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Internet2 at UCI

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Faculty sometimes ask “When will I get access to Internet2?” or “How can I use Internet2?”

UCI has been benefiting from connection to Internet2 since last spring when UCI connected to CENIC’s new backbone network. You access Internet2 automatically, whenever it makes sense.

UCI’s Internet Service Provider, CENIC, manages the California Research and Education Network, CalREN. CalREN now comprises several networks to allow the right combination of reliability and performance, depending on the application. You can review CalREN’s tiered network services at http://www.cenic.com/calren/index.htm

CalREN DC is the basic, robust network. Through CalREN DC, UCI reaches California educational institutions, as well as the commercial Internet. (From UCI, there are separate pipelines to these two destinations, so that research traffic to Stanford doesn’t compete with, say, staff purchasing office supplies from staples.com).

CalREN HPR is a parallel, high-performance network which is, in a sense, a sub-component of the Internet2 network. This is because all traffic destined to or coming from Internet2 sites will traverse HPR to get to UCI and other UC campuses. CalREN uses HPR to prove new network services and protocols which, once they have become commodities, migrate to CalREN DC. For example, QOS (quality of service), a protocol for guaranteed sustained bandwidth, is being deployed and tested on the Internet2 network and on CalREN HPR.

UCI’s border router is responsible for distributing network traffic among the possible networks: the two pipes to CalREN DC, the one to CalREN HPR, as well as duplicates of those three channels to a backup network node in the event our primary connection fails. When a network application requires or will benefit from routing to Internet2, it just happens!

NACS is presently involved in a backbone upgrade project which will improve the primary campus pathways to CalREN HPR and thus to Internet2. (refer to the Fall 2004 NACS newsletter, online at http://www.nacs.uci.edu/moreinfo/ ) This upgrade will also benefit routine network activities for most users on the campus.

UCI Ranked “Most Wireless”

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A recent survey ranks UCI #14 among universities responding to a recently completed survey on wireless networking.

Intel’s “Most Unwired College Campuses” survey ranks the top 100 schools for wireless computing access. The survey reveals a growing number of schools across the country where students have the freedom to wirelessly access the Internet on notebook PCs — without a traditional wired connection — and stay connected and informed whether they’re in the dorm room, library or outdoors at the campus quad.

While Intel’s focus was on students, NACS has made wireless networking a priority in recognition of its value to both the research and instructional roles of the university.

Off-Campus Network Access

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Many faculty and staff have a need to access UCInet and other network resources from off campus, in particular, scholarly resources licensed by the UCI Libraries and available only to systems which are part of UCInet.

NACS has developed and supports three different ways of connecting to UCInet from off campus:

  1. the lifeline modem pool
  2. the proxy server
  3. the virtual private network (VPN) device.

Modem Pool
The first such service deployed was the “lifeline modem pool.” This is, as the name implies, the resource of last resort. Bandwidth (data throughput) is limited, compared to cable modem or DSL, and there are limits on the amount of time you are allowed to use the service. The advantage is that it can be used from any telephone line in the world (if you are willing to accept long-distance charges).

Proxy Server
The proxy server is a collaborative effort between NACS and the UCI Libraries. Users of the proxy server make web requests as if from on campus, regardless of how they connect to the Internet. However, this service is sometimes slow depending on the number of users simultaneously working through it.

VPN
An alternative to using the proxy server is to use the NACS Virtual Private Network, or “VPN”.

The advantage that the VPN has over the proxy server is that it opens up ALL network resources that require a UCI network address, while the proxy server only addresses Web-based applications. It may also be faster. Finally, the VPN offers a secure connection to campus from outside, commercial, and wireless networks, which are inherently insecure.

It is expected that proxy server and lifeline modem pool users will migrate to the VPN as the preferred way of connecting with campus services which are restricted to UCI address space.

Because the proxy server requires manually encoding each site which is restricted to UCI affiliates, it is difficult to maintain, and it is intended that this service be phased out over the next year.

For more information, please consult the following web pages.

Lifeline modem pool: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/network/modem/
NACS Proxy Server: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/network/proxy/
NACS VPN Information: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/security/vpn.html

Higher Speed Internet

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The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) has been building a new regional network which will assume the name of the earlier California Research and Education Network (CalREN). CalREN will provide gigabit connectivity to all UC campuses, the Cal State system, and some private universities. Ultimately, CENIC will include (at more mainstream data rates) all educational institutions in California. At present, the entire UC system has been connected.

The new CalREN network is the first multi-tiered, statewide optical network of this type in the nation, and it provides advanced services to major research entities in California, including CAL(IT)2 which is based at UCSD and UCI.

For more information about CENIC, go to http://www.cenic.org/ . For more information about CalREN, visit http://www.cenic.org/CalREN/index.html . Finally, for information on CAL(IT)2 research programs, go to http://www.calit2.net/

Network Engineering

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NACS Network Engineering plans, implements, maintains, and supports the UCI campus voice and data network infrastructure.

This includes the fiber optic data backbone, copper telephone cable, Ericsson telephone system, building routers, and repeaters/hubs.

They also maintain UCI’s off-campus network connection to the Internet, and UCI’s off-campus phone connection via SBC (formerly Pacific Bell) and long distance service providers.

The group includes:

  • Clyde Higashida (Network Engineer)
  • Jon Iliescu (Junior Network Engineer)
  • John Schaefer (Telephone System Network Administrator)
  • Michael Scott (Senior Network Engineer)

It is managed by Brian Buckler, Assistant Director of Network Operations.