VCCS IP Network

Version: 1.0
Status: Supported by the IISG - 2/16/01
Contact: Ronald Olton

PURPOSE 

The purpose of this guideline is to provide the colleges of the Virginia Community College System with the information they need to implement and utilize the IP wide area network infrastructure.

SCOPE

These guidelines cover the strategy and components used to deliver IP wide area network services and to support the convergence of data, voice and video applications on the campus network infrastructure.

APPLICABILITY

These guidelines are applicable to all colleges and campuses within the VCCS.

GUIDELINE

Strategy:

This guideline provides the campus connectivity requirements for access to an improved, IP based, VCCS wide area network operating across Net.Work.Virginia. The wide area network will provide connectivity among the campuses and access to the Internet. It will add connectivity to high-speed national networks, IP Quality of Service, and IP Multicasting support.

By converging voice, video, and data traffic on to one wide area network and adding IP QoS support, the various types of traffic can be managed in relation to one another.

The network will continue to provide full mesh connectivity among the VCCS campuses, with each campus also having one or more connections to the Internet.

The addition of IP Multicast will provide transport for video streaming applications.

The new design improves performance and reduces the cost of college communication needs. It will also prepare Virginia’s Community Colleges for access to new, national scaled, high-speed IP networks.

This document will be updated to adapt to changes in technology, as they occur.

Network Components: (See figure 1 below)

Campus Edge Routers:
Each campus edge router will continue to be connected to the campus ATM switch. They will be reconfigured to support IP Precedence (for QoS) and IP Multicast. A range of router models (see recommendations below) will provide multiple campus connectivity options, based on the bandwidth needs of the campus. Thus allowing colleges to select the most appropriate router for each campus.

The campus edge router will also be connected to a campus backbone switch, providing WAN connectivity for the campus.

The 3640 routers will continue to be connected to the campus PBX or Centrex, providing voice gateway support for the campus PSTN connection and “regular” campus telephone systems. Campuses that use “IP” telephones will be supported directly across the campus backbone network.

The 3640 router will provide campus gatekeeper services for campus telephone applications and for H.323 video sessions.

The campus 3640 will be disconnected from the campus ATM switch, eliminating the need for a separate voice only network.

By creating VLANs for the different types of traffic, different collision domains will be created and the number of class C addresses can be minimized.

                                          Figure 1 - VCCS IP Networking Infrastructure

All college network infrastructure resources defined in this guideline are to be protected in accordance with the Virginia Community College System network security policy. See the “Distributed Security” model on the VCCS home page for more information.

The colleges are responsible for providing both physical security and access authorization services for their devices by following the guidelines provided.

Support:

The VCC Utility and the colleges should maintain service contracts on all of the devices defined in this guideline, to facilitate repair and replacement of defective devices.

Technical support is organized into three levels:

Level 2, the Utility Call Desk:
Call Desk staff provides the point of contact for college support staff and college customers. They are expected to resolve routine problems related to IP networking.
Utility product specialists will work with college support staff and vendors to research solutions to non-routine IP problems, and to obtain appropriate solutions such as product patches, new releases, etc.

Level 3, the vendors:
The vendors are responsible for maintaining their products by providing product patches, information, new releases, etc.

Hardware Recommendations:

ATM Switches - The standard remains the Cisco 1010 or equivalent. No changes are required at this time.

Edge Routers - The standard remains the Cisco 4700 or equivalent. No hardware changes are anticipated at this time. However, each location should monitor the traffic and performance of the edge devices to determine utilization and when a change might be needed.

The following factors should be considered when evaluating a move to a larger router:

1. The router CPU utilization should be monitored. The Cisco guideline indicates customer should consider upgrading at 50% utilization.

2. When additional features are required or the current configuration can't be expanded.

3. The number and size of the packets passing through the router.

Cisco 3660 router or equivalent: 12,000 packets per second

Cisco 7204 router or equivalent: 300,000 packets per second

The following are minimum configurations if a change is required:

Option One: Cisco 3660 - Typical Campus Configuration 

Cisco 7204 - Typical Campus Configuration

Campus Gateway Routers - The existing 3640 routers will require a fast Ethernet connection to converge the voice and video services with the data network. The 3640 class routers should have sufficient resources and scalability for the near future.

Campus Core Switch - The design and equipment should be determined by each college. However, colleges should closely follow the VCCS Campus Infrastructure Guideline (www.vccs.edu/its/guidelines/Campus_Infrastructure_Guidelines2.htm).

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