Volume 4. No 5 
Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis February 1996
NetWork 21
Digital's Campus Headquarters
Digital Equipment Corporation, which has been awarded the contract to install the fiber optic backbone for Network 21, will be spending a lot of time on campus during the next 18 months. Digital has established its campus headquarters in the West Yard, west of the university airport on Stralock Road. Digital's campus headquarters have been wired for voice, data, and modem lines, enabling Digital employees assigned to Network 21 to communicate with their Sacramento office. Members of Digital's Network 21 team also are using laptop computers equipped with wireless communication (RoamAbout), so they can connect to the network server without a hardwire connection.
Selection of Cabling Designer
Selection of the firm that will design the horizontal wiring for Network 21 is underway. The company chosen will develop the bid specifications and drawings that outline the placement of wire from the IDF (Intermediate Distribution Frame, or "closet") to the new wall jack (NAM), mapping the path of the new campus network to the desktop. The list of prospective firms has been narrowed down to six. The firms will be interviewed this month, and it is expected that the design contract will be awarded in early March. Actual installation of the horizontal wiring is scheduled to begin in October 1996.
Computer Lab Design
Campus computer labs will become more flexible and responsive to user needs due to lab cabinet redesign to be done in conjunction with Network 21. This project designates 79 computer labs, having ten or more computer connections, as candidates for cabinet redesign. A small bundle of fiber will be pulled from the Network 21 closet, terminating at the hub inside the room's cabinet and providing the labs with a patch panel for computers to plug into.
Closet Renovation Continues
Progress continues to be made on Phase One of the Network 21 project, the communication closet renovation. Electrical capacity and ventilation in campus communication closets are being upgraded to conform to Network 21 standards. Closet renovation began on July 31, 1995. Area 3, the first area to be renovated, is now 95% complete.
If you have questions about Network 21, send e-mail to net21info@ucdavis.edu.
- Compiled by Aviva Luria