P2P@ CMC

Here is an e-mail the student body recently received from our technology department:

CMC Students,

Information Systems and Network Services recently gained information from the RTA’s/LTA’s that CMCNet has been less than stable. I would like to offer an explanation.

First and foremost, certain users are monopolizing the address availability on the wireless network. This leads to "limited or no connectivity" as described by many
affected students. Our staff manually cleared close to 100 addresses this morning, so things are working properly at this point.

The next thing (and most important to keep in mind) are users that aggressively use "Peer-2-Peer" programs through the wireless network. The wireless network was not built as a piracy hub, but rather an academic tool. Performing these operations makes the central server less responsive for ALL who are connected. One user alone transferred over 19.6GB of bidirectional P2P data on the CMCNet wireless network yesterday.

We have made significant investments in new wireless hardware which will be put into place during winter break. We continue to work aggressively to improve our current situation until the new hardware is installed. We thank you for your cooperation in being considerate of others when you use this network.

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I found this issue to be pertinent to some of the discussions we have had in class this semester. I think it complicates the issue of P2P file sharing. How does the debate change when the extensive use of P2P's infringes upon someone else's ability to access the issue? On the network, P2P file sharing is no longer a problem between the file sharer (willing or not) and the file receiver, but a third party is present. Does this change what should be considered acceptable P2P use? Another question, as is mentioned in the e-mail, "The wireless network was not built as a piracy hub, but rather an academic tool." Does the technology department have a point? Or do they have to say that kind of thing since file sharing is technically illegal?