Selecting a local area network for an academic environment
| Pages | 249-253 |
| Published date | 01 April 1990 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb044991 |
| Date | 01 April 1990 |
| Author | Mohammed M. Aman,Wilfred W. Fong,Virgil Diodato |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
Selecting a local area
network for an academic
environment
Mohammed
M.
Aman,
Wilfred
W.
Fong,
Virgil Diodato
School
of
Library and Information
Science,
University
of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
Enderis
Hall,
PO Box
413,
Milwaukee,
Wl
53201,
USA
Abstract:
A
local area network (LAN) connects computers,
printers, modems and other devices located near
each
other,
often in an office environment. The School of Library and
Information Science (SLIS) at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee provides a case study of selecting and using a
LAN
in
an academic program environment. Consideration
of various types of LANs took place during
the
selection of a
LAN for
SLIS.
The advantages of having a LAN at SLIS have
been the sharing of printers and other devices, the use of
electronic
mail,
improvement in office management and
cooperative research, and easier access to information and
files available in
the
school.
1.
Introduction
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Library
and Information Science (SLIS) began using personal com-
puters in the early 1980s. Uses for the computers have in-
cluded both office management and instruction. At first SLIS
used Apple computers for instructional applications and
Wang wordprocessors for office management. In 1986, SLIS
moved all office tasks and many instructional applications to
IBM personal computers and their compatibles. Although
SLIS has retained and increased its collection of instructional
Apples, it discarded the Wang computers.
Currently, the School has 45 personal computers spread
around
its
half of one floor of the 11-storey building known as
Enderis Hall. The computers are found in the administrative
offices, faculty offices, and instructional laboratories. There
is also an extensive collection of printers, including a laser
printer in the administrative area of the floor. The office per-
sonnel consists of
two
full time staff and two full-time-equiv-
alents of student
help.
The School has
181
enrolled
students,
a
Dean, an Assistant Dean, nine full time faculty positions, a
resource center manager, and three graduate assistants.
During the first half of the 1980s SLIS personnel found
many applications for
its
computer
resources.
It became com-
mon practice to use first Wang and then IBM personal com-
puter wordprocessing systems to handle all administrative
correspondence. Internal communications among faculty and
staff relied heavily on an electronic mail system available on
the campus mainframe computer. And the School began to
convert paper files into machine-readable form. These files
included alumni
files,
mailing
lists,
course
syllabi,
budget and
equipment inventories, and student records.
2.
Need for a LAN at SLIS
The administrative staff and faculty became more and more
proficient in the use of their computers. They also became
more dependent on these tools. The proficiency made it ap-
propriate, and the dependency made it almost a requirement
to link all the personal computers together into one local area
network (LAN). The advantages centered around sharing pe-
ripheral devices like
printers;
communicating with each other
by electronic mail; and increasing access to computers else-
where on and off campus.
An analysis of
the
School's computer and communication
needs indicated that a LAN would be quite appropriate. After
this analysis, we examined the technology
itself.
We
obtained
information from trade publications and from various LAN
vendors. Analysis of both our needs and the technology
convinced us to look for a LAN system that would work with
the computer equipment already available in the School. We
studied
the
School's projected growth and the need for expan-
sion of both office and instructional applications of computers
and communication systems. The ever-changing nature of
LAN development and the expected growth of
SLIS
made us
come to the conclusion that our first LAN installation would
need to be upgraded within a few years.
Selecting a LAN requires that one consider the various
features or components of a LAN and their respective advan-
tages and disadvantages. During the LAN selection process,
we studied such components as the LAN controller, LAN
architecture, transmission media and media access methods.
3.
A
LAN and its controller
A local area network or LAN is a network of computers. It
differs from other computer networks because a LAN serves
a local area. For example, it might link the computers in one
department of a large corporation. The LAN is special also
because the connections among computers in a LAN are
made by its own communications technology. The communi-
cation links need not employ common carriers, such as tele-
phone lines.
The controller, also known as a server, carries out the func-
tions of the LAN. It establishes, monitors, and controls the
The Electronic Library, Vol. 8, No. 4, August 1990 249
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