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Thread ID: 42071 2004-01-31 05:12:00 Limiting Students Internet Usage on a Network Gill (1530) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
211717 2004-01-31 05:12:00 I look after a school network and we use Jetstream 600.
recently we have exceed this usage and I installed a trial version of Webspy to have a look at where the MBs were being used - good little programme - gave me every bit of information I needed!
We need to install a programme that "dishes out" a monthly quota of Jetstream to each student logged on, to avoid the extra charges that we have incurred in the past. Only a small number of students using the whole months quota in a matter of days!
Does anyone have ideas on what we could use? Obviously we don't want to spend a fortune!
The network is running novell with Win 98 and WinXP computers.
Thanks In advance
Gill (1530)
211718 2004-01-31 05:30:00 This idea would involve the setting up of a new server - however it would do the trick.

In a nutshell what you could do is get a Linux based machine to run the squid proxy service and then assuming you don't run your own web/mail server, point the gateway IP Addresses to the proxy machine and tell IE to use the proxy to connect to the internet.

What this would allow you to do is have authentication for use of the internet - so students/teachers/etc are asked for a password to get through the proxy (this can be saved in the users IE settings) and able to access the net accordingly.
By pointing the gateway to the proxy server (make sure it isn't IP Masquerading), it will stop people using MSN Messenger service and practically everything that needs internet access without proxy support (most games too!).
Along with having the ability to show you where your traffic is going this way, you can block downloads larger than 5MB (or any size) and enable a quota system this way.

You would be able to have your faculty check their emails by telling the proxy to forward the required ports (110 for POP3 and 143 for IMAP4) straight out to the internet.

Along with this - you wouldn't need to spend a mint on the machine for this - I would guess a machine about 500Mhz with 256MB Ram (more would be excellent but not really essential) would handle this job excellently. The only main problem would be having to sync the passwords on the proxy with the network passwords.
cyberchuck (173)
211719 2004-01-31 05:36:00 a windows ver of chucks idea would be something like ccproxy (http://www.youngzsoft.com/) which i have just been playing with. tweak'e (174)
211720 2004-01-31 06:07:00 i dont know if this is of any use, but when cyberchuck mentioned disabling use of msn messenger, etc, i remember at my old polytech (BOP to be precise), we used to have to pay for internet time which was deducted per MB from an account that we logged into when we logged into Windows (2000), but concerning MSN Messenger, we couldn't use it until we put in a Proxy server address that we got from an anonymous proxy list,

grtz sal.
flx
sal (67)
211721 2004-01-31 06:45:00 Gill,

Have you tried calling either Telecom or Xtra (or whoever your ISP is)? Telecom/Xtra seem to look after their school customers, and they might be able to point you in the right direction, or perhaps even offer something to you that might help.

Mike.
Mike (15)
211722 2004-02-01 01:52:00 Thanks for these ideas.
"Cyberchuck" I think it all sounds a bit complicated....just want a bit of software to "dish out" the bandwidth to each user - obviously in a more limited way to a student than to staff.
Will try a request through xtra but I suspect they are not interested in limiting usuage and will merely tell me to increase the monthly allowance - will keep you posted.
Gill (1530)
211723 2004-02-01 01:55:00 Tweak'e, I had a look at this programme on-line and it will work out at about $103 NZ.
Have you had experience with it running on a network? What is it like?
Would really like to go with something that another school is already running successfully!
Gill (1530)
211724 2004-02-01 02:34:00 sorry i have only just looked at it myself. seems to work ok. only thing is zonealarm won't sealth its ports.

i have no idea what schools run however from some comments made here some are setup worse than yours.
tweak'e (174)
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