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University Technology Services

• Network Performance Statistics
• Network Service Status Notices
• Network Security Information
• Campus Network Maps
• Principles & Rationale
• Distributed Servers Risks
• UTS Home

McMaster Network Performance Statistics
Performance information for the campus general purpose backbone network, Internet Gateway, and dial-in facilities. For more info: [Network Traffic Graphs]

Network Service Status Notices
Notices of scheduled service interruptions, changes, or information of general interest to users of the McMaster University network and network-based services are sent to mailing lists of affected areas and posted to the Daily News 'Worth Mentioning' section if generally applicable.

Preventative maintenance on network equipment or changes that may require significant parts of the network to experience service interruption are scheduled for Sunday mornings when possible, and work is begun early in order that service can be restored as soon as possible.

Over and above these announced service interruptions, additional time may be needed occasionally to repair faults that crop up, and to swap or reconfigure equipment. When this is necessary, notices are sent to administrative offices to pass on to personnel in affected areas.

Network Security Information
Information relating to internet gateway filtering and other network and host related security matters. For more info: [Campus firewall overview and FAQ]

Campus Network Maps
McMaster campus backbone & external interface network map. For more info:
[Campus Network Overview Diagram]

Principles & Rationale
One component of the UTS portfolio of responsibilities is to: Provide & Manage a Stable and Reliable Network with Both On & Off Campus Access.

Planning Principles
The network is not static, and technology evolves even more rapidly than with general-purpose computing systems. Network design and evolution should entail the following principles (following Guiding Principles for Designing and Growing, Philip E. Long, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Volume 23, Number 1):

• Ongoing planning is required -- the network should be continuously renewed as usage of all types increases and the institution comes to depend more heavily upon it (incremental, graceful growth)
• The network is a production system -- change must be managed carefully & conservatively, design must be based on open standards and use standard building blocks, the network must be implemented using commodity components, and incorporate an appropriate level of redundancy
• Costs are operating, not capital -- (except for cabling and distributed switches, where one-time money is appropriate to extend and upgrade the network), investment should follow demonstrated cost-benefit since all capacity incurs some level of ongoing maintenance
• Networks require active management -- management data and error reports are essential to providing reliable service, as is active probing and monitoring for failure, traffic peaks and security breaches

Distributed Server Risks
There are a growing number of distributed departmental applications housed on a server located within the department for convenience of maintenance.
Read the article: Risks With Distributed Servers (01/30/2009)

Operating Principles (rough list)

• Infrastructure support only, not application support (up to the wall plug - Tech. Services will go further to install networking software on your computer and ensure it is operational - LAN group & HelpDesk offer further support elements)
• Customers are required to pay for new network connections, unless it is a new building or major renovation capital funds project administered by the Planning Department in Physical Plant
• Established data connections are upgraded from time to time when one-time funds are granted for the purpose, administered through UTS
• UTS administers the McMaster domain name and IP address assignment process and all IP numbers beginning with 130.113... must have a McMaster domain name (the name must end in .mcmaster.ca)
• The UTS network operating budget provides for maintenance of the campus backbone cabling and electronic switch & router components, as well as the building subnet interface switch. Except for subnets administered by customer groups, maintenance is provided for the building backbone electronics and wiring up to the wall jack