Colby's wired network infrastructure includes all network jacks and ports, the electronic switches and routers that they connect to as well as the physical copper and fiber optic cables interconnecting them. If you have a problem with a network jack or port, please contact the appropriate helpdesk for support.
The Colby network core, or backbone, currently consists of four core routers and two edge routers redundantly connected by Gigabit Ethernet over fiber. Traffic filtering (by application and protocol) is performed at the network edge for bandwidth efficiency. Upgrades are planned for 2007-08 that will bring the Core up to 10-Gigabit capacity.
Internet access is provided through three independent data connections hosted by two private peers - MidMaine Communications and Great Works Internet (GWI). The total capacity of these connections is currently 75Mbps. Traffic information on these connections can be found here.
All Academic and Administrative buildings on campus offer 100 Mbps Ethernet connections with Gigabit Ethernet uplinks to the core. Ports are available in offices, classrooms, labs and in some public areas. Many buildings have already been upgraded to gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet to the desktop. These upgrades are ongoing and will eventually include the residence halls as well.
Residence halls are networked with 100Mbps Ethernet with Gigabit Ethernet uplinks to the core. There is a network port for each student in her/his room and additional ports are provided for connecting notebook computers in many lounges and in the libraries and classrooms. Students are required to provide their own network cable for residential connections.
All wired and wireless network connections in the residence halls are under the control of the Network Access Control (NAC) system, which requires a valid account and system validation.
Instructions on connecting to the wired network can be found at ITS Support and Services.
