Changing of GatorLink Dial-up Services FAQ
The official DDD (Deans, Directors and Department Chairs) Memo is located here.
What is the reason for changing the dial-up service?
The use of dial-up service has dropped significantly -- over 50% during the past two years. Currently, the service supports only 4000 people. Most campus users have shifted to using broadband connections via cable modem, making dial-up service costs unbalanced compared to the now small community that it serves. Many peer institutions have already discontinued dial-up service for the same reason.
What is the reason for charging for the dial-up service?
Although the population using the dial-up service is halved in size, costs have not decreased proportionately. The costs associated with administering this service in its present capacity are no longer economical for the University.
Charging will help sustain this service during the coming review period until a final determination is made regarding the future of the service.
What is the time frame for discontinuing dial-up service?
The GatorLink Dial-Up Service will be reviewed in December 2006. Based on cost recovery and usage patterns at that time, a decision will be made on its continuation. Should the decision to discontinue be made, we have developed a transition plan to give users ample time to select an alternative provider.
How will the transition plan work?
Starting July 6, 2006, any user that dials-in to the GatorLink Dial-up Service will be charged $5.00 for a monthly connection fee that includes 3600 minutes (60 hours) of use. Our analysis indicates that of the remaining users, the average connection time is only 26 hours. Use beyond the base minutes will not be allowed unless billing is authorized by the user. Any usage over the base minutes will be charged at the rate of $.0083 / minute (approximately 50 cents/hour).
In order to prevent users from inadvertently incurring charges for dialup service, a new feature has been added to the GatorLink Modify Web page. This new feature is a button (labeled "I accept the monthly charge") that users must click in order to authorize billing for dialup service. As of July 6, all GatorLink accounts will be automatically set to NO DIALUP ACCESS ALLOWED unless the user has authorized billing for dialup by clicking the "I accept the monthly charge" button. Beginning July 6th, no user will be allowed to establish a dialup network connection unless they have clicked the "I accept the monthly charge" button.
If you wish to continue to use (and pay charges for) the campus dialup service you will need to:
- Go to the GatorLink Home page <http://gatorlink.ufl.edu>
- Click the Modify link in the blue bar near the top of the page
- Sign in, using your GatorLink username and password
- Click the "Dialup billing" link in the light-blue left-hand menu box
- On the "Dialup service" page, click the "I accept the monthly charge" button
- Click the "Quit" link in the blue menubar to exit the GatorLink "Dialup service" page
Once you have completed the above procedure, you will be able to continue using the campus dialup service just as you have in the past. You will receive a monthly bill (beginning in early August, covering usage during the month of July) for your use of the service (see Charging Information, below). Users will be invoiced via the University Financial Services billing system.
Please note that clicking the "I accept the monthly charge" button will NOT cause you to get a bill. You will only be billed for months in which you actually use the dialup service. Clicking the "I accept the monthly charge" button only activates the possibility for you to use the service, and be billed for your use. Even if you click the "I accept..." button, you will not receive a bill for any month in which you do not use the service.
If you click the "I accept the monthly charge," and then, later, change your mind, you may return to this page and select the "I decline dialup service" button to prevent further dialup connections from your account.
If you wish NOT to use (and pay charges for) the campus dialup service you need do nothing. If you do nothing, your account will automatically be set to "I decline dialup service" the night before charging starts. This will prevent you from accidentally (or "out of habit") connecting to the dialup service and incurring a bill.
Users will be invoiced via the University Financial Services billing system.
What about the 1-800 Toll Free Dial-up Service?
The 1-800 Toll Free Dial-Up Service will remain in place and will be charged at the current usage rate of $0.10 / minute plus the $5/month fee for usage. This service will also be reviewed during December 2006 as well.
I need dialup access for work purposes. Can my department take care of the monthly fee?
This is certainly a possibility. The user can contact CNS Accounting to find out whether his/her department already has an account and who in his/her department handles the account. Once this is established, the user can get an individual CNS user id that can be used to log in for billing purposes.
For a step-by-step guide to obtaining a CNS Dial-up Account, please visit the CNS Website.
What alternate service providers are there?
Although we can not recommend specific service providers, there are many to choose from in our area. Broadband access to the Internet via DSL or cable modem is convenient, reliable and effective. These services are available from your local telephone carrier, cable service provider and other resources. Broadband connection speeds can range from 6MB Downstream to 512 Kbps Upstream (Downstream = downloading from Internet / Upstream = uploading to Internet). Even higher speeds are available at premium service levels.
Most faculty, staff and students now have broadband connections via cable modems or DSL service from home. Broadband services provide connection speeds of 4 MB and higher vs. the dial-up speed of 56.6Kbps – over 70 times faster.
For occasional Internet access needs, there are several dial-up service providers. These include (but are not limited to): Earthlink.net, NetZero.net and GRU.net. The connection speed for dial-up service is 56.6 Kbps.
The University of Florida does not endorse any particular internet service provider (ISP).
What if I travel frequently and need to dial-in?
If you set up a dial-up account with a service provider, they typically will provide a local number and 800 number access for you to dial-in to access your account.
If you seldom need to use dialup service but have an occasional need, you may prefer to use a Pay-As-You-Go service when traveling. An example of this service offering can be found at MyTravelAccess (http://www.mytravelaccess.com/).
Can I still get all my access through another service provider?
Yes, all university services can be accessed normally using the UF VPN service (http://net-services.ufl.edu/provided_services/vpn/). The VPN service makes any connection look like an extension of the university network. The VPN client is available free to all faculty, staff and students who have Gatorlink access.
Don't I have to use Gatorlink Dial-Up in order to have a secure connection to UF?
Not necessarily. You can use any means of internet connection, which can either be dial-up or the higher speed options (DSL, Cable Modem, Wireless). It is important that you also use the UF VPN, which creates a secure, direct connection to the UF network regardless of what ISP you use.
What is a VPN?
Virtual Private Networking, or VPN, is a technology that allows you to become part of the UF computer network from any location. It is called "Virtual" because you are not actually present on the physical UF core network, but are connected to it via an encrypted software "tunnel" through the Internet, from wherever you happen to be.
This has the benefits of allowing you access to restricted or confidential UF resources from connections that are not part of the UF network (such as AOL or another university).
One of the most useful and important features of VPN is that it secures all of the communications between your computer and the University of Florida with some of the strongest encryption available. Even if you are already part of the UF network (such as using a wireless connection on campus), you can benefit from an added strong layer of security. In fact it is highly recommended that all wireless networking users on campus install and use the VPN client for all their wireless access. This is because, without VPN, wireless networking is inherently susceptible to "eavesdropping." - From CNS
This and many other questions about the UF Virtual Private Network are answered on the Net Services VPN page.
I don't plan to use the UF internet dialup in the future. How can I remove the number from my computer?
If you want to ensure that your computer doesn't dial into UF, your best bet is to remove the dialup connection. CNS has provided a "how to" so you can quickly and easily remedy this situation.
Who can help me if I still have questions?
Please contact the UF Computing Help Desk at 352/392-HELP or by email
helpdesk @ ufl.edu. Consultants there will be happy to help you.
