Communications Technologies

About Communications Technologies

The Communications Technologies (CommTech) section of CITES encompasses several groups which provide computing and networking services to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

CommTech groups are reponsible for designing and managing the campus backbone data network, and for providing Internet connectivity to the campus.

In addition to providing network connections to departmental units on campus, they provide remote network access to the to students, faculty, and staff by providing services such as ISDN to the home and high-speed dialin modems.

CommTech also provides design and implementation services to departments on campus. The Network Design Office helps with the design and installation of new networks for departments desiring a campus network connection, and also helps with upgrades for existing departmental networks.

Services provided

CommTech groups and their services include:

• Cabling Installation and Maintenance Services (CIMS): Installs cabling infrastructure within campus buildings. Maintains the external infrastructure between buildings. Installs and maintains voice services and data connectivity for customers. (Formerly known as the Installation and Maintenance group.)
  
  
• Communications Plant Design: Designs and implements the communications infrastructure inside and between buildings on campus. Engineers the conduit and manhole system for the distribution of fiber and copper cabling to new and existing buildings. Designs the fiber and copper cabling within buildings. Creates and maintains the AutoCAD records for the campus telecommunications cabling plant and the telecommunications standards for the Campus Building Standards manual. (Fomerly known as the Plant Engineering group.)
  
  
• Domain Name Service (DNS): Creates and maintains the mapping of UIUC IP addresses to hostnames.
  
  
• Network Design Office (NDO): Designs and implements in-building local-area networks (LANs) and upcoming technologies, such as wireless networks, for all buildings on campus. Facilitates connections to the University network (UIUCnet) for campus-related buildings.
  
  
• Network Engineering: Provides leadership in communications technology. Engineers and implements campus and wide-area networking and communications systems. Designs the campus backbone data network (UIUCnet). Provides Internet connectivity to the campus and remote network access to students, faculty, and staff. (Formerly known as the Backbone group.)
  
  
• Network Maintenance: Constructs, maintains, and repairs campus, wide-area, and community networks. Provides backup support for local-area networking.
  
  
• Research and Development: Builds new communications services in collaboration with other CITES and University units. Past projects include closed-circuit television, video conferencing, video streaming, high-quality video distribution, paging terminal support, network support tools, and voice-over IP projects. Current projects include developing a communications facilities management system and implementing a next-generation door access system. (Formerly known as the Development group. Includes some responsibilities previously managed by the Business Information Systems and Services group.)
  
  
• Voice Network Support: Provides long distance telephone service to campus. Supports the billing and records systems for campus telecommunications service. (Formerly known as the Long Distance Voice Network group. Includes some responsibilities previously managed by the Business Information Systems and Services group.)

Last content modification January 9, 2007