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In summary,
- Big network changes.
- Check table below for your building's cutover date.
- Devices in your building will have no network access at some point on your cutover date.
- After your building's cutover date, test your technology. Test long before you need it.
The Division of Technology Services is wrapping up a multi-year project that is replacing all of the fiber optic communication cables across campus. As part of the same project, we are upgrading all network communications gear in our communications rooms in each building to align with new physical and logical requirements.
In the summer of 2022, we prepared for the physical replacement of the equipment. We are now at the end of the project and ready to deploy that new equipment with the new software supporting the new features!
What Can I Expect?
Hopefully, you will not notice that the network equipment in the closet has changed! During the network equipment replacement, we will be installing new equipment that will have physically different capabilities and will be running new software to provide additional security features we have never had available before. We have done our best to mitigate as many of the likely scenarios as possible. However, we would be remiss to expect all issues to have been addressed for the nearly 20,000 devices that connect to our network.
During the migration time, all buildings will have total network outages at some point for every device on the network. You should expect that every device whether wired or wireless will lose connectivity with the campus network and thus the Internet as well.
| Risk |
Mitigation |
| Devices that can only connect to the network at 10 Mbps or at only half-duplex will no longer be supported. The newer switching equipment will only support 100 Mbps and higher equipment at full-duplex. |
We have identified these devices over the past year and have been working with the individuals associated with those devices. While we believe we have addressed all of the equipment, there may equipment that has been hiding in storage rooms that have not been online when we have scanned the network. We have a temporary short-term work around but we will have to find a way to replace that equipment in the long term. |
| Both wireless and wired devices that may have been able to talk peer-to-peer in the past will no longer be permitted to do by default. |
The primary reason for the software upgrade of the network is to provide more security to each individual device that is on the network, whereas in the past we did that at a campus level only. This change will be primarily transparent to most of the devices on our network. Most devices just want to reach out to the Internet and that will be possible.
However, some special equipment and specialty software may expect to "talk" to other devices on our network. This will not be permitted by default, but we have designed the new network to be more flexible in providing this service capability to select endpoints. This will require work between the end-user of that service, the vendor that provides that service or equipment, and Technology Services. |
| Wireless devices will connect to the network in the same way, but the way the traffic moves across the network will have increased protection. |
Devices will not need to make any changes in the way they connect to the WiFi network. The WiFi profile will not change but the transport of the data will change. See the above peer-to-peer information for wired and wireless clients. |
| Like with the wireless network, wired devices will no longer be allowed on the network without our knowledge of those devices. |
Microsoft Window and Apple devices that are managed by DoTS will automatically be accepted on the network. Devices that are not registered through DoTS will have to be registered in the network control system before they will be permitted on the network.
To comply with the UW System Information Security Policies we must control and manage devices connecting to our network. Devices not owned or leased by the university will be permitted but will have very limited access. If devices do not have the access that was expected, we will need to investigate and identify a plan that is congruent with the UW System Information Security Policies. |
Schedule
There are numerous factors that affect the order and timing of each building. DoTS staff have tried to identify the shortest time frames required to complete the work for each building. There will be a wide range of impacts across all facilities.
If you feel that the time frame for your building will have an unmitigated impact on your program, please
contact DoTS immediately. As stated, we need to accomplish these changes before August 1; the more time we have to realize a change in schedule, the better.
Published dates and times are service windows in which a complete and total outage may occur. However, the outage is not expected to happen for the full duration of that time. It is also very possible that due to unforeseen circumstances, an outage window may run past its published end time.
