York College Goes High Tech
by Betsy Ziobron and Janet Crook

York College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY), recently upgraded its Academic Core Building to provide students and faculty with the latest technology for the 2003-2004 academic year. A four-level structure that houses open study spaces, classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, art studios, and the college library, the Academic Core Building is the heart of activity for York College and for the advanced campus-wide network.
“ We’re committed to providing all of our students with a level of computer expertise for a competitive edge as they prepare to enter the job market,” says Dave Goetz, York’s senior academic computing systems administrator. “We are also committed to integrating technology into all of our academic programs.”

Future Ready
Information technology has become central to all aspects of an academic environment. Because the rate of technological change is increasing, campus-wide infrastructures must be designed to support network requirements for many decades. “We’re seeing a need for more Internet use in the classroom, multimedia in the lecture halls, email communications between faculty and students, wireless network access, and distance learning,” says Goetz. “Our old network just couldn’t handle these types of applications, and it was time for an upgrade that could take us forward at least 25 years.”
When state funding allowed York to upgrade their existing network infrastructure from a 10Base-T Thick Ethernet system to a switched Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet backbone, York’s Center for Academic Computing specified multimode backbone fiber and a Category 6 horizontal cabling system with a minimum 25-year warranty. To ensure a quality network infrastructure and warranty, York selected fiber optic and copper connectivity from Hubbell Premise Wiring and cable from General Cable.
The ClearBIT solution, a combination of jacks, patch panels, patch cords, faceplates, and racks from Hubbell and fiber optic and Category 6 cable from General Cable is an integrated end-to-end system. With transmission performance of each link and channel tested using state-of-the-art equipment, third party verification, and independent testing, the ClearBIT solution is guaranteed for 25 years. The Hubbell Premise Wiring MISSION CRITICAL® 25-year warranty delivers standards-compliant, error-free Gigabit Ethernet transmission (per IEEE 802.3ab definition) and guarantees the components, performance, and installation integrity of the structured cabling system.
To meet our specifications, we needed a high-end solution with an installation that could be certified,” says Goetz. “We were very specific in asking for Hubbell certified contractors so we didn’t risk having inferior products installed.” To offer the MISSION CRITICAL warranty, each Hubbell certified installer participates in a comprehensive training program.

Smart Technology
Working with switch manufacturer Alcatel and Hubbell Premise Wiring, York’s Center for Academic Computing designed a redundant backbone infrastructure for the Academic Core Building. The infrastructure consists of 12 pairs of multimode fiber optic cable from the main cross connect (MC) in the data center to each of the building’s intermediate cross connects (ICs) located in 23 telecommunications rooms (TRs). “We have two core switches with fiber connected to each switch,” explains Goetz. “If anything fails on the first core switch, the system automatically switches over to the other core switch for redundancy.”
According to Goetz, the Academic Computing team strived to standardize the infrastructure, ensuring that the workstations on each floor were served by ICs on that floor. “In the past, we didn’t have a TR up on the fourth floor so the horizontal cable was crossing floors,” says Goetz. “We added additional TRs, cleaned out the old coax, and completely rebuilt the MC and existing ICs to bring everything up to standard.”
In each MC and IC, all fiber is terminated via Hubbell Premise Wiring’s Optichannel fiber patch cords and FSP adapter panels installed in Optichannel rack mount panels using SC-type connectors. The horizontal Command LINX 6 Category 6 cable terminates onto Hubbell’s NEXTSPEED® patch panels via Xcelerator patch cords. All cable is managed in the ICs with Hubbell NEXTFRAME® vertical cable channels, horizontal managers, and cable management accessories. The critical network equipment is stored in NEXTFRAME equipment racks.
“ The horizontal cabling supports more than 1500 workstations throughout the building,” says Goetz. “Most offices and classrooms have two data connections and lecture halls have four data connections – two in the main hall and two in the projection control area.” A computer laboratory complex in the Academic Core Building is equipped with 70 networked computers, while the library is supplemented with high-speed access to the entire City University library system. “The data connections provide ‘smart’ technology for our classrooms and lecture halls,” says Goetz. “Each room contains Internet connectivity and the ability to provide LCD projection for new innovative teaching methods.”
Data connections are terminated at workstations using Hubbell Category 6 Xcelerator jacks housed in Hubbell Infin-e-Station modular faceplates. “We worked one on one with York to ensure they had the right Hubbell products for the various academic areas,” says Seth Kaplowitz, local district sales manager for Hubbell Premise Wiring. “For example, in science laboratories, we suggested the use of stainless-steel faceplates to prevent possible corrosion caused by chemicals.”

Enhanced Learning
The 15-week installation of the cabling system, completed by Open Systems Technologies (OST) and subcontractor ICAS Corporation, included the implementation of Cisco wireless access points to provide students with unlimited Internet access in and around the Academic Core Building. “We have forty 802.11b access points throughout the college, including in the lecture halls,” says Goetz. “The wireless connections provide Internet access, and for security we set up specific student servers so students cannot access critical inside file servers.” York’s student servers also provide each student with an email address and allow them to practice programming and create individual web sites.
York College’s student body reflects the cultural diversity of the borough of Queens and the New York City metropolitan area, and many attendees combine the role of student with that of employee and parent. “Students need to be able to take courses from home, and we encourage our faculty members to use the distance learning lab to develop innovative multimedia distance learning courses,” says Goetz. “Our distance learning lab has live videoconference capabilities with all CUNY colleges and can also be connected to other intuitions around the nation through ISDN lines.” Blackboard, York’s web-based course management system, provides students with asynchronous, hybrid, and web-enhanced courses. A dedicated high-speed ATM link also connects the York College network to the University Computer Center, which provides high-speed access to all other CUNY campuses.
“ Our new infrastructure provides the speed and bandwidth needed to support enhanced learning applications. We currently have 100BASE-T to the desktop, and the Hubbell-General Cable ClearBIT solution gives us the potential to increase that to Gigabit,” says Goetz. “The next step is to upgrade the four buildings outside of the Academic Core Building to connect them to a 100BASE-T system.” According to Goetz, the Category 6 ClearBIT solution also supports York’s future goal of exploring applications such as video over IP and wireless IP phones.
“ We will continue to follow our mission of preparing students to develop technological literacy and skill,” say Goetz. “Our new infrastructure and future upgrades will support all academic and administrative areas, providing a seamless sharing of our network and Internet resources.”