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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / JUNE 23, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 25
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Breaking News -
Networking:
University Launches 346 Acre
Wireless Hot Spot
The University of Twente in the Netherlands has launched a campuswide
wireless
hot spot, claimed to be the biggest in Europe.
With 650 Cisco Aironet 1200 series access points, and Covering 346 acres,
it
supports more than 6,000 students and a staff of 2,500. Built in conjunction
with IBM and Cisco Systems, it uses 802.1x-based security. Most of the
network uses 802.11b, but parts run on the faster, newer 802.11a standard.
The program was started two years ago, as part of the university's Wireless
Campus project, which has also used Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)--and in the future will use Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a new standard that vastly increases
the capacity of wireless networks.
The program has been mostly trouble-free, despite a major fire in November
that wiped out the computer center and all network servers. No major problems
were encountered, except a few reports of interference with sensitive
experiments.
The University of Twente is one of the heaviest users of the Internet in
the
Netherlands and hosts a hacking-conference-cum-festival called Hackers at
Large. The university is also the lead body in a European project called
MobilHealth, which links mobile data communications to end-user health care.
This project is designed to let patients lead a normal life while under
continuous remote medical supervision.
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