A major aspect of enhancing UCI’s network is upgrading the “edges” of the network — the network cabling and equipment inside buildings that connect computers to UCInet’s high-speed backbone. These upgrades represent significant renovations of existing network infrastructure, but are required to meet ever-increasing network demands.
This summer, as the second in a series of upgrades to the edges of UCInet, NACS started a project to upgrade the School of Physical Sciences network. The PS upgrade will provide higher reliability, higher performance and greater security. The first edge upgrade, in Information and Computer Science, was completed last school year.
The PS upgrade involves complete replacement of network cabling and equipment in Physical Sciences I, Frederick Reines Hall (PS II), and the PS Research Facility. A combination of Category 5 twisted pair copper and fiber optic cable will replace existing coax and telephone-grade cable. “Switched” 10 MegaBit Per Second (MBPS) and 100 MBPS Ethernet equipment will replace the existing “Shared” 10 MBPS network. The new infrastructure will support both current and future network requirements.
The PS Upgrade is scheduled for completion by the end of December 1998.