Configuration

Campus-Wide Microcomputer Network: Approximately 6,000 microcomputers are deployed throughout campus. Of these, nearly two-thirds are connected to the campus-wide network. (These numbers include the microcomputers in the Instructional Computing Labs, described below.) There are 55 NetWare file servers attached to this network.

Instructional Computing Labs: Fourteen General Access Computing Labs provide access to over 500 microcomputers (PCs, Macintoshes, and UNIX workstations) and associated printing facilities for all UNT students. One of these labs is an adaptive lab, established primarily to support students with special needs. One lab is open 24 hours/day. Several specialized departmental and college computing labs are also available, on a restricted basis.

Remote Access: A limited number of free local and metro (Dallas/Fort Worth) dial-up lines are available to UNT users. In addition, almost 200 low-cost "premium" dial-up lines are available to students, faculty, and staff from the local and metro areas. Users of the premium dial-up service pay a subscription fee, which offsets part of the cost of the service. No more than sever users are subscribed for each premium service modem. Users of these dial-up services may connect to UNT host systems and other systems connected to the Internet.

Research Computing Systems: A Sun multi-processor UNIX computer system provides a cost-effective platform for computation-intensive scientific computing with four (4) 143-MHz UltraSPARC CPUs, 1 gigabyte of real ECC memory and an additional 2 gigabytes of disk based virtual memory, and over 40 gigabytes of disk storage. This system is expected to expand to six (6) faster CPUs, 1.5 gigabytes of ECC RAM, and over 250 gigabytes of disk storage within the 1997 fiscal year and is capable of expanding to as many as 14 CPUs, 14 gigabytes of ECC RAM and over 10 terabytes of disk storage over its life span.

General Access UNIX Systems: A Sun SPARCserver 1000E multi-processor UNIX computer system provides a cost-effective platform for servicing the general Internet needs of over 15,000 students, faculty, and staff and is expected to expand easily to meet the demands of our entire campus population of over 30,000 potential users. The system is currently configured with four (of a possible eight) Sun 85-Mhz SuperSPARC RISC CPU's, 512 megabytes of RAM of a possible total of 2 gigabytes, 512 megabytes of disk based virtual memory, and over 40 gigabytes of disk storage. This system is intended to be expanded to its full complement of 8 processors, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and an estimated 250 gigabytes of disk. There is a potential of clustering this UNIX system with other units for additional processing power.

UNIX & Network Support Systems: A Sun SPARC20 with an 65MHz SuperSPARC CPU, 64 megabytes of memory, and 5.6 gigabytes of disk storage serves as our central campus E-Mail router for the unt.edu domain, Primary Domain Name Server for the unt.edu domain, Primary BOOTP server for the unt.edu domain, and the Math Department's Gopher/WWW server for the Electronic Journal of Differential Equations.

A Sun SPARC20 with an 65MHz SuperSPARC CPU, 128 megabytes of memory, and 36 gigabytes of disk storage serves as our primary campus USENET News server.

A Sun Netra-i-150 with a 143MHz UltraSPARC CPU, 64 megabytes of memory, and 14.7 gigabytes of disk storage serves as WWW server for unt.edu and our central campus ftp site.

A Sun Ultra1 with a 143MHz UltraSPARC CPU, 64 megabytes of memory, and 12 gigabytes of disk storage serves as our central file server for locally compiled software and also provides network-wide backup services for over 27 UNIX workstations and servers across campus backing up over 100 gigabytes of data per week.

A Solbourne S4000DX with a 40-Mhz SPARC CPU, 32 megabytes of memory, and 733 megabytes of disk storage serves as Academic Computing Services' NIS master server and controls the entire user-ID base for both the Research UNIX Systems and the General Access UNIX Systems. Four Intel Pentium systems are being prepared to absorb this responsibility and support a migration from NIS to NIS+ services.

