I.T. Times
Volume 5, No 3 Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis December 1996


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Network 21 Update

by Aviva Luria, Information Technology
With the electronics portion of the Network 21 project underway, Rodger Hess, Network 21 Technical Director, has plenty to keep him busy.

The communication closet renovations---which upgraded closets for installation of Network 21 electronics---are nearly 100 percent complete, much of the fiber optic backbone is installed, and horizontal wiring and NAM upgrades are proceeding according to schedule.

3Com has been signed as the vendor for the Network 21 electronics, and planning for the pilot has begun. The electronic equipment will send the signals, direct the traffic, and otherwise facilitate data transmitted on our portion of the information superhighway, Network 21.

As Technical Director, Hess views Network 21 as a project of crucial timing. Not simply an upgrade of UCDNet (the existing campus broadband network), Network 21 will provide the capacity for new and advanced applications, allow for reduced costs in communications, and enable the campus to take full advantage of Internet II, a new national network that will interconnect a growing number of research universities, including UC Davis.

Central to participation in Internet II is the ATM technology that is integral to the Network 21 design. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches will allow voice, video, and data to be transmitted to the desktop.

"Now we operate three separate networks for voice, video, and data," Hess explained. "It will be a big advantage to operate only one in the interest of cost, convenience, and the ability to offer service. Network 21 is taking the first step in that direction."

Hess has two major goals for the Network 21 project:

  1. to ensure that the new network meets the needs of the campus, and
  2. to determine and preserve a technological future that will both serve the campus and keep UC Davis in the forefront of networking.
How will these goals be accomplished?

  • First, by selecting the technologies, such as ATM switching, that will allow for the integration of voice, video and data. These technologies were incorporated into the Network 21 design and are part of the contract with 3Com, the electronics vendor.
  • By ensuring that the new network performs according to expectations, both now and in the future.
  • By communicating to 3Com the specific and unique needs of the campus.
  • By providing a platform for early, experimental implementations of the network.
The electronics pilot is one of these early implementations. The pilot will test the network rigorously and will serve as a platform for testing the deployment of leading edge applications, such as desktop video conferencing and voice over data.

Once the pilot has successfully been completed, the first three Network 21 Areas will be cut over. Testing of the network will continue as the remaining areas of campus cut over to Network 21.

Network 21's fiber optic backbone, ATM switches, and the integration of voice and data will ensure that UC Davis will be "uniquely positioned to take advantage of Internet II," says Hess.

And with Rodger Hess at the helm, UC Davis is poised to sail into the future.