Network Support

Primary Contact: Larry Coulson
Secondary Contact: TBD
Tertiary Contact: Scott Delinger

Networking allows a computer to leverage content and resources available externally to be much more powerful than it would be otherwise. Proper configuration, connection, and installation of settings is crucial to a properly configured networked computer. Our Department, through our Alberta ISRIP grant "Electronic Data Infrastructure Upgrade", completed the installation of a new network infrastructure which offers many improvements over the previous network:

• Gigabit Ethernet as a switching fabric, with a concentrator capable of ten times that speed internally. Redundant paths are installed for fail-over support should the concentrator fail. All of the core switches are managed, so that we may analyze performance for errors and load issues.
• 100 Mbps (Fast) Ethernet available to the desktop, in a switched environment, so that the traffic is less susceptible to sniffing, as well as enhancing throughput.
• 10Base2 (coax) networking has been removed. Legacy LocalTalk is being reduced to only those legacy nodes unable to run Ethernet, and the LocalTalk runs are as short as possible.
• Our firewall is deny by default, so new vulnerabilities only affect those exposed services on machines exposed to the outside (campus network and Internet).

Please submit your request to our Help Desk. The Help Desk automatically alerts the correct individuals of the request. If you cannot reach the Help Desk (computer completely inoperative, network down), call one of the primary contacts for this service. The Help Desk is designed to help you and us track requests, provide a forum for Frequently Asked Questions, and help us keep you apprised of our progress on your requests.