The Networking group consists of four people. This group mainly works on the following:

• constantly researches latest networking capabilities to keep our network as up-to-date as resources will allow
• constantly monitors the network, looking for and thwarting hack attempts, denial-of-service attacks, worms & viruses, spyware & malware, and excessive bandwidth usage
• works to enhance services provided, such as LOCKER
• works to add wireless capabilities, as resources permit
• manages on-campus printing server and processes (Pharos and UniPrint)
• manages the network authentication process for connectivity to the network
• manages the bandwidth-shaping system to ensure bandwidth is available as needed
• maintains the Storage Area Network (SAN) system
• maintains the network cluster, providing connectivity to network resources through the Novell Netware environment
• works with Client Services group to troubleshoot and resolve network problems experienced by clients

Network:

The following explains the campus network environment:

• Network Topology

Oberlin College has an extensive fiber optic network connecting 76 buildings on campus.  Each building has one or more wiring closets where standard Ethernet cables are run to faceplates in every room for client connectivity.  There are some houses owned by the College where the local cable company provides connectivity.  The core of the network is gigabit (1 gigabit/second) and other parts of the network are either gigabit or 100Mbs.  Wireless is available in many areas on campus, including the Oberlin Inn.

The network is secured by a perimeter firewall, several internal firewalls, and host-based firewalls.  Virtual Private Network (VPN) services are used to ensure secure communications.  Network authentication is required for all devices and a basic security assessment is performed during authentication.  Users are required to change passwords periodically.  Anti-virus software is used on systems and we provide spam protection for e-mail.

• History

In 1990, the Center launched the present Campus network system with the installation of fiber optic cable from the Center to the King Building (48 fibers). As each subsequent summer's network installation was completed, the buildings affected were integrated into the growing system. With the completion of the 1997 summer projects, all administrative and academic buildings, and residential halls and co-ops were connected to the Campus network, with over 5000 active nodes at that time.

In the Summer, 2001, the replacement of the shared hubs and older switches was completed in order to provide full 10/100 switched capability to the desktop. A number of switches were upgraded in the summers of 2005 and 2007 in order to improve network management and offer gigabit to the desktop in some areas of campus.

• Our Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Our connection to the Internet is 75 Mbs using a Cisco router to Columbus, Ohio, with OARNET as our service provider.  We shape Internet traffic in order to give priority to academic services and to ensure resources are shared equitably.