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Dear NetworkInformation subscribers,

We wanted to share a brief update on the status of the network upgrade project, which is going full force since late last week to take advantage of the spring break period. After Monday's work, we are over 60% done - not bad, especially given that there are approximately 8,000 network ports to be migrated from the old network to the new! We want to thank everyone for their patience and flexibility during this important phase of the project.

As many of you are aware, we have experienced a few technical issues, which we have worked diligently to diagnose and resolve. For example, the computer registration process hiccupped in some segments of our network, and we have unearthed many locations where hubs were used to split one data jack into two. [While hubs were a very quick and inexpensive way to expand network capacity over the past few years, they are primitive devices that no longer interoperate with the new network]. Setting up networked printers has also been a challenge. As we discover these issues, we are working closely with users and departments to find solutions or temporary work-arounds. Our "network sweeps teams" have been very effective (and very well received!) as IT staff go through the buildings before and after cutovers. Please also remember that you can call the Help Desk at x6449 to report an issue.

We would like to thank the many folks who have been so enthusiastic about this project, and who have been so understanding during the outages and troubleshooting periods! We would also like to commend your creativity and flexibility in finding ways to work around the network outages. Some staff (with supervisors' support) are working from home on their building's cutover day. Some colleagues are doing non-computer (or non-network) work during this window of time. And some folks are turning to computer lab spaces to check their email, print, and do Internet-based work. Please contact the Help Desk for available labs in buildings that have already been cutover if you'd like to try this approach.

We realize that there is never a "good" time to take down the network, but this was the "best" window of time for the entire campus, and things are going very well! We appreciate your understanding, and please know that we are working very hard to complete this phase of the project this week, so that the transition in Block 7 is as smooth as possible.

~ Your Help Desk Staff, x6449, Barnes 212
HelpDesk@ColoradoCollege.edu
8:00 AM to Midnight, Monday - Thursday
8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday
3:00 PM to Midnight, Sunday
http://HelpDesk.ColoradoCollege.edu