This story has been corrected from its original version.
Ohio University indefinitely postponed a plan to require computer registration in residence halls after discovering problems with the network.
The Office of Information Technology announced the registration procedure last quarter and planned on testing it in Hoover House. If the test was successful, OU expected to install the program across campus during Spring Break.
OIT postponed the process after finding a need for additional network systems capacity
wrote Sally Linder, senior director of media relations, in an e-mail yesterday.
Registration would allow OU to restrict the university network to registered users, and would track Internet provider addresses, media access control (MAC) addresses and OAK IDs. Off-campus apartment complexes that use the university's network would have to register, including Mill Street Village, Wolfe Street Apartments and University Courtyard Apartments.
OU expected to pay $10,000 for the hardware required for computer registration, but spent $340 before postponing the program.
OIT might replace the registration plan with complete network authentication, Linder wrote.
MAC addresses can be spoofed, allowing unregistered computers to access the network. Full network authentication would be similar to the process used to access the university's wireless network where a user needs an OAK ID.
Sean O'Malley, IT communications manager, deferred all questions to Linder, who had no additional information at press time.
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