By KEVIN ALLEN

Staff Writer

A new server purchased using the Student Technology Fee was installed in the Computing Center this summer and will allow for faster Web registration on the Bulldog Online Student System.

"There's no way to tell how many more students it will be able to handle at one time during registration," said Daniel Schales, network administrator at the Computing Center. "We won't really know until students register for the winter quarter because most students registered for their fall classes during the spring."

Schales said the new server cost about $6,000 and replaced a server that had been in use since B.O.S.S. was first made available to students in the fall quarter of 2001. The old server was not able to handle the increasing load of students registering for classes using B.O.S.S.

"Sometimes during peak registration times the server's wheels were spinning, but it wasn't getting everything processed fast enough," Schales said. "The new server should make registration a lot faster."

Schales said the slow processing times were due in part to the encrypted information that B.O.S.S. handles. Information is encrypted to ensure that student information is secure. He said the new server has a faster processing unit that will handle the information more quickly.

One student said the she has experienced some frustration while using B.O.S.S., but she is pleased with the system overall.

"I like B.O.S.S. because it's convenient," said Kellie Barnes, a senior nutrition and dietetics major. "I don't have to take the time to go somewhere. I can do it at home or at work. It has been slow before, especially when my registration time slot first opens up. I get impatient sometimes, but it's never prevented me from getting a class I needed."

Bob Vento, university registrar, said the server will make Web registration much more convenient for students like Barnes.

"I think we're going to see an increase in the number of students using B.O.S.S. just because it's so easy to use, especially with the new hardware," Vento said. "However, we'll continue to have the Registration Center because we have students who insist on registering face-to-face with somebody."

Vento said B.O.S.S. is quickly becoming the preferred method of registration among students.

"We're seeing an improvement in numbers as we go quarter to quarter," Vento said. "It's primarily because more students are exposed to B.O.S.S. right away, from the time they enter the university, as opposed to those students who were here during the old days of the Registration Center and blue cards."

Vento said he is excited about the new server and hopes it will make B.O.S.S. easier for students to use.

"Any time that we upgrade hardware, it provides better service for our students, including better connectivity and faster connectivity," Vento said. "We are always looking for ways to deliver more efficient service and better service to our students and give them more options to choose from."