University picks 3Com switches over Cisco

Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., has embarked on a total network upgrade covering three campuses, