Upgrades bring faster, broader networking to campus

By Eric Quiñones

Princeton faculty, students and staff have faster and more widespread access to the Internet as part of recent initiatives by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to enhance the University’s computer networking services.

OIT this summer implemented a five-fold increase in bandwidth for the University’s Internet service as well as its connection to Internet2, a separate network used primarily by academic institutions and other research centers. The office also is completing the installation of wireless Internet access capabilities across campus. These upgrades come as the University has strengthened its research computing capabilities by developing a high-performance research center featuring three supercomputers (see story in this issue).

The additional bandwidth brings a host of benefits to Princeton users, such as the capacity to more easily transfer large amounts of data, participate in interactive or remote research projects, and broadcast or view high-quality video lectures.

The additional bandwidth brings a host of benefits to Princeton users, such as the capacity to more easily transfer large amounts of data, participate in interactive or remote research projects, and broadcast or view high-quality video lectures.

“We went from having a nice two-lane highway running onto campus for the Internet to having the New Jersey Turnpike,” said Steven Sather, Princeton’s associate chief information officer and director of support services in OIT, who oversaw the improvements.

The bandwidth upgrades and wireless expansion are supported by additional funds made available to the University’s operating budget through strong returns on its endowment. Last spring an additional $3.4 million was designated for IT enhancements, in recognition of the essential role that technology plays in research and education. These funds also are being used to support a number of permanent IT support positions; to eliminate charges to academic departments and administrative units for network connections; to centralize funding for shared educational software applications; and to improve support for University and departmental Web sites.

Previously, OIT implemented smaller bandwidth increases each year to meet base-level demand. “There were times when we reached capacity,” Sather said. “Now we have made it so that students, faculty and researchers on campus can use as much bandwidth as they need.”

To help Princeton computer users take advantage of the increased bandwidth, OIT has been working for several years to upgrade the wiring infrastructure around campus and expects to complete that project this year, Sather added.

Daniel Marlow, chair of the physics department, said the timing of the upgrade was particularly good for his department, which is participating in a major international experiment at the CERN physics laboratory in Geneva. Princeton researchers are among those from 160 institutions analyzing data from a large particle physics detector known as the Compact Muon Solenoid, seeking to address fundamental questions about particle mass and the makeup of the universe.

“It is clear that a lot of analysis projects will require greater use of network resources,” Marlow said. “The greatly improved bandwidth will make it much easier for us to tap into those resources and will help keep Princeton faculty, staff and students in the thick of things when it comes to the analysis of data from the CERN project.”

OIT also is in the final stages of a campuswide installation of wireless computing access. The office has been implementing full or partial wireless access in many academic and administrative buildings for several years. In summer 2005, OIT focused on upgrading the undergraduate dorms and the Graduate College and its annexes, which have the highest concentration of wireless usage.

OIT expects to complete wireless expansion to all academic and administrative buildings and libraries — including offices off the main campus — by next fall and is working with individual departments and offices to schedule upgrades.

“The campuswide wireless network will facilitate activities both in and out of the classroom, making it easier, for example, for faculty to access IT resources ‘on demand’ in the classroom or for students to work collaboratively in common spaces around campus,” said Betty Leydon, vice president for information technology and chief information officer.