Increase Network Bandwidth

In its effort to cut down on the overwhelming traffic created by Napster and other file-sharing software, Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS) announced three weeks ago that it would limit outbound network traffic to only a fraction of the total bandwidth. Although this temporary measure is intended only to prevent outside users from connecting to computers on the Harvard network, it has now become clear that the restriction is interfering with legitimate student use of the network. Although we support HASCS in its attempt to make sure that a functioning network is available to students, the current problems would be better solved by increasing overall bandwidth--making the restrictions unnecessary.

In the latest network headache to strike, students trying to call home using a popular Internet telephony program known as Dialpad have been frustrated by sluggish or unusable connections. The problem lies with the HASCS filtering software. It recognizes and gives precedence to certain types of traffic--types normally generated by e-mail programs or web browsers--but places restrictions on other traffic, failing to distinguish between a student's use of Dialpad and an outside Napster request for a song stored on a student's computer.

Although HASCS says the filter is only a temporary measure until a more comprehensive firewall can be put in place, we have noted that the firewall will not be a permanent solution. The current HASCS plan rightly provides for students' ability to exempt themselves from the firewall. However, the more students who seek exemptions, the smaller the reductions in traffic will be. The only way to solve the bandwidth problem for good is to keep increasing the speed of the network's connection to the outside Internet. That way, the network will be able to handle traffic loads that will only increase in coming months and years.