A CompuAdd SS2 with a 40Mhz SPARC CPU, 32 megabytes of memory, and 4.6 gigabytes of disk storage serves as our UNIX Systems Printer Server WWW server for individual's web pages, gopher server for unt.edu, and gopher server for the City of Denton in a co-operative pilot project to demonstrate the Internet's usefulness to the City community and government. This system also serves as the Internet point of contact for the Dallas Museum of Art. A Sun SPARCstation 20 Model 50, a Sun SPARCstation LX, and an Intel Pentium system running Solaris 2.5 x86 serve as administrative workstations for systems management, monitoring, and auditing.

Network Operations Center (NOC): A Sun SPARCstation 10, Model 41, with 96 megabytes of memory and 9 gigabytes of disk storage, is used by the Computing Center to remotely manage most of UNT's critical data communications devices, including network management server/client, dial-up authentication, and backup Bootp services. Cabletron's Spectrum software provides a graphical interface to devices supporting SNMP and RMON protocols. The Network Operations Center also provides an interface between e-mail and pagers carried by computer support personnel, and serves as the Secondary Domain Name Server for the unt.edu domain. Two additional SPARC 10's provide similar/backup services.

Computer Science: The Department of Computer Science has recently acquired a Sun Enterprise Model 4000, with two (2) UltraSPARC CPUs and 256 megabytes of memory (both of which are expandable), and a DLT 4000 tape drive. An older Sequent Symmetry computer system, shared by the Departments of Computer Science and Physics, is being phased out.

Other Academic UNIX Systems: Several other UNIX systems are used by various UNT departments to support academic and research functions. Systems include Sun workstations, HP 9000's, Silicon Graphics workstations, and a Masscomp. These are used primarily by science departments, such as the Institute of Applied Sciences, the Center for Network Neuro Science, and Departments of Geography, Mathematics, Engineering Technology, Physics, and Chemistry.

Libraries' DEC Alpha: The Libraries' DEC Alpha computer system supports a comprehensive library automation system. The system accepts catalog records from the Online College Library Center (OCLC) and direct input from local networked microcomputers. The system controls all circulation, regular and reserved, and notifies users when material is overdue or requested by other users. The database may be accessed from many locations in the University's libraries, from any terminal or microcomputer on the campus network, and from off-campus locations.

Libraries' CD-ROM Network: The Libraries' 130 CD-ROM drives, representing up to 84 gigabytes of storage, are online at all times. CD-ROM databases can be accessed from PCs located throughout the Libraries and from all networked PCs across campus. Off-campus dial-in access is available for a limited number of databases.

Voice Response System: A voice response system provides telephone access for teleregistration (Telreg), financial aid (FAVORS), student services (ASSIST), and career planning and placement (CPPS Job Line). The voice response system has a current capacity of 136 lines with expansion capability to 240 lines. The software used to drive the voice response applications has the flexibility to provide multiple methods of access to these applications. For example, the student services voice response system is available for web access as well as telephone access. Other voice-accessible applications are due to come on-line via the web in the future.

Administrative/Academic Mainframe: The shared administrative/academic mainframe is an IBM 9672-R24. It is a 2­processor machine of approximately 80 MIPS. It has an OSA adapter (like a channel), 512 megabytes of memory and 39 channels. The academic system has approximately 65 GB of disk; the administrative system has approximately 85 GB of disk; another 15 GB have just been installed to be divided between the systems at a later date. There are 12 cartridge tape drives and 2 round-reel tape drives shared between the systems. This mainframe supports the VM/ESA and MVS/ESA operating systems for academic users; MVS/ESA is used for administrative functions.

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Telecommunications Infrastructure

Voice Communications: The University entered into a seven-year Centranet contract with GTE-Southwest in January 1996. Enhanced features and call processing abilities, along with a significant rate reduction were a part of the contract. Fully integrated Voice Messaging (Voice Mail) using a Central Office based system was implemented in May 1992.

