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On Monday, 2nd December 2019, the Council of Stellenbosch University approved the budget for 2020, which introduces a new model to provide the required funding for internet capacity for the entire university. In the past, Inetkey served as gatekeeper to keep track of individual internet usage for staff and students, to facilitate collection of the necessary funds to afford the internet service for the university community.

Will Inetkey disappear completely? Not yet.

Since January, Inetkey no longer collected usage data for billing purposes. In effect, there won’t be any charge per use anymore.

However, Inetkey serves other technical purposes, apart from funding the internet service. User identification is a basic requirement to keep track of who used how much internet, but there are also some security and auditing requirements for which the university need to collect basic information about internet traffic. So, for the time being, Inetkey will still be required to access to the internet, but without any individual charges.

Some historical facts:

Internet cost charge-out used to be common practice at most SA institutions since the 90’s. Bandwidth was a scarce resource, and universities needed to manage usage carefully to avoid service collapse and other negative experiences.

From 2000 onwards, internet bandwidth gradually became more affordable, as can be seen from rate changes since 2001. The university introduced three rates per day, A, B and C, to allow discounts during off-peak times. Eventually, the rates stabilised, and as the costs dropped, the university decided to increase available capacity regularly.

In 2001 you paid R1-50 per MB (megabytes) of internet data. Over the past 18 years this decreased to the current 2c. At the same time our internet capacity increased. In 2008 total capacity was a mere 0.4 Gbps (gigabits per second) — at the moment we’re running at 1.7 Gbps and this could increase next year. 

When will Inetkey really disappear? The remaining technical functionality of Inetkey will be migrated to other mechanisms, such as a new firewall planned to be procured in the first half of 2020. We expect the final burial of Inetkey later in 2020.

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Op Maandag, 2 Desember 2019, het die US Raad die begroting vir 2020 goedgekeur. Dié begroting sluit ’n nuwe model in wat befondsing vir internet-kapasiteit vir die hele universiteit insluit. In die verlede was Inetkey die kontrolepunt wat moes rekord hou van die individuele gebruik van personeel en studente sodat die nodige fondse gehef kon word om die internetdiens vir die universiteitsgemeenskap te kan bekostig.

Sal Inetkey skielik heeltemal verdwyn? Nog nie.

Sedert begin Januarie het Inetkey nie meer inligting oor datagebruik vir rekeningdoeleindes ingesamel nie. Daar sal inderwaarheid geen kostes meer vir gebruik wees nie.

Inetkey vervul egter ander tegniese doeleindes buiten die befondsing van die internetdiens. Gebruikersidentifikasie is ’n basiese vereiste om tred te hou met hoeveel elkeen gebruik, maar die universiteit moet ook weens sekuriteit- en ouditvereistes basiese inligting oor internetverkeer versamel. Gevolglik sal Inetkey steeds nodig wees vir toegang tot die internet, maar sonder koste.

’n Paar historiese feite:

Die verhaling van internetkostes was ’n algemene praktyk by die meeste SA-instellings sedert die 90’s. Bandwydte was ’n skaars bron en universiteite moes dit versigtig bestuur om die ineenstorting van dienste en ander negatiewe impak te vermy.

Vanaf 2000 het internet bandwydte geleidelik meer bekostigbaar geraak, soos gesien kan word in die verandering in tariewe sedert 2001. Die Universiteit het drie tariewe per dag ingestel om afslag gedurende aftye in ag te neem – A, B en C. Mettertyd het tariewe gestabiliseer en soos die kostes verminder het, het die universiteit ook gereeld die kapasiteit vermeerder.

In 2001 het jy R1-50 per MB (megabytes) vir internetdata betaal. Oor die afgelope 18 jaar het dit afgeneem na vandag se 2c. Terselfdertyd het ons internetkapasiteit toegeneem. In 2008 was die algehele kapasiteit slegs 0.4 Gbps (gigabits per sekonde) — op die oomblik loop ons netwerk op 1.7 Gbps en die moontlikheid bestaan dat dit volgende jaar verhoog kan word.

Wanneer verdwyn Inetkey finaal? Die oorblywende tegniese funksionaliteit van Inetkey sal na ander meganismes migreer word, soos die nuwe vuurmuur wat in die eerste helfte van 2020 aangekoop sal word. Ons verwag die finale ondergang van Inetkey later in 2020.

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