/sc/software/isk/) to reconfigure their PC or Macintosh systems.

The new modem phone numbers are:

The faculty number connect to the staff modems when the faculty modem pool fills.

The changes implemented over the summer were a subset of proposed changes presented in a "Request for Comment" (RFC) on remote access services issued last spring. The RFC, comments received, and a response to the comments are all available on-line.

For more information, please contact the CATS Information Resource Center, infocat@cats.ucsc.edu or 831-459-HELP (459-4357)

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