| Date |
Service Window |
Facility |
| April 2023 |
n/a |
- Division of Technology Services staff
|
| June 28, 2023 |
8 am - 4 pm |
|
| July 10, 2023 (Mon) |
8 am - noon |
- CHP - Central Heating Plant
- CWP - Chilled Water Plant
- RDI- Regional Development Center
|
| July 10, 2023 (Mon) |
noon - 9 pm |
- FM - Facilities Management
- USB - Unheated Storage Building
- R-LOT: Parking Lot R
- HAZ - Hazardous Materials
|
| July 11, 2023 (Tue) |
8 am - noon |
|
| July 11, 2023 (Tue) |
noon - 9 pm |
- HAT - Hathorn Hall
- All Wings
- Includes Residence Life offices
- MAY - May Hall
- STR - Stratton Hall
- DAY - CHILD Center (starting after 5 pm)
|
| July 12, 2023 (Wed) |
8 am - noon |
- CRA - Crabtree Hall
- GRM - Grimm Hall
|
| July 12, 2023 (Wed) |
noon - 9 pm |
- JAS - Jesse Ames Suites
- SFS - South Fork Suites
- PAR - Parker Hall
- MCM - McMillan Hall
|
| July 13, 2023 (Thu) |
8 am - noon |
- WEB - Walker Wyman Education Building
|
| July 13, 2023 (Thu) |
noon - 9 pm |
- KFA - Kleinpell Fine Arts
|
| July 14, 2023 (Fri) |
8 am - noon |
|
| July 14, 2023 (Fri) |
noon - 9 pm |
|
| July 17, 2023 (Mon) |
8 am - 9 pm |
- AEA - Ag Engineer Annex
- AGS - Agricultural Science
- FSA - Food Science Addition
- GRN - Green House
- AMP - Amphitheater
- Blue Stem Pathway North
- JHN - Johnson Hall
|
| July 18, 2023 (Tue) |
8 am - noon |
- MVF - Mann Valley Farm (Farm 2)
- NH - North Hall, including WRFW
|
| July 18, 2023 (Tue) |
noon - 9 pm |
- CSH - Centennial Science Hall
|
| July 19, 2023 (Wed) |
8 am - noon |
- CLF - Campus Lab Farm (Farm 1)
- PRU - Prucha Hall
|
| July 19, 2023 (Wed) |
5 pm - 9 pm |
- SCVBI - St. Croix Valley Business Incubator
|
| July 24, 2023 (Mon) |
8 am - 9 pm |
- FC - Falcon Center Complex
- Falcon Center Main Building
- Soccer Complex
- Softball Complex
- Ground Office
- DSS - David Smith Stadium
- Blue Stem Pathway South
|
| July 25, 2023 (Tue) |
8 am - 9 pm |
Overflow - any buildings, spaces, etc. that require extra work or rescheduling. |
Scope of each building
-
All emergency phones tied to a building (elevators, blue lights, and panic devices) will be down at some point during the published time. Cisco telephones and Cisco Jabber phones in these buildings may also not be able to place or receive calls, including those to 911 in an emergency.
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The new switches will be installed in place of the old switches. This will require unplugging all devices attached to the switch in the communications room and replugging them into the new switch. We have tried and true processes to double-check our work as we do this.
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The old fiber optic plant will be abandoned as the old switches are removed and the new switches will be connected to the new fiber plant. We will have pre-staged these new connections but in some cases, we have to re-use inside building circuits, and in some cases that also is new infrastructure that will be pre-staged.
General scope of the project
-
Replace fiber optic cabling that was installed in the late 1980's and early 1990's for all main campus buildings. Project creates a redundant loop to two new central nodes positioned at each end of main campus. Also creates a new redundant loop to south campus creating a new ring to Campus Lab Farm, to Falcon Center and back to main campus.
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Add additional capabilities at the Amphitheatre and the Intramurals complex.
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Replace all existing switching gear on a scheduled life cycle; last major refresh was 2014/2015.
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Create an all-new network topology design with new network hardware that will have "software defined networking" capabilities. This will allow us to implement "cloud like" security features at a much lower (detailed) level than we are capable of now.
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Collapsing the wired, wireless and VPN platforms into a single secure system instead of three separate systems giving each use a single identity across any mode of connectivity.
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Increase system to system security to aid in slowing attacks that propagate across the network, such as ransomware.