[committee] [wheel] internet access for astronomy conference

[Andrew Williams]

Scott Young wrote:
> Which lecture theatre? It's possible to connect to UCC's VPN over the
> SNAP network run by the university, so if SNAP infrastructure is there
> already, then we wouldn't need to set up any wireless hardware.
> 
> UCC's Bright link (the non-AARNet one) is burstable to something like
> 3Mbps, IIRC, but considering that some club members think it's too
> slow for general use in the clubroom, I don't know how suitable it
> would be for a couple of hundred users.

It's in the Tattersall lecture theatre, near (or in)? the molecular and 
chemical sciences building. I'm sure there will be SNAP hardware there 
or nearby, but I'm not sure the existing SNAP access points can manage 
to get decent signal into the lecture theatre, or handle lots of users 
in one place.

Also, the whole point is to simplify setup on attendees computers, 
trying to lead 200 people through setting up a new VPN on their machines 
would be a nightmare. If we were going that route, we'd just use SNAP, 
and ask UCS for a couple of hundred username/passwords and give them out 
in conference satchels.

The idea is for a dedicated wireless setup, a single WPA password 
distributed to everyone, and the conference budget will pay for all the 
traffic...

It is in early July, well after exams and in the middle of the mid-year 
break, so the bright link might be OK - if not, we could use the iVEC 
network link in the same way, but UCC help setting it up could still be 
handy.

Andrew