THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY BEEFS UP CORE TO 10 GIGABIT WITH LATEST EXTREME NETWORKS UPGRADE

 

The College recently upgraded its core network to 10 gigabit bandwidth with the BlackDiamond® 8800 series switches and has added Extreme Networks Summit X450a switches for a new distribution layer to create redundancy throughout its entire campus network.

 

“Our top network priorities at the College are always availability, scalability and a good migration strategy so that we’re well set for the future,” said Alan Bowen, TCNJ’s Manager of IT Security (formerly Bowen was the College’s Network Systems Engineer). “Those were the priorities when Extreme Networks was chosen back in 2000 and they remain our priorities, and we’re still aligned.”

 

TCNJ relies on its network for student administrative and financial applications, its website, videoconferencing, residence hall management, video streaming, and Internet2 connectivity. One of the most important features of the solution, according to Bowen, was network recovery due to Extreme Networks’ Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS). EAPS allows for loop-free operation and sub-50-millisecond ring recovery of network services. According to Bowen, “There’s nothing out there like EAPS. With it, we haven’t had any major downtime since we’ve had Extreme Networks deployed.”

 

In 2000, TCNJ deployed a complete solution from Extreme Networks, and currently, more than 430 Extreme Networks switches are deployed throughout the College. BlackDiamond 8800 series switches create a redundant and scalable network core, Summit X450a switches comprise an out-of-band network for network management and the College’s point-of-sale system, while Summit X450a switches make up the distribution layer, and various Summit switches are deployed at the edge.  

 

Finally, Bowen says commitment to standards is something the College appreciates about Extreme Networks. “Extreme Networks supports all the standards, and we want to follow all the standards. We try not to use any proprietary protocols.  There are more and more standard protocols written into ExtremeXOS®. It’s not always the case that you get both performance and standards—it’s a win-win.”

 

Extreme Networks, Inc.                               

Extreme Networks provides converged Ethernet networks that support data, voice and video for enterprises and service providers. The company’s network solutions feature high performance and high availability switching that deliver insight and control enabling customers to solve their real-world business communications challenges. Operating in more than 50 countries, Extreme Networks provides wired and wireless secure LANs, data center infrastructure and Service Provider Ethernet transport solutions that are complemented by global, 24×7 service and support. For more information, visit http://www.extremenetworks.com.