Classroom Technology

The BIRS lecture auditorium is equipped with an LCD projector, projection screen, a document camera, 15' of chalkboard space, electrical plugs for laptops, wireless Internet access for the audience, and a wired ethernet port in the podium area. A computer is available for use to give presentations, or participants may connect their own computer to the VGA cable for the LCD projector.

In addition, the Banff Centre has a full audio-visual department that can most likely provide any special requirements that you may have.

Personal Computer Connectivity

Most participants bring their own laptop computers to BIRS. Every bedroom in Corbett Hall has a wired ethernet port and ethernet cable which you can use for broadband Internet access (use the even-numbered port). In addition, there is open (no passwords) wireless networking available in all areas.

Participants may use the network laser printers at BIRS to print directly from their laptop computers.

Open wireless networking is available in all areas of BIRS and throughout the Banff Centre campus.

Network Bandwidth

BIRS has a 5 megabit connection to the public Internet, shared among BIRS staff and participants, and a 1 gigabit connection to the academic network linking universities and other academic institutions around the world. It is recommended that participants take advantage of the wired ethernet ports for connectivity.

The wireless network is an open 802.11b network which is shared among everyone at The Banff Centre. The available bandwidth on the wireless network will vary greatly depending on how many guests are currently on campus, and how many of those guests have computers infected with bandwidth-consuming Windows viruses, file sharing programs, etc. The wired network has better controls for ensuring fair bandwidth sharing, including a dedicated 5mbit segment for BIRS.

SunRay (UNIX) Terminals

The bedrooms and public areas of BIRS are equipped with Sun Ray terminals. The Sun Rays have 15" LCD panels with a keyboard, mouse and network connection. They have no moving parts, so they are completely silent. They have 2 free USB ports, which you can use to connect a USB memory device for transferring files to and from your UNIX account.

The terminals connect to a central Sun server that runs Solaris 10 (UNIX) and the GNOME 2.6 desktop environment.  The full suite of standard UNIX software is installed, as well as tools for mathematics publishing (LaTeX, Emacs, etc).  The high-speed, permanent Internet connection and a robust selection of Internet software is always available via these terminals.