Network

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Category: 
Infrastructure
For: 
Student
PAS
PDI

The FIB computer equipment communicates over a local network that runs from building B6 to the computer labs in buildings A5, B5 and C6.Through this network you can access the XarxaUPC (the UPC computer network).The UPC computer network is part of the Internet and by extension that of the FIB is too. These networks are also connected to the i2cat research network and XSF (wireless network of the UPC).

The features of this network are: :

It is a rapid and homogeneous network

The network has been built with only one brand of equipment (CISCO Systems), which improves performance, avoids incompatibilities and makes maintenance and management much easier.
The whole network uses the same technology (10/100/1000 Ethernet), and all of the devices are managed switches.
The whole backbone of the network uses Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbps), as do the majority of the servers. The rest of the network points are 10/100 Mbps, which will be updated to 1 Gb over time.

We have a high availability data center

Since the end of June 2013, all servers are in the UPC data center, located in the basement of the Omega building. This high-availability data center has the latest technology network, power systems, uninterruptible power supplies and generators. This environment guarantees 100% performance throughout the year.

It is a reliable network

In the current network design, all of the switches have a double physical connection. In addition, the router is made up of a stack of two switches. These not only perform load balancing on a routing level but are also each capable of detecting the unavailability of the other and taking full control of the network.

It is a secure network

This is a fully switched network. The switches enable us to detect the presence of unauthorised machines on the network, and they can even block the port where a machine has connected.

We also have a set of high availability firewalls on different networks, adding more security to the services offered.

Double connection to the backbone

The FIB network has a double physical connection to the UPC backbone. Moreover, these two links go to different routers on the backbone, which guarantees access to the network outside UPC if one of them fails or if there is an electrical outage on the campus. These two links are 1 Gb full duplex and the load is balanced between these two lines. The routing protocol has been updated from RIP to OSPF, which is a more powerful protocol and one that introduces much less traffic onto the network. Another advantage is that the convergence time is a great deal smaller. Furthermore, it enables more routing capabilities with the use of variable length subnet masks (VLSM).

High Availability Routers

The backbone of the current network is made up of two level three switches (CISCO 3750G-E) , which are state-of-the-art technology, configured in stack mode. These switches are capable of working as both switches and routers. As a router, either of them is capable of providing the routing service should the other fail. These devices will also enable us to incorporate new technologies such as 10Gb into the network and provide advanced services such as multicast, OSPF, PoE, IPv6 or VoIP.

Network scheme:

 

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