This article contains corrections from Excalibur’s August 27 issue. Our print version contained inaccuracies which were brought to our attention by York’s media staff. A notice of correction will also be published in our next issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Will this be the start of York University 2.0?
York recently decided to upgrade its network infrastructure — the first major upgrade since 2005.
Technological advancements in networking equipment and requests from students have prompted the administration to upgrade their existing network.
According to Bob Gagne, the Chief Information Officer of University Information Technology, the majority of the equipment being replaced consists of network switches, wireless access points, and controllers with more up-to-date models.
“The network equipment in the undergraduate residence buildings is all being upgraded to current technology, some of it was over 10 years old,” said Gagne.
“This work is now almost complete. The network cabling in all of the undergraduate residence buildings is being replaced to bring it to the current standard used in the rest of the campus.”
Some of this work was also completed over the summer and the remainder of it is being completed through the fall and into the spring of 2014.
“Next summer, we will be deploying equipment to provide wireless service beginning September 2014 to residence rooms in addition to the ‘wired’ network connections. At the same time we will be enhancing the speed of the internet connectivity,” added Gagne.
The upgrades are an ongoing process.
In addition to the new upgrades, the launch of AirYorkPlus is to have a significant impact on the students of York, as this network should operate seamlessly from one building to another and doesn’t require students to repeatedly log in.
The university has stated that once this project is completed, the number of wireless access points will exceed 3,300, drastically improving the accessibility of York’s wireless network service.
These initiatives in three phases: the establishment of AirYorkPlus in all the university buildings; the replacement of old wireless equipment, and the substitution of any non-wireless equipment with wireless technology enabling more access points.
Daniel Calabretta
Contributor
