Calendar 2005–06

164 Part 4 • Support Facilities, Services, and Staff Organizations Computing Resources for Research, Teaching, Learning, and Administration Teaching The academic computing service is supported by a UNIX server which provides data library service, software packages, general UNIX applications and Internet applications to support the teaching and instructional needs of the University. Research Research computing service is supported by three supercomputers to meet the needs of research projects requiring huge computational power. University Administrative System University Administrative Information Systems are supported by IBM mid-range computers, UNIX machines and many Microsoft Windows servers. A Connected Campus The whole campus, including classrooms, student hostels, teaching blocks, academic and administrative buildings, are connected to the University Campus Backbone Network via high speed Gigabit Ethernet links. Connections within the campus network are made at 155Mbps or even up to a whopping 1,000Mbps. The campus network is linked to the Hong Kong Academic and Research Network (HARNET), a local research network aimed at providing the local academic community with high-speed connectivity to the Internet and Internet2. The campus network is also linked to the HKIX and HKIX2 via Gigabit Ethernet links to maximize the speed of user access to local websites. Service to Hong Kong and the World ITSC also plays a crucial part in the provision of Internet services in Hong Kong. It manages both the HKIX and the HKIX2 which act as neutral interconnection points for the routing of intra-Hong Kong and intra-Asia-Pacific Internet traffic. These Internet eXchange greatly eliminate the necessity for diverting local network traffic outside Hong Kong, providing faster and less expensive paths to local sites. ITSC also maintains a few USENET news servers and exchanges thousands of USENET newsgroups with many ISPs in Hong Kong and overseas. Services for Students and Student Activities The Office of Student Affairs attends to student welfare and helps students take full advantage of their university education. The services provided fall mainly into the following six areas: Career Planning and Development The office is a centre for career development and employment information. It is responsible for initiating and developing job opportunities for graduating students of the University, helping employers in recruiting CUHK students, providing full-time and part-time job