Implementation and experience with the terminal registration system with web interface

Abstract

The cost of operation and management are growing rapidly in proportion to the increase of the number of network terminals connected to the network. We hope to improve the quality of network service, but it is difficult because of reasons such as manpower and budget limitations. The number of staff members in our information processing center decreased when the organization was restructured in October 2003.To address this situation, we implemented a new network terminal registration system with a web interface. On our campus, users have to register the MAC address to get the DHCP IP address for their personal computers. Prior to the new terminal registration system, it took several days to register them. However, the network terminal registration procedure is now fully automated for DHCP where users can connect their personal computers to the network in a few minutes. The network terminal registration for a fixed IP address is almost automated and reduced in the operation time. As a result, we decreased the staff member's workload and improved the throughput time to register a new network terminal.The system also contains detailed information including the update status of anti-virus software of each computer in a network terminal database. This approach improves the security of our network system. In this paper, we describe the system structure, facility, user interface, and some experience with the system.