HELPDESKNetwork infrastructure
The University operates a pervasive data network servicing nearly some 15000 computers.
This is physically based on a fibre-optic network connecting to the majority of buildings on the main campus and also some satelite sites, including reaching out into some of the hospital sites.
Within individual buildings a transition from fibre optic cabling takes place onto a premises distribution system, typically unsheilded twisted pair ( UTP ).
This takes the service from wiring centers to individual ports on the walls of the rooms within the building.
It is to this system that machines like desktop computers typically attach, almost always via an RJ45 outlet on the wall, which is the visible end of the network. Although a new wireless service delivers some aspects of the campus network service without wires
On top of this physical infrastucture, an ethernet service is being run, built up from a very large number of component parts. Each active RJ45 outlet on the wall, has behind it several other units which are involved in actually delivering the network service.
The core of the network is a ring of routers joined together by multiple gigabit links bonded togther to give a multi-gigabit capability.
The multiprotocol nature of the campus network has slowly evolved into an IP ( Internet protocol ) domianated environment and during the academic year 2005-2006 the last vestitages of the IPX and Appletalk network were removed from the core of the campus network.
Such that now the only protocol supported in the core of the network is IP.
The Universities' network is joined to a regional area network, 'Clydenet' which is in turn joined to the national academic backbone 'Janet' ( in the form of superjanet 5 ), which is in turn joined to the european academic networks and the general internet.
For the Campus Network the future holds a 10 Gigabit Core Network and the slow introduction of a new internet protocol IPv6.
Contact details
Help Desk
IT Services
(0141 330) x4800
