SNAP+ Policies and Procedures
SNAP + is Kenyon's residential network program, providing access to academic information
resources at Kenyon, at schools in the Five Colleges of Ohio consortium, and globally, through
the Internet. Students who have a personal computer can use SNAP+ services which provide
each student with a high speed Ethernet connection to the local and global network from the
convenience of his or her room. SNAP+ is provided as a service with no addition charge - no
subscription or monthly fee.
SNAP+ service provides a high speed network connection to the campus network via a
10-Base-T network jack in the student's room. Two "shareware" software programs are also
provided: WinQVT, a terminal emulator, and WS_FTP, a file transfer program with a graphical
interface. With SNAP+ service, students can browse the World Wide Web with other freely
available software such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. SNAP+ supports the TCP/IP network
protocol and access time is not limited.
To take advantage of SNAP+ services, your computer must have a 10-Base-T Ethernet port. If
your computer does not have a port you will need to purchase a network interface card (NIC).
These can be purchased through the Kenyon Microcomputer Purchase Plan (KMPP). All
computers sold through the Kenyon Microcomputer Purchase Plan have a compatible NIC with a
10-Base-T Ethernet port already installed.
To use the full capabilities of the SNAP+ connection, computers should be running Windows
3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, or Windows NT, have a 486DX 33 or better processor, a minimum
of 8 Mb of memory and at least 3 Mb of free hard disk space for the College provided software.
Netscape or Internet Explorer will need approximately 8 Mb of additional hard disk space. The
computer must have an open slot in which to install a NIC if no Ethernet port is already present.
For laptops, a PCMCIA slot must be available.
Students with Macintosh computers can also access SNAP+ services. Most modern Macintosh
computers have a built in network port and come loaded with Internet access software. If your
Macintosh does not have a network port, one can be purchased through KMPP. However,
Macintosh users should take note that College support for users with Macintosh computers is
limited. There are very few Macintosh computers at Kenyon, and there are few curricular uses of
the Macintosh at Kenyon.
SNAP + services require a 10 Mb/s Ethernet port, with a 10-Base-T connector. To know if your
microcomputer already has a10-Base-T Ethernet port, look at the back of the computer for a
phone jack style port, only larger. This type of jack is called an RJ-45 jack. Do not confuse this
with a modem card or modem port. A modem port will usually have two jacks and they are the
size of a phone jack. NICs for most all computers can be purchased through KMPP. For laptop computers that do not have an Ethernet port,
which most do not, a PCMCIA slot is required and a PCMCIA network card will need to be purchased. Remember to make sure you have
and you bring to campus the compatible drivers and configuration software and any other software disks that may be needed,
for example Win95 disks or CD-ROM!
Students can sign up on-line at the VAX prompt by typing SNAP. From the on-line SNAP menu, students may request the SNAP or SNAP+ services be connected, request their connection be moved, or request the service be disconnected.
Students who need assistance with a SNAP+ connection can request service by contacting the Helpline at 5700 or by typing PROBLEM at the $ on the VAX.
ICS encourages installation of the NIC by the users. However, as an alternative, ICS staff
members will install a NIC purchased through KMPP for a cost of $30.00. ICS cannot guarantee that all
installations will be successful! ICS staff will spend up to two hours attempting to install a NIC
in a machine. If at that point we are still unsuccessful, the student will be refunded the cost of
the NIC and will not be charged any installation fee.
It is possible to distribute information throughout the Internet from your personal computer using
SNAP+ services. It is possible to run a web server or a file transfer protocol (FTP) server from
your computer, and depending on how you set these servers up, others on campus or anywhere
on the Internet may be able to access the information you serve. If you elect to run a server from
your own computer through SNAP+, some words of caution are in order. Be very careful in
setting up such information servers for they provide a means for outsiders to access your
computer, and if the server software you use is not set up correctly, someone may be able to
access or delete all your files. Running a server is likely to slow down your computer's
performance and possibly interfere with your other work. Running a very popular server can
cause network traffic jams for others in your residence hall, or even throughout the College.
Finally, there are very significant issues about the ownership and quality of information you put
on any server, your own computer or the Kenyon server. Copyrighted materials such as software
and texts,images such as cartoons, and sound or video clips are all examples of information
which you may not distribute through the computing and network resources of the College unless
you are the copyright holder or have specific permission. Slanderous or harassing materials are
also inappropriate according to many College policies. In applying for SNAP+ service, you are
agreeing to abide by College policies for computing resources and SNAP+. If you violate
policies that cover these and many other issues, your SNAP+ service may be discontinued. As
an alternative, please consider putting your personal web pages on the College web server (visit
the ICS web pages for more information). The Kenyon server was designed to handle this sort of
material without the tradeoffs that come from running your own server.
Kenyon maintains a local archive of shareware and freeware internet application software for easy downloading and upgrading. You will find updated versions of the SNAP+ application software, along with other beneficial shareware and freeware internet application software
not included with the SNAP+ software load and not officially supported by Kenyon College. If you are using a web browser go
to http://snapplus.kenyon.edu. For FTP users, go to inferno.kenyon.edu and use anonymous login.
SNAP+ services are delivered through hardware and software systems which can fail.
Residential network systems will be repaired as expeditiously as possible, within the context of
the needs of the entire institution. In some cases, the failure will result from hardware or
software problems in the subscriber's personal microcomputer. It is the responsibility of the
SNAP+ subscribers to detect and correct problems with their own computers. In the case of a
microcomputer bought through the Kenyon Microcomputer Purchase Plan, warranty and
non-warranty servicing of hardware is available on campus (call PBX 5700), as is very limited
consulting on software problems. Owners of microcomputers bought elsewhere should contact
the vendor or manufacturer for help with hardware failures. It is imperative that all
microcomputer owners experiencing trouble with SNAP+ services do everything possible to
determine that the problems are not related to their own hardware or software. The College does
not have sufficient staff to consult extensively on problems with personal computing equipment.
A major emphasis for ICS is support of the campus-wide network, including the SNAP and
SNAP+ facilities, however it is not possible to guarantee uninterrupted service. Interruptions of
service can result from many causes, including lightning strikes in the area, hardware failures,
scheduled maintenance of the network, as well as failures of a subscriber's microcomputer.
Every possible effort will be made to maintain SNAP and SNAP+ services to all installed
subscribers.
ICS cannot guarantee that all SNAP+ subscribers will be able to access any network resource at
any time. Computing resources are finite and at periods of peak use, some resources may not be
accessible to additional users. Access to finite computing resources on a "first come, first
served" basis.
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