“Logging on takes forever; it won’t load videos; and why the hell can’t I print?”
Over the last few weeks, complaints have emanated from students using computers in the lab on the first floor of the Lily library. As the traditional desktops have disappeared, students have been facing longer log in times, printer connectivity issues and an inability to load videos.
Enter the era of the ‘virtual desktop.’ Instead of having traditional stand alone desktop access Wabash’s servers, the ‘virtual desktop’ students encounter in the Lily Library is a portal that outsources traditional computer operations to the Wabash server.
The Wabash server then can then allocate server capacity much more efficiently than before.
Like all new technological systems, the virtual desktop is not without its glitches. With the nature of how students use the computers in Lily, some resort to bypassing the virtual desktop systems and using the few remaining desktops at the front of the library.
“I find that many of the tasks I need to do on library computers are short,” senior Jon O’Donnell said, “get on the computer, find some info, and get off the computer. Log in time really prevents me from doing that well. I see a lot of people cluster around the desktops at the front of the library, and those are taken up pretty quickly.”
IT Services Director Brad Weaver ’91 believes the start up problems will be fixed by the time students get back from break.
“I’m fairly certain the start up time will be dramatically improved in the spring,” Weaver said. “I think that’s the biggest use-effecting problem. It takes a long time when you time it and it takes a longer seeming time when you’re sitting there looking at that blue screen waiting for it to start up. We’ve built some new test pools that startup much more rapidly. Once the semester’s over and we’re into the break system, we can rebuild and alleviate that problem.”
Additionally, Weaver pointed out printer issues were fixed over Thanksgiving break, but any problem that comes up will be dealt with.
As to the media quality, Weaver conceded this to be the major drawback of the new system.
“The biggest technical challenge is high quality video and audio playback,” he said. “We knew this is a limitation of the (virtual desktop) system. All the processing happens on the server, and screen shots are transferred. For videos to play on the server, that’s a lot of information to move back and forth.”
He added that he didn’t perceive this to be a big issue, with the way the Lilly computers are used.
"Video playback is pretty poor,” he said, “but there seem to be less recreational use of computers in the library. I don’t know how much the video playback is hindering the academic use; maybe it’s making computers more available.”
Weaver noted the virtual desktop technology is pretty new, and that it won’t be commercially viable unless they fix the video/audio problems; therefore he expects the technology to improve.
While students may struggle with less than effective connectivity at times, the College hopes to see cost savings in energy consumption (the virtual desktops consume a quarter the energy of traditional desktops), server space and maintenance costs with the Library computers alone.
Additionally, Weaver said IT Services is testing another virtual desktop interface that allows students to access the server (and programs relevant to their coursework) via their own laptops in Baxter 202.
“When you think of the total campus resources,” he said, “effectively every student has their own computer. Yet we have 400 computers the college pays for just for student computer use. If there’s a way we can make better use of the computers students already have, give them more flexibility, save money in these other areas.”
Weaver said he sees money saved by curbing IT services costs help Wabash in other ways.
“I don’t look at it as saving money for the sake of saving money,” he said. “I look at it as if we don’t have to spend $20,000 in this space and we can provide the same service, maybe there’s another immersion we can fund. That’s the kind of trade off we’re dealing with as a college.”
For now, though, some students like Jon O’Donnell will be writing their term papers elsewhere.
“I’ve chosen to begin to work in the science computer lab on the third floor of Hays hall,” he said. “I think other students might choose to work in other places. I think people will still have to come here because of the location and the hours, but if I can do my work elsewhere I’ll do it elsewhere.”
