3COM: Fitchburg State College provides 21st century access to information
with 3Com ATM network
Presswire - April 06, 1998 15:05
COMS V%M2 P%M2PR
M2 PRESSWIRE-6 April 1998-3COM: Fitchburg State College provides 21st century access to information with 3Com ATM
network (C)1994-98 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
-- FalconNet offer students telephone, voice mail, video and data network/Internet services at a 71% savings over comparable
service providers
3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced that Fitchburg State College, located in Fitchburg, MA, has deployed a
state-of-the-art asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) campus communications network that will provide voice, video and data
communication to every resident student, campus classroom, as well as all faculty, staff and administrator desktops. The 3Com
network, which utilizes both new and existing cable infrastructure, is designed to not only satisfy current needs but enable
future opportunities for expansion and technological advancements.
Known as FalconNet, the cutting-edge communications system upgrade provides for full graphical interface to the Internet,
quality cable-ready TV access and exceptional telephone service, including voice mail. The network provides ubiquitous
Internet access from anywhere on campus and allows for voice and video transmission over IP networks. The network also
allows for automation of faculty and staff offices to track admissions and scholastic records.
After evaluating competing network technologies and vendors, Fitchburg concluded that 3Com's ATM solution was the best
choice, both now and for the future. "The high-aggregate throughput of 3Com's ATM campus backbone promised to deliver
peak performance, even in the growth segments of the network," said Michael Rivard, vice president of finance at Fitchburg.
"3Com's clear migration path also assured us that the networking equipment purchased will accommodate Gigabit Ethernet
technology when needed."
Offering Advanced Services to the Campus Community
FalconNet brings its students, faculty and administrative community 21st century access to information. Through FalconNet,
Fitchburg is able to offer students telephone, voice mail, video and data network/Internet services at a 71% savings over
comparable service providers.
Telephone service includes one phone jack per resident with free local dial tone service, call waiting and call hold. Students
receive a 10% discount on long-distance and international calling rates along with calling cards and pre-paid phone cards. A
fully functional voice mailbox with storage space is also available to each resident. Individual Personal Authorization Code
(PAC) numbers allow students to access telephone and voice mail services campus wide.
Satellite video services allow for one cable-ready video jack with signal splitting capabilities per dorm room, classroom and
office. In addition to the 32 local and network channels, one campus movie channel and four other campus channels are also
included in the low-cost cable package.
The data network/Internet services provide one data port per resident and off-campus dial-in ability, giving students access to
the residence hall intranet and campus data network regardless of where they are located. Fitchburg's e-mail server provides
every member of the campus community with e-mail and 10 mg of space for storage. Various types of files can be stored and
accessed from this location in addition to e-mail. An FTP server allows for an on-campus Internet site where users can
download site-licensed files and shareware. This service allows for distribution of software as well as a central location to
access documentation such as instructional material.
Other services being considered are a DHCP server for dynamically allocating IP addresses, a CD-ROM tower to house
knowledge base CDs and application upgrades and an automated help desk trouble ticket tracking system.
"Fitchburg's new 3Com ATM network demonstrates its commitment to provide a comprehensive array of services to students,
faculty and administration, as well as to the students of the future," said David Katz, 3Com's global education industry
manager.
New Technologies Build on Existing Infrastructure
Fitchburg's new network utilizes both its new and existing cable plant to provide campus wide connectivity. In addition to the
existing Category 5 cable plant, over 2.5 million feet of new wire was installed, including over 5000 new Category 5 cables
to support new phone extensions and additional network connections. Fitchburg also installed over 300 additional strands of
multi-mode fiber optic cable to enhance the existing fiber optical plant, ensuring the capability of high-speed connectivity in
every building.
The enterprise networking solution selected by Fitchburg provides a multi-switch ATM OC-3 backbone with Fast Ethernet
uplinks. Two CoreBuildertm 7000 switches with 2.5 gigabit non-blocking ATM switch fabric and 20 gigabit backplanes form
the heart of the network, providing ATM connectivity to all campus buildings. SuperStack II Hub 10s provide over 1400 new
10base-T shared Ethernet ports, connecting all student dorm rooms and campus labs. SuperStack 1000 switches offer over
1000 new switched/dedicated 10base-T and 100base-T Ethernet ports to connect faculty and administrative offices. To truly
create an end-to-end network solution, students and faculty may purchase 3Com EtherLink III 10 Mbps network interface cards
from the campus bookstore.
Fitchburg uses 3Com's Transcend network management to create a management structure that enables easier configuration,
better performance and reliable operation. To guarantee network reliability, Fitchburg purchased 3Com's 3ComCaresm
Guardiansm service contract which promises next day hardware replacement on all of the colleges newly acquired 3Com
switches and hubs.
"Transcend software provides us with complete network monitoring through a single management station, the ability to manage
and configure remote devices and network performance analysis," said Joseph Turner, Fitchburg's network administrator.
"Overall, Transcend network management enables a small number of personnel to effectively manage a sophisticated
network."
A firewall was placed between Fitchburg's Local Area Network (LAN) and the Internet to protect the college from
unauthorized access to computers and valuable information from outside the college's domain. The 3Com ATM infrastructure
also gave Fitchburg the ability to establish Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) for more flexible, cost effective network
management. VLANs were built to serve administration, student lab, residence and Internet functions.
"In today's growing and changing technology market it is important to know that the dollars spent today will continue to hold
value in the future," said Roy Hall III, director of MIS at Fitchburg. "Because of the superior infrastructure and the modularity
of the 3Com network components, scaling our network to accommodate technological advancements will be seamless."
About 3Com
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to communicate and share information and resources at
anytime from anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology,
3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 100 million customers worldwide. The company provides large
enterprises, small and medium enterprises, carriers and network service providers, and consumers comprehensive, innovative
information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area
networks. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at 3com.com or the press site at
http//www.3com.com/pressbox.
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