Calendar 2000–01

! while the latter serves data-intensive computing. • two UNIX servers which provide data library service, third-party commercial software packages, general UNIX applications, and Internet applications to support the teaching and instructional needs of the University. • a large pool of IBM compatible PCs and Macintoshes netted in a Novell Local Area Network facilitate PC software application development and furnish access points to other supercomputers, minicomputers, workstation servers, and campus network applications. These personal computers are located at the User Area on 1/F, Pi Ch’iu Building, and Room 103 of Wong Foo Yuan Building. • several IBM AS/400 machines and UNIX machines that support the development and running of management information systems of the University administration. The ITSC provides a wide variety of services and resources for staff and students to promote the effective use of information technology in teaching and learning. They include resources and support for online teaching and learning; new means for the delivery of instruction; training for teaching staff to acquire new technologies and skills for teaching; consultation and support for designing instructional materials and media production. The ITSC is also equipped with several special-purpose laboratories that are furnished with high-tech facilities for multi-media applications and courseware development, optical mark scanning, colour printing, text/image scanning, and user self-paced learning. " #$ % & # The campus-wide backbone network has been upgraded gradually from an FDDI (Fibre Distributed Data Interface) backbone to an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) backbone since early 1997. Connections between switches can therefore be made at 155Mbps to 622Mbps. The network is also a member of the Hong Kong Academic and Research Network (HARNET), a wide area ATM network linking the campus networks of eight tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. All the computer systems for research and academic purposes are connected by this advanced campus backbone network so that they are accessible to users in various departments, colleges, student hostels, lecture theatres, and at home. In recent years, the campus backbone network has extended to student residences and classrooms. The Residence Network (ResNet) and the Classroom Network (ClassNet) facilitate and support the teaching or academic activities required in the student hostels and in the lecture theatres of the University. The ITSC also plays an important role in the development of Internet services in Hong Kong as it • operates the Hong Kong Internet eXchange (HKIX), which acts as a neutral interconnection point for the routing of intra-Hong Kong and intra-Asia-Pacific Internet traffic, and this eliminates the need to send local information overseas before being routed back to Hong Kong and provides faster and less expensive paths to local sites; • operates the registration of name(s) under the .hk domain; • maintains a list of WWW servers in Hong Kong; and • exchanges thousands of USENET newsgroups with many ISPs.