The UA's Department of Residence Life begins it second year of offering a direct Internet connection for students in the residence halls.

The ethernet connection allows students to access the Internet without a modem, said Steve Gilmore, assistant director of Residence Life.

The Ethernet connection allows information to travel at 10 megabytes per second, Gilmore said, 300 times faster than the fastest modem a student would use, and 700 times faster than the typical modem.

Instead of a modem, students need a network card for their computers, Gilmore said.

The Computer and Technology Store (CATS) in the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Bookstore, carries several cards of varying prices, said Brandon Comer, a CATS employee.

"There are lot of cards out there. You need to make sure it's jumperless and 10 base-T," said Comer, an English senior.

10 base-T is the type of cable needed for the UA ethernet connection, Comer said. He said it is also known as RJ-45 and twisted pair.

"Jumperless" means the card can be installed and then "configured" without having to reach back into the computer and rearrange the hardware, Comer said.

"Any card that's worth its salt is going to be jumperless," Comer said.

Residence Life recommends a model that runs $41.95 at CATS for IBM compatible computers. More expensive models are "not something the typical user will need," Gilmore said.

A lot of prices vary according to the computer a user has, Comer said. He said the basic Macintosh network card only costs $24.95, while a Macintosh Powerbook card costs $189.95.

Comer said he cautions users not to plug in old cards that will be unable to work with the ethernet.

A user will need a minimum operation system of either 7.5.X for the Macintosh, or Windows 3.11 for IBM compatible computers, Gilmore said. He said a Mac user will need 25 megahertz 68040 processor, and a IBM user will need a 66 megahertz 486 processor with 8 megabytes of random access memory.

Gilmore said 925 students, or 20 percent of hall residents, joined the program in 1995-96, and that number is expected to grow.

Comer said he installed 150 network cards last fall, while working part time.

Returning students will find that the system is using a different Internet protocol stack, which means signing up again, Gilmore said. He said all students will be able to sign up at terminals in the lobbies of the residence hall.

Gilmore said the system does not work like an electronic mail account, but stations students directly onto the Internet.

If one thinks about the Internet as a series of networks joined together, and the UA's network among them, Comer said the ethernet makes a user part of the network.

Anything that any other campus in the country can do, this system can do, Gilmore said.

"Technically, there are no impossibilities," Gilmore said.

"It's good for people to know. It's relatively simple," Comer said, "There is no reason not to do it if you have a computer. You can't get this service at home."