BU OIT

Network Systems Engineering Group

NSG is comprised of Network Engineers and Project Managers who oversee the design, installation, and maintenance of the Campus Network. Meet the team members.

For information about installing a network connection in your department or office, send e-mail to nethelp@bu.edu or call Information Technology (617-353-2780) and ask to speak with someone in Network Systems. For more information, please see the section below about the services we provide.

About our network

The Boston University Campus Network provides high-speed access to the Internet, electronic mail, and the Web. Tens of thousand of ports, supporting communications rates up to 100 million bits per second, are interconnected via optical fiber and high-speed routers and switches. Direct access to the network is available at many locations throughout campus, including faculty and staff offices, PC labs, study areas, in the colleges and departments, residence halls, and in a number of classrooms. In addition, over a thousand telephone lines and modems provide remote access to the Campus Network and the Internet at the highest speeds available via the public telephone network.

Boston University offers wireless network access in several buildings on campus, including Mugar Memorial Library, the Science and Engineering Library, the West Campus Dining Facility, the Pappas Law Library and many other parts of the School of Law, the Photonics Research Center (floors 1-5), and the School of Management (floors 1-3). As wireless technology matures, we expect to provide more pervasive coverage throughout the Charles River Campus. All wireless transmissions are secured and encrypted through use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which requires installation of a special client and authentication with a BU login name and Kerberos password. See www.bu.edu/pcsc/wireless for more information on the wireless network and the VPN.

Boston University is a participant in the Internet2 project, a collaborative involving over 200 research universities engaged in the development of next generation network applications to meet emerging requirements for information technology in research and education. In support of this effort, the University is a founding member of the Northern Crossroads (NoX), an affiliation of nearly two dozen New England institutions with a common need for advanced networking. The NoX operates a high performance communications exchange, and the University is connected to this facility at one billion bits per second. The NoX interconnects regional participants to each other and to the Internet2 Abilene network, providing Boston University with access to hundreds of institutions, agencies, and corporations connected to advanced networks worldwide. For more information about the NoX and Internet2, see www.nox.org. You can learn more about Boston University's Access Grid Conference Facility, a practical resource utilizing the high speed connectivity provided by the Internet2 Abilene network, on the Scientific Computing and Visualization group's Access Grid Web site.

Information on how to use the dial-up service and the network is available on the Web at www.bu.edu/computing/dialup. Also see the ResNet Web site at www.bu.edu/resnet for information on ResNet locations and hardware/software requirements.

Services

The following services are available to faculty and staff members of Boston University:

* The Personal Computing Support Center (PCSC) can assist you with setting up your computer's network configuration. If the PCSC is unable to help with your network problem, they will refer you to Network Systems.

Contact information

Boston University
Office of Information Technology
Network Systems Group
111 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-2780
nethelp@bu.edu

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