3 Feb
2002
3 Feb
'02
5:14 p.m.
Cameron's idea is OK but our students are smart
enough to work to that
all they need to do is determine the IP address of a networked PC in a
student computing area, unplug the network connection and feed the
appropriate details in as a static address for his/her laptop. If a
student locates a "hot" outlet, it is always possible to enter a random
IP (for the campus network) and use that address to determine the
gateway and steal another IP address.
Doesn't work on PLNU's system; it's keyed by MAC address.
Blocking packets based on MAC address at switch level
(if/when possible)
is not really practical. Teachers must be able to bring in their own
computers into public computer areas to lecture; we even provide a
mechanism for Windows 2000 (no snide comments, please) systems to have
IP in such areas. It is difficult enough to teach highly educated
lecturers that they can't just move one computer from one network outlet
to another *unless they use the mechanism to give them an IP address for
the new location*; requiring lecturers to register their MAC address in
advance just doesn't fit the academic world.
We got around this problem by issuing all faculty members laptops and they
just move these around themselves. They are preregistered at the switch
level and work anywhere on campus.
--
----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser, Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)stockholm.ptloma.edu
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