Volume 5, No 1 Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis September 1996

The increasing reliance on information technology in teaching and research is placing a tremendous demand on campus technology infrastructure. With the ever-growing use of e-mail and the World Wide Web - to name just two applications - the amount of traffic traveling between computers on the campus network is increasing at an explosive rate.

Construction continues on Network 21, the high-speed fiber optic network that will connect over 200 buildings in the core area of campus and pave the way for the Davis campus to fully utilize digital communication technology.

The overall goal of the project is to provide campus users with direct access to high-speed data networks, thereby linking UC Davis with worldwide information resources. When fully configured, the buildings connected to Network 21 will have the ability to bring video, voice, and data to the desktop. Simply stated, Network 21 will make it possible for the campus to support the heavy traffic loads resulting from the increased usage of networked applications.

Approved by the Regents in November 1993, construction began on the Network 21 project last summer. Completion is slated for fall 1997, and most buildings included in the project should be connected by July.

Over half the communication closets on campus have been updated to accommodate Network 21, and much of the outside plant fiber optic cable has been installed. Work also has begun on the installation and modification of Network Access Modules (NAMs) that will enable users to plug into Network 21.

Departments will migrate from the current campus network (UCDNet) to the Network 21 infrastructure via the cutover process. Information Technology will collaborate with departments to prepare for the transition of department computers and devices to the new network.

Information Technology will schedule Cutover Orientation meetings for network administrators and Management Services Officers (MSOs) in all Network 21 areas. Departments will be notified in advance of scheduled orientations.