Network connections can seem slow for many reasons. This web page will help you sort out which factors may be affecting you.

Background Information

In 2000, Kenyon began to take steps to limit network traffic involving music sharing software such as Gnutella, KaZaA, Direct Connect, AudioGalaxy, Scour, and others. We took that action because this type of network use consumes an inordinate amount of the available Internet bandwidth. It was having such a serious negative impact on the academic use of the Internet, that students and faculty alike asked LBIS to take action.

This year, network speed continues to be affected by music sharing, video downloads, and interactive gaming, and LBIS has continued to limit such traffic. Instead of allowing traffic devoted to music, video, or gaming to expand to the point where it uses all available internet bandwidth, these applications are now restricted to a smaller portion of internet traffic, and they will run more slowly or time out completely. (Please note that this action is in keeping with Kenyon's Library and Computing Policies, available online at http://lbis.kenyon.edu/policies/use, including the need to balance access with preserving resources as well as the sections on authorized and intended use of information services and respect for the limited resources of the systems.) For more detailed information about how traffic shaping is being implemented at Kenyon, see "Internet Bandwidth Management at Kenyon."

As a result, more network bandwidth is available for e-mail, storing and retrieving files on the H: or P: drives, and using library resources or other web sites, and access speed for these functions has improved dramatically. This is in keeping with our charge to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have access to those network services that are necessary for the academic mission of the college: enhancing students' ability to pursue their education, faculty members' ability to teach/conduct research, and staff members' ability to provide the support services for keeping the college running.

Thus, one important consideration in thinking about your network connection is what you are trying to use it for. For example, if you are trying to download music or videos, or if you are trying to participate in interactive games, your connection may be slow because of competition for the limited bandwidth available for those activities.

Network connections may also seem slow if the resources you are trying to connect to are experiencing heavy demand. For example, many news sites on the web can become saturated if too many people try to connect at one time, which can happen during times of rapidly breaking news.

Specific steps to take

If you think your network connection is slow or nonfunctional, try each of the following tests to try to isolate the problem.

1. Try to access network drives (i.e., H:, P:, G:). If this works, then you do have a working connection to the campus network. Note: If you have exceeded the storage capacity of your H: drive by storing too many files on it, you will not be able to access the drive, and you'll need to call the HelpLine at x5700 for information. Therefore, if you have trouble accessing your H: drive during this test, try to access P: or G: before you assume that your network connection is at fault.
2. Point your web browser to http://www.kenyon.edu or http://lbis.kenyon.edu. Then point your browser to an off campus web site. Try several -- first, choose the CONSORT link from the LBIS web page, then try some others like www.google.com or www.yahoo.com. If these sites work, then you have a working connection to the Internet. (Sites like Scour or Gnutella are NOT good test sites because they are affected by intentional bandwidth restrictions.)

If either of these tests do NOT work, your network configuration is probably incorrect. Call the HelpLine at x5700 and they will walk you through the setup instructions appropriate to your operating system. Be sure to tell the HelpLine exactly what you tried, and the results.

If the connection still doesn't work, then there may be something wrong with the network jack in your room -- you can easily determine if this is the case by trying a different network jack if one is available. (Make sure you know that jack is working -- if your roommate's computer connects properly, their jack is working, and you can use it to test.)

If your computer is a laptop, you can also bring it in to the HelpLine to test it.

Other factors well outside of Kenyon, such as network viruses, network outages, or heavy demand, may affect the speed of your connection. These factors typically affect many computers at once and may be suspected if a large number of systems are experiencing connectivity problems at the same time.