The College of New Jersey upgrades core to 10G with Extreme Networks switches
AUGUST 19, 2009 -- Extreme Networks Inc. (search Lightwave for Extreme Networks) has announced that the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) has made strategic upgrades to its campus network via Extreme Networks switch products.
The college upgraded its core network to 10-Gigabit bandwidth with Extreme Networks' BlackDiamond 8800 series switches and has added 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," says Alan Bowen, TCNJ's manager of IT security (formerly 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 web site, videoconferencing, residence hall management, video streaming, and Internet2 connectivity. One advantage of the upgrade was network recovery due to Extreme Networks' Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS). EAPS allows for loop-free operation and sub-50-ms 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 system from Extreme Networks and more than 400 Extreme Networks switches are currently 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. Summit X450a switches make up the distribution layer and various Summit switches are deployed at the edge.
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."
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