History of the pool
The first CIP pool is set up in 1987 in an apartment in Waldhornstraße. Eight computers (IBM PS/2 60) and a laser printer are set up there. A research assistant is assigned to look after them. The computers are available to students of the Faculty of Economics for writing their dissertations.
A short time later, 4 more computers are purchased (IBM PS/2 80). One of the computers is used as a server and a Novell network is set up. The computers are connected to each other via a token ring network and are supervised by a research assistant. He is assisted by 3 assistants who instruct the students on the computers and show them, for example, how to print and save files or edit documents.
1992
The CIP pool moves into new rooms, which are still in use today. The number of computers is increased by 21 "486s". The pool is available to all students of the faculty Mon-Fri 14:00-20:00.
1993
The pool is expanded by 10 computers, which are set up in "CIP-II". Unfortunately, no cabling was provided here, so we had to lay BNC cables ourselves.
1996
the IBM computers are decommissioned and replaced by 20 Pentium 90 systems. From now on, around 50 workstations are available. The network is converted from Novell to Windows. A user database is set up so that code cards can be issued to all students and the CIP pool is the first institution at the university to offer 24-hour access 7 days a week.
1997
The 486s are replaced by AMD K6 200 computers and the total number of workstations is increased to 70. The first tests with Linux as clients are undertaken.
1998
the pool rooms are rewired. All connections are accessible via switched 100 Mbit/s connections. All computers are equipped with dual boot, i.e. users can choose whether they want to start Windows NT or Linux.
1999
all computers can be replaced by current PIII 500s. In addition to 72 workstations, 2 laser printers, inkjet printers, scanners, ZIP and DVD drives and a color laser printer are available.
2000
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences joins the pool support. This means that an additional room with 36 computers (PIII 800) is mainly used for lectures in the humanities and social sciences.
2001
The faculty participates in the MSDN-AA program. This means that all Microsoft operating systems and development environments can be made available to students free of charge.
2003
An application is submitted for the computers to be replaced. It is hoped that the replacement can be expected towards the end of the year. There are over 5000 active user accounts.
Since October, access to the pool rooms is no longer controlled by magnetic cards but by FriCard.
2004
all computers are replaced with newer P4 3GHz. There are now 3 laser printers, 1 color laser, 4 scanners and many DVD burners available. The Humanities and Social Sciences pool was equipped in the same way. The MSDN software is available for download
2005
The FriCard or a guest card is required for login. To do this, users must hold the card in front of a central reader so that the login can then be carried out.
2006
the control of the FriCard data can be taken over. This means that it no longer takes up to a week to unlock the doors, but is activated within 60 seconds.
2007
all pool computers are converted to Vista. Linux (Ubuntu) will also be offered. The number of seminar rooms equipped with computers and projectors is increased to 14. All projectors are replaced.
2008
The administration of Poollinux is changed. It is no longer installed locally on all computers, but stored centrally, but continues to run with local computing power. A "diskless Ubuntu" is used for this purpose. The control of the projectors in the seminar rooms is standardized and simplified by permanently installed keypads. Thanks to tuition fees, a project can be launched to consolidate IT support for data relevant to students. A start was made with a standardized database for all module and lecture information. Lending notebooks are available for students to borrow free of charge.
2009
the pool and seminar computers are converted to Windows 7. The lendable notebooks for students can be rented with Linux, Vista or Windows 7. The server environment was largely virtualized. The faculty's websites were converted to a new content management system and a lot of dynamic content was programmed. A technician has been added to the IT service.
2010
three technical staff are available to the institutes. In addition, the faculty technician can be called in for urgent tasks. The number of lendable notebooks was increased slightly. The student assistants have all completed their studies and have been replaced by new assistants. A copying station for DVDs can be offered to students. The computer in the Tulla lecture hall is renewed and equipped with Windows 7. The projectors procured in 2007 are beginning to fail and replacement must begin.
2011
the CIP-I pool receives a color laser printer. The seven-year-old color devices in the service room and CIP-V are decommissioned. A much larger number of software can be offered in the pool rooms, as many programs are now streamed "virtually" via an application server. The welcome messages at login have been upgraded with new scripts. All user homes have been moved to more powerful hardware. This also involved switching from a Linux to a Wndows file server. In December, the service office had to be evacuated due to water damage. Moving back in took a long time in 2012.
2012
Many innovations were planned, but these will not come to fruition until 2013. The completely renovated service room was finally occupied at Easter. Projectors were replaced in some seminar rooms, all servers were replaced in the autumn and new computers were installed in the CIP-II and CIP-V pool rooms shortly before Christmas. The switch to the KIT domain and the introduction of Windows 8 were tested on some computers, but not yet fully rolled out.
2013
begins with the renewal of the computers in CIP-I. All computers in the pool rooms were replaced with the latest models. The monitors now have a full HD resolution in a size of 23". Windows 8 is the current operating system.
2014
The operating system was updated to Windows 8.1. Initial tests have already been carried out with Windows 10. The operating system and software installation have (once again) been converted to a new process that now allows uniform basic images to be used in heterogeneous environments and different programs to be installed depending on the computer. This will form the basis for the provision of notebooks, which will automatically receive an individual software configuration according to the borrower's wishes. The notebook configuration will be introduced at the beginning of 2015.
2015
Windows 10 is available on all computers. New virtualization servers were procured thanks to project funds.
2018/19
All Windows servers were converted to Wndows Server 2019. A file cluster was introduced and the virtualization cluster was expanded so that reliability could now be increased for almost all services.
2020-2023
During the coronavirus pandemic, on-site operations had to be partially suspended. A water ingress meant that Pool II was unusable for an extended period of time. The services were expanded to include a remote pool so that the existing programs can be made available worldwide via a browser function.
2024
The large Wiwi Pool I room is separated by a wall and now becomes the two rooms Wiwi Pool I and Wiwi Pool II. The former Wiwi Pool II becomes a Wiwi Workspace, a multifunctional learning space with good group work opportunities, supported by a large digital whiteboard.