Students downloading files from the Internet have been stuck at a standstill over the past few weeks, as heavy use of popular file-sharing programs - such as Morpheus and Kazaa - have ground traffic to a near halt during peak hours.
The two file-exchange programs account for 90 percent of all Internet traffic at Tufts, according to Doug Herrick, associate director of data network operations for the Tufts Communications and Computer Services (TCCS). Like the now-defunct Napster, Kazaa and Morpheus allow students to connect to computers all over the Internet to upload and download large computer files. The programs, which Herrick called "the Napster of its day," also allow students to share their files with the rest of the Internet.
The Tufts network can handle up to ten million bits of information per second but becomes saturated once it hits about seven or eight megs per second. Campus Internet traffic can be monitored at cricket.net.tufts.edu, where traffic levels are organized by dorm. The graphs indicate, somewhat counter-intuitively, that outbound traffic - off-campus Internet users downloading files from Tufts students' hard drives - outpaces inbound traffic at a four-to-one ratio.
With so much of the traffic resulting from users outside of the Tufts network, Herrick encourages students to continue downloading but to cease sharing their files with other users. "If everyone were to shut serving off, everyone would have much more bandwidth available," Herrick said.
There are two main residential networks on the Medford/Somerville campus, North (uphill) and South (downhill).
Tufts' network was recently upgraded to handle increased traffic, but the higher downloading capability led to an increase in both the number of downloads and the size of the files. TCCS hopes to install new components in the system this summer to improve the situation. They also hope to assume control of network maintenance from PaeTec, the University's current communications services provider. PaeTec's contract ends in 2003.
Tufts is part of the "Internet II," a collaboration of approximately 190 other institutions of higher learning working together to create a high-speed Internet "backbone." Administrators hope high-speed connections will help further educational goals and be a resource to students. Ironically, Herrick says that Tufts and many other "Internet II" institutions are experiencing problems with network speeds that are too slow.
These slow speeds are preventing the "Internet II" from achieving its goals. Students who need to use the Internet to complete assignments find themselves at a loss.
"I couldn't download the songs I needed for History of Rock 'n' Roll because the network was so backed up. I wasn't able to complete my assignment until the day before it was due, and I didn't get to master the concepts like I had hoped," freshman Sarah Gray said.
Many students have expressed frustration with the slow connection. "All my friends at other schools have much higher connection speeds, while ours is so slow we might as well be using dial up modems," freshman Tim Wagner said. "[Faster connection] is expected at an institution like Tufts, and it's a shame that we don't have it."
