The Kiewit Wireless network will be shut down on Feb. 5, marking the official transition to the Dartmouth Secure network. The new network uses encryption to ensure that all data transmitted over the wireless network can be read only by the intended recipient.
The shutdown of Kiewit Wireless may be delayed, however, due to technical difficulties. Though initial issues with temporary certificates were resolved in the fall, the October release of Leopard, the latest version of Mac OS X, presented additional problems.
"Leopard handles support for authentication methodology differently," Frank Archambeault, director of Network Services said.
He said that if his department is unable to resolve incompatibilities with Leopard by Feb. 5, he will delay deactivation of Kiewit Wireless.
In order to access the Dartmouth Secure network, which was launched in the fall of 2007, users must connect to the Dartmouth Wireless Portal using their BlitzMail passwords and download a digital certificate that identifies their computer to the network. Digital certificates can be downloaded from the Dartmouth Computing Services website.
The digital certificate may also be stored on an eToken, a device that connects to a computer's USB port and can be moved from computer to computer. Basic eTokens can be purchased from the computer store for $40. More expensive eTokens that also function as flash drives, allowing the user to store files on the device, are available as well.
Members of the classes of 2009, 2010 and 2011 who purchased their computers through the College were given an eToken when they first picked up their computer.
David Bucciero, director of Technical Services, said that, though the infrastructure of the new wireless network was completed before the start of Fall term, his department chose to delay the date of the official switch in part to accommodate users who were not on campus at the time.
"We didn't want students who had been on an off term to come back to Dartmouth and discover that they couldn't get on the wireless," he said.
Computing Services posted flyers throughout the campus and hung notices on doorknobs in residential halls to inform users about the switch.
According to Network Services, relatively few users have made the switch to the new network. A snapshot analysis of users on Dartmouth's wireless networks taken at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 11 revealed that there were 1,976 computers connected to Kiewit Wireless network and just 290 using Dartmouth Secure network.
Several students said that they had attempted to switch to Dartmouth Secure but had been unable to access the network, even after consulting with the student help desk in Baker-Berry Library.
Eli Mitchell '10 said she had attempted to configure her computer several times but was unable to access Dartmouth Secure and was disappointed that the College had decided to switch networks.
In order to facilitate a smooth transition to the new network, members of the Computing Help Desk will be holding technical support sessions in each residential cluster on Jan. 23.
