Network Services to the Wall-Plate

Tim Fitzpatrick, Director, Computing and Networking Services

Computing and Networking Services (CNS), formerly NERDC, is responsible for the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of the core network on the University of Florida campus. Core network services are funded centrally and provided to all campus units at no charge.

Core network services include:
1. Core electronics that connect buildings to each other
2. Building Point of Presence (B-POP) electronics that link buildings to the core
3. Fiber optic cable, copper wire, conduits, and pathways between buildings
4. Wireless Access for outdoor spaces campus wide
5. Access to the Internet and Internet II

Colleges, schools, departments, and units are responsible for providing their own local network services within buildings. The scope and scale of local network services are determined by and paid for by each individual unit.

Local network services include:
1. Wiring within the building – copper and fiber – from the B-POP to the desktop
2. Electronics in the building – switches in the closets – connected to jacks on the wall
3. Purchase, installation, and maintenance of all this wiring and electronics
4. Troubleshooting and repair of local network problems

Over the past few years, many units have asked CNS for help — designing, installing, operating, or maintaining their local networks. This kind of cooperation is now known as “shared Access” where CNS helps manage the local network beyond the B-POP. It has proven beneficial to the units, enabling them to follow standards and share expertise. It has also benefited CNS, enabling us to monitor and manage performance and reliability, end-to-end, across the entire network.

CNS has bundled these benefits into a new program called Network Services to the Wall-Plate. Wall-Plate services are now being offered to colleges, schools, departments, and individual units for a monthly fee.

Wall-Plate services include:
1. All enterprise class switches. No reliability, compatibility, or performance problems.
2. Switch maintenance including security updates, IOS updates, and special configurations.
3. Life-cycle replacement of all switches on a 5-year schedule. No big up-front investment.
4. Network upgrades and design changes as needed.
5. End-to-end monitoring and management of network performance.
6. End-to-end troubleshooting of network problems. No finger pointing.
7. Telephone or web-based problem reporting. Support staff on-call 7×24.
8. Maintenance of the cable infrastructure. Note — does not include new installations.
9. Basic wireless coverage in building common areas. Does not replace wired connections.
10. IP-Phone service is optionally available. One port is used for both voice and data.

Monthly fees are:

Classroom Ports:
$ 3.50 per active port per month — $ 42.00 per year

Faculty/Staff 10/100 Port:
$ 5.00 per active port per month — $ 60.00 per year

Faculty/Staff Gigabit Port:
$ 7.00 per active port per month — $ 84.00 per year

Advanced Wireless Service:
$ 20.00 per AP per month — $ 240.00 per AP per year

If a college, school, department, or unit is now participating in shared access, you will need to sign up for the wall-plate program to continue receiving support for your local network. Others, who have not been involved in shared access, may also sign up for wall-plate services. Details on wall-plate services can be found at http://net-services.ufl.edu/provided_services/wallplate/ .

For those that choose not to use the wall-plate service for network support beyond the B-POP, CNS may be able to assist you with problems or making repairs. Beyond an initial consultation, time and materials charges usually apply. And as now, university-wide networking standards always apply. These standards can be found at http://net-services.ufl.edu/infrastructure .

If you have questions concerning the Wall-Plate Service program, please contact Russell Poole at 273-0401 or e-mail him at rjp3@ufl.edu .