Wiring Project Team

Project Update 5/15/96

Wiring project "homepage"


Last meeting:  4/12/96     Next meeting (update):   TBA


It's been awhile (4/12) since I've sent you any updates on our residential 
wiring project.  We've been busy with a variety of issues and plans and 
below you will find information on where we stand to date.


START Date - COMPLETION Date for wiring the residence halls:  
The contractor (Adirondack Cabling) will officially start work this coming 
Monday, 5/20/96.  If everything goes to plan (!), they will be finished by
8/9/96.

6-8 workers will be residing on campus (tenatively, Lehman House #2).


Electronics:
The other major part of this project is the electronics; that is, the 
compenents in wiring closets that create the "network".  We are looking at 
proposals from the following vendors and expect to make our final 
selection by 7/1/96:

  - Digital Equipment
  - Cisco Systems
  - Bay Networks
  - 3Com
  - Cabletron


Supporting the new residential network:

1. Residential Technology Consultants (students) -- We are in the process of 
   recruiting 11 - 20 students who will provide the first level of technical
   support to students who bring a computer to SUNY Potsdam and want to connect 
   it to the new residential network in their room.

   We've had over 50 students apply for the positions.  Compensation for 
   this position will be of two types:

   - full-room waiver, OR
   - half-room waiver and the use of a computer in their room

                         * * * * * *

2. Residential Computing Supervisor -- We are now searching for a highly-
   qualified individual to develop our residential computing support services 
   and supervise the student workers described above (RTCs).  We hope to hire
   this person by July 1st.  This is a full-time, professional staff position.


Other information:
We will be sending information about this project to all returning 
students, and new students, who will be living in the residence halls next 
year.  We will explain what a student can and *cannot* expect when they 
arrive on campus this fall. One message we want to make *very* clear:

     a student should NOT expect to come to campus with a computer, plug it
     into the new network faceplate and expect service.  We are still developing 
     the procedures for students to follow when they arrive and we have no
     definite time-table for when they can expect to use the network from
     their room.  We will let you know as soon as it becomes clear how and
     when we can connect a student's computer to the new network

     Please be sure to convey this information to anyone who asks when
     a student can "hook up" their computer in their room!

                         * * * * * *

Chris Strong is working with us to revise and update our technology 
policies (the Computing Code of Ethics; Email Policy) to address many of 
the issues and problems we can expect with this new service to students.

                         * * * * * * 

Residence Life assisted us in surveying all returning students who will 
live in the residence halls in the fall.  The survey results indicate that 
approximately 50% of these students will be bringing a computer and will 
want to connect it to the new network.  This is just about what we 
anticipated; that is, that 1,000 students (returning and new) will bring a 
computer to school in the fall and will want to connect it to the new 
network.

                         * * * * * * 

As part of this project, we will also be establishing a separate high-speed
(T1) line to the Internet for the residential network.  This should prevent 
serious performance problems for our existing network as we add the 
anticipated 1000 users to the new residential network over the course of 
the next academic school year.

We have established a partnership with the Potsdam Central School District 
to share the services of this access.  The Potsdam Central Schools District 
will actively use this access to the Internet during the day, while we 
expect the residential users to be most active in the late afternoon and 
evening.  By sharing this service, SUNY Potsdam and the Potsdam Central 
School District will cost their costs in half.  Furthermore, we expect this 
partnership and shared resource to foster more collaboration and 
cooperation between the two school systems.

To share this service, we will need to connect  our campus 
network (the new residential network) to the Potsdam Central School 
District network that was recently installed.  We have been exploring several options for doing this, including laying fiber optic cable from our 
College to the high school site.  While this would provide the most ideal 
form of connection, the cost for doing it is prohibitive.  We are now 
exploring the use of a "wireless bridge" (a radio connection) between the 
two sites.  We recently submitted a grant application to the National 
Science Foundation to assist us in developing and testing this option.  If 
this technology does not prove to be workable, we will lease a high-speed 
(T1) communication line to secure the connection.  More details on this
exciting development will be available after July 1st.


REFERENCES:

Project cabling RFP-type specifications
Summer housing schedule prepared by John Horan.
SUNY Potsdam's response to Cabletron questions
Gartner Group conference call