The Board of Trustees approved the $2.5 million financing
plan for the current computer and data network upgrade for
Colorado College two weeks ago. Estimated to have a total
cost of just over $2.4 million, the network upgrades aim to
drastically improve the college’s data network, which
includes equipment between eight to twelve years old.
According to Vice President of Information Management Randy
Stiles, the visions for a network upgrade began about three
years ago when significant performance problems were occurring
in the dorms.
“The old network is a cobbled connection of out-of-date
equipment. Performance problems in the dorms made it obvious
that we needed to re-architect the entire network.”
Stiles also stated that the college has probably stretched
the life of the current equipment longer than it should have.
The equipment in the dorms and various other buildings is
around twelve years old, while the major academic buildings
house equipment that is around eight years old.
Despite a seemingly high price tag, the college put in a strong
effort to find the best design with the least cost
“We’re not going over the top here. We’re
not buying a BMW or anything, but we are building an excellent
network infrastructure that will greatly improve on the old
system,” Stiles said.
The new network, scheduled to finish upgrades by mid-August
of 2007, features two primary elements: wired and wireless
upgrades. While the wired portion will bear the brunt of the
cost of the upgrades, the wireless portion will be the most
noticeable change for students and faculty.
The wireless network upgrade will not occur until late this
summer, but will be characterized by a transfer to stronger
technology, as well as a drastic increase in wireless access
point density on campus.
The network will be moving from 802.11b wireless technology
to 802.11a/b/g. There will also be a move from just over 100
wireless radios (the current number) to around 500 radios.
“I can’t predict zero dead spots on campus, but
this new wireless network will be far better than the old
one we first installed in 2003,” said Stiles.
In addition to better coverage, wireless authentication will
go from the complicated LEAP system to WPA authentication.
The wired portion of the upgrade will be the first portion
completed and should be done before the end of this academic
year, according to Stiles. The most notable contribution of
the wired upgrade will be the ease with which ITS will now
be able to solve problems. The age and phased construction
of the old network has made troubleshooting of the oldest
equipment difficult and time consuming. The new network is
designed to offer ITS staff better visibility of the network.
The upgraded wired network will also allow better performance
and speeds in the access of audio/video and web-based resources,
and will facilitate multi-casting, which allows for multiple
computers to receive software updates at once.
This switch to the new network will take some time and will
be done in phases.
“We will try to make the switching-over process as painless
and seamless as possible. As with anything new, we could have
some hiccups, though,” Stiles said.
Before these upgrades started, the college went through a
long and in-depth process that involved looking at and comparing
multiple vendors for possible contracts. The college signed
contracts with Foundry Networks for the wired portion and
Aruba Networks for the wireless portion.
The cost of the wireless portion is currently estimated at
just over $600,000. The wired portion is estimated at just
over $1.4 million, while consulting, facility work, and other
costs make up the remaining $300,000-$400,000. While these
numbers seem high, Stiles offered an interesting statistic.
“If you take the cost of the work, financing, and maintenance
for seven years of the upgraded network [and] divide that
by the number of students [assuming they are on campus nine
months per year], you get a cost of $27.50 per student, per
month. This is way better than home broadband,” Stiles
said.
CC President Dick Celeste said, “Technology is critically
important to CC. I find that it is more and more central to
the intellectual life of our students . . . This is all part
of Visions 2010.”
Story: Network Upgrades
Writer: Matt Baer
Editor: Daniel Anthony
Originally Published: The Catalyst of the Colorado College
(March 09, 2007; Issue 16, Volume 52)
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