The following are some examples of the projects the unit is currently working on.
The design of the Lancaster University campus network dates back to the late 1980’s and early 90’s.
Whilst the underlying network technology has seen continual advancements over the last 15 years, including the introduction of switching technology and Gigabit Ethernet, the campus network topology has remained largely the same. This topology was perfectly suited to the environment 15 years ago, and has served the needs of users reasonably well over the years. However, the environment is now very different – not only has there has been considerable growth in the usage of the Internet as a whole, but network applications and services (such as e-mail and web access) are now an essential requirement for day-to-day working. With this new scale of operation comes an increased expectation from users, additional demands on networking support and new threats from the outside world – in light of all these factors, it is becoming increasingly clear that the current network design is unable to meet the long term needs of the University.
Since early 2004, the Network Research and Special Projects Unit have led the redesign of the campus network, overseeing the migration of the network from a flat infastructure to a routed design. This major activity concluded at the end of 2006, having successfully migrated all buildings on campus to their own, individual, subnetwork.
Lancaster is the only University in the UK to hold a Public Telephone Operator (PTO) license.
This license gives the University a number of powers, including the ability to install equipment at BT exchanges, and operate services across the copper wire into schools, businesses and residential homes. NRSP are pursuing this activity in the region, and looking into how this service might be available to staff and students of the University in the near future - for further information on Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), please contact us.
Delivering ADSL and wireless broadband to the small idyllic village of Wray.
[ About the project ]