Westminster College's TitanNet network connects all parts of the campus and extends a variety of services to students and employees. The network operates on a fiber optic backbone with data transmitted by high speed Ethernet switches. More than 20 servers running Novell's Netware operating system provide resources that include e-mail, shared directories, software applications, and Internet access. These resources are available in classrooms, computer labs, offices and residence halls. E-mail is also accessible remotely from a web browser.
Background Information
In 1993, Westminster College identified the requirement for beginning the construction of a new telecommunications network to provide upgraded voice, data, and video capabilities to students, faculty, and staff. The reasons identified included:
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies is commonplace in the world of Westminster's graduates, whether their post-graduate world is the world of work or graduate or professional education. A relevant education should expose them to these technologies.
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies is fundamental to the College's ability to attract new students in competitive recruiting environment.
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies will improve the delivery of formal instruction. This improvement could take the form of upgraded instructional content, and is likely to involve somewhat altered faculty roles.
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies will facilitate and improve research, collaborative and self-directed learning in all the college's learning disciplines.
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies will enhance the College's ability to attract, develop and retain faculty in a competitive faculty recruiting environment.
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies will improve the delivery of student and administrative services.
- The use of modern telecommunications technologies will offer improvements in the management of facilities to include monitoring and control of building environments, building safety and campus-wide security systems.
From the beginning, the College has included a diverse group of administrators, faculty, internal and external technical consultants to accomplish the goals of upgrading the College's telecommunications capabilities.
The Project
During the summer of 1994, an extensive effort dubbed Phase 1A was launched in which a new telephone system, voice mail and campus cable plant were installed. In addition, computer labs were installed and connected to the fiber cable plant (the backbone of the cable system). Additionally, during the Fall of 1994, the electronic components that handle the physical movement of data around the campus were installed in many locations across campus.
The cable plant project was dubbed Phase 1B (Kilby completed in 1995 and Noyce anticipated completion Fall, 1996) will provide data and enhanced voice connectivity to students in residence halls. The major component of this project is the upgrade of the electrical power distribution in residence halls. The communications component will include new voice and data cabling to each student, and the re-routing of cable TV feeds in a new conduit system. Once Phase 1B is complete, the college will have the physical ability to connect any student or faculty member to the campus network.
During 1995, the College successfully implemented the local area network and network functionality to the faculty and computer labs, dubbed Phase 2A. Four Netware 4.1 servers were designed and installed that provide local area and Internet connectivity to users in these areas. More capacity in the form of additional network servers will be necessary to extend these services to student PCs in the residence halls, computer labs and the library. Other general network enhancements and electronics as well as a World-Wide-Web Server will be implemented by the Fall of 1996, dubbed Phase 2C.
Ten smart classrooms were constructed in 1995, dubbed phase 2B, and have been connected to the network. These classrooms were constructed using funds provided by a foundation grant. The College wishes to enhance the functionality of the existing ten classrooms by improving lighting and acoustics, two areas that could not be addressed through the initial grant.
The following project (expansion of the existing campus network) is dubbed Phase 2C. This phase focuses on applications of the network and the electronics and processing power necessary to make those applications available to all parts of the campus. The goal of Phase 2C is to provide faculty and students with reasons to connect to the network. This project has six distinct parts: Internet Access, Campus Wide Server, Groupware, Library CD-Tower System, World-Wide-Web Server, and upgrades to the GroupWise and NOV*IX servers.