Project Highlights:
At CSULB the ITRP project meant all new telecommunications conduits
and manholes around the campus as well as new
conduits to all buildings (state owned only). The main campus infrastructure
is a ring configuration consisting of twelve 4" conduits
with utility vaults (manholes)
at specific intervals. Down in these utility vaults are the splices
for
the copper and fiber
cables. In addition to the conduit structures and utility vaults, two
entirely new voice/data buildings were built and one existing building
was expanded. These structures are known as the "MDFs",
or Main Data Frames, and serve as the core locations that feed all
the (state owned) buildings on campus. All of these buildings now feed
to one of these three MDFs based primarily on their geographic location
on
campus.
Buildings that are considered to be not state owned, such as the Dorms,
Parking Office, Bookstore, USU, Foundation or Cafeteria areas, will be
upgraded as those area obtain their own funding. They are now, and will
be, connected to the new infrastructure.
MDFs:
The largest of these MDFs (main telephone and data buildings) is MDF
A located by the Library building. It incorporates a large underground
vault where the phone
cables from the outside world are connected to campus phone cables,
both copper and fiber feeds. Each MDF also has an emergency
generator system to assure uninterrupted communications and MDF A is
large enough inside to
accommodate a large voice and data system. It also is the site of
a new bus stop that
is part of the structure. In this way the building serves a number of
purposes.
Conduit Feeds:
At appropriate points along the main campus ring from two to six 4"
conduits are connected
to each building on campus. These conduits and the three main MDFs
form the main infrastructure backbone of the project. Some
of these conduits will be filled with
copper
and fiber cables while the others will be for future expansion. Installation
of extra conduit makes the installation of future media relatively easy
without the need to repeatedly dig new utility trenches.
Inside The Buildings:
The installation of the conduits and construction of the MDFs were only
the first phase. In addition to the backbone, each building covered
by
this project (only state owned buildings will be fully funded) also
has internal conduits, cable trays, ladder
racks and new data communication rooms, known as "BDFs"
and "IDFs". From these BDFs and IDFs individual voice and data
cables fan out to the various offices, lecture halls and classrooms.
Almost all occupiable spaces on campus will eventually have a means of
connecting to the campus Wide Area Network (WAN) and then on to the
Internet. Those locations where it is impractical or not possible to
wire will be covered by the campus wireless lan.
Cables:
Each office, lecture hall, classroom
and lab area has received new voice and data cabling that complied with
the latest standards at the time the contract was accepted. In the case
of the data cabling, we have installed Category 5E unshielded twisted
pair cable
that is capable of handling 100 mBs data speeds, the highest speeds normally
available (or even necessary) for personal workstations.
Fiber:
"Where is the fiber?" This is the most asked question when
we are installing data connections. There is a misperception that only
fiber optic cable to the workstation can support high data speeds. Since
the cost of fiber Network Interface Cards, or NICs as they are called,
has been historically high, the twisted-pair based NIC industry has been
able to develop new cables and data algorithms that rival fiber optic
speeds. At this time there are no general plans to offer fiber to the
desktop and the fiber cabling will be used only for inter building ties
from main data switches where high speeds in the gigabit or higher range
are necessary to handle the traffic load, and in some locations where
departments have included extra funding for future high demand, high speed
access.
Connection Speeds:
Once all voice and data cables have been installed, new data electronics
will be installed. The new data equipment will guarantee all users 100
mBs speeds to all campus resources as well as high speed connection to
off campus resources.
Wireless:
CSULB Network Services is also working on providing wireless connectivity
in conjunction with the ITRP project. This wireless system is not actually
a part of the ITRP project, so it is being purchased with campus funds.
Upon its completion a person with a laptop that includes a wireless
card will be able to have network connectivity in almost any location
on campus. This system is already now in Beta test mode and separate
campus Web pages guide the users through connections.
What's In That Special Room?
Across the campus entirely new rooms
have been built to house voice,
fiber and network
termination points as well as network
electronics. To conform to new industry standards that have been
developed specifically to meet the demands of high speed networks,
these rooms have
improved lighting, air conditioning and room for expansion. Data cables
will be terminated there and "patched" to the network switches.
These rooms will also eventually be monitored 24x7 for intrusion,
fire,
water and heat problems.
The Details:
For those that like to know the details, here's an outline of just
how the cables finally get where they are going, after the design process
and before we install the electronics:
1. Roadways or sidewalks are saw cut to allow clean removal.
2. Trenches are dug to a specified depth, sometimes around and under
existing utility pathways. That's why the trenches are seldom straight.
3. Larger holes are dug for the utility "vaults" and the vaults
are put in place.
4. Conduits are laid in the trenches, glued together and inserted into
ready made holes in the utility vaults, or cored holes in the buildings.
5. Trenches are refilled by a layer of concrete to protect the plastic
conduits, then by asphalt, concrete, or dirt depending on the situation.
6. "Pull Ropes" are installed in the conduits, usually by a
compressed air system.
7. "Innderducts" are installed inside of the empty
conduits for fiber cable runs, to provide a greater degree of protection.
8. Copper (telephone) cables are pulled in, directly in the empty conduits,
using the pull ropes and "Tuggers" which are electric winches.
Telephone cables usually have a built in armor shield, and because of
that and their size innderduct is not used for telephone
cables.
9. Fiber cables are pulled into the innerducts, again using "Tuggers",
but usually a much smaller type.
10. Both copper and fiber cables are spliced where needed, using water
proof splice cases in the utility vaults.
11. Outside copper and fiber cables are finally terminated inside of
the building's telecommunications rooms. Copper cable are terminated
on "punch blocks" also known as voice or data "frames", and fiber cables
are terminated on patch panels.
12. Sometimes at the same time, but not always, interior copper "station"
cables for voice and data are pulled via a combination of conduits and
cable trays to the telecommunications room where they are terminated on
either the voice or data frames. In limited locations internal fiber station
cables are pulled for future high demand applications not addressed at
this time.
13. Internal voice and data cables are tested for installation compliance
by automated test equipment and final identification labels are applied.
14. After final acceptance by the campus, the data switches are installed
and patch cables from the switches to the termination blocks are installed.
Connecting
the user's PC(s) to the new network will be a coordinated
effort between Network Services and the department's technical support
resources. Cutover of the telephone services are coordinated by our Telecommunications
department.
ITRP Index | Network
Services Pages | CSULB Home
For questions email the Network Services Help Desk via net-help@csulb.edu
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