The voice network utilizes a NorTel 100 Digital Central Office switching system, in a Centrex arrangement called Centranet, provided by GTE-Southwest. Currently, there are 3500 academic/administrative stations, 2200 residence hall stations and 900 voice mail boxes. Service is provided through a Custom Assembly Tariff, written specifically for the University, and regulated through the Texas Public Utilities Commission. Payment is made monthly based on the actual number of working lines/stations, voice mail boxes, etc.

Telecommunication services are provided through a hybrid approach. The regulated telephone company services includes the Centranet switching system, system features/functions (software) and the outside cable distribution plant to each building. Maintenance and modifications are provided by GTE as a part of the monthly service charge. The agency owns the inside distribution system (riser cable), station wire and station terminal equipment (telephone sets). The station equipment is approximately 98% single-line analog sets, 1.5% multi-line analog sets, and growing number (currently 110) of proprietary digital sets. In-house Telecomm staff perform adds, moves and changes, as well as maintain all station equipment. Central office services related to adds, moves and changes (i.e. connection of new lines) are handled by GTE personnel.

The switching system provides features such as Automatic Least Cost Routing (ARS) with Modular Detail Reporting (MDR). The ARS is made up of Foreign Exchange Lines and STS-Texan Lines. STS is utilized for both Intrastate and Interstate long distance. Approximately 55% of the long distance calls are routed into the immediate Dallas and Fort Worth Metroplex via FX service, 20% on STS-Texan to other Intrastate locations, and the remaining 25% processed to Interstate locations. MDR is utilized to allocate the cost of all calls across appropriate departments. This, as well as monthly service costs, are charged back to the individual departments within the university. This provides audit information and encourages cost containment.

Data Communications: The university now has two campus-wide data communications backbones: a fiber optics network and a broadband CATV-based, video and data communications network. The fiber optics communications backbone now links 33 buildings. In addition, there are five buildings serviced by 10Broad24 Ethernet via the CATV (broadband) backbone. Two remotely located buildings are connected to the campus backbone via a WinData microwave link operating in full duplex mode at 5.7 megabits/second. The fiber backbone positions the university to take advantage of superior, industry standard, data communications technologies at higher speeds than those possible with the broadband network.

Thirty-one buildings have been equipped throughout with high speed (10BaseT twisted pair Ethernet) wiring and communications electronics to connect to the fiber backbone. Eight additional buildings have extensive 10BaseT Ethernet installations. By the end of fiscal year 1997, wiring projects in three additional buildings should be completed, and there is a funding request pending for wiring seven additional buildings.

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Fifty-five NetWare file servers are now linked via the campus backbone in addition to twenty that perform various communications and other specialized functions. A microcomputer-based, campus-wide, E-mail system is now in place and expanding rapidly. High speed (Ethernet and T1) access to UNT, Texas, national, and international library resources and remote computing facilities is now available via the upgraded network.

The following matrix indicates the protocols supported on the University's data communications networks:

Note: IP refers to the Internet Protocol portion of the TCP/IP protocol suite.

The University is well-positioned to migrate to emerging industry standards and high-speed technologies. At present, off-campus connectivity via TCP/IP is the campus standard. A key element in the University's messaging strategies is support of the Internet SMTP and MIME standards.

Interagency Network Participation

The campus network is connected to wide area network services including the Internet via CAPnet. Another T1 circuit to Fort Worth links the UNT and the UNT Health Science Center networks. All of these connections to wide area networks employ Cisco routers. Remote access to UNT hosts and networks via Ascend communication servers connected to GTE and Southwestern Bell telephone lines. UNT's VTEL video-conferencing systems is connected to TTVN via a T1 link, which is shared by the Health Science Center and Texas Woman's University. Several additional video-conferencing systems with dedicated links exist within the university's colleges and schools.

The University regularly exchanges data via network with various State of Texas systems, including the Uniform Statewide Accounting System, State Property Accounting, Texas Payee Identification System, Automated Budget Evaluation System of Texas, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Employee Retirement System, and the Department of Public Safety. Student transcripts are exchanged with other universities and community colleges. Financial information is exchanged with the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, banks, etc. Academic departments share information with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as associations and other discipline-specific groups.

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