[school-discuss] What should school firewalls keep in/out?

[David Bucknell <david@members.iteachnet.org>]

As someone who lives behind a school's firewall that blocks all but http, I have
to wonder just what is necessary. I'd like to ask folks on this list for their
considered opinions on this. 

My own view of the situation is that a school needs to keep its network open to
work traffic and not-so-open to those who just "play." By the latter I mean
those who actually play network games at times when others are trying to use the
network to send/receive work/school-related stuff. Schools also have to worry
about burglars (my name for what "bad" hackers do as a opposed to those who just
hack), and, for their own protection against angry mobs, pornography.

I'd prefer, for now, to leave mail and porno out of this. They are unavoidable
issues and will present themselves for discussion often from now on, I'm sure.
But I am concerned about how a network administrator should draw the line
between work and play.

My own bottom line is, as I've said before, a version of the Hippocratic oath,
"No gatekeeping." That is, in learning institutions, those with technical
knowledge and access should not prevent others from getting from what they have.
A more positive version of this is, "enable learning." That's what I think
educational technology is really all about. So, it should go without saying
that  that gatekeeping would not qualify as enabling learning. But, it seems to
me that that is exactly what network admins end up doing, all in the name of
"for your protection." 

What services should be enabled, and which disabled and why?

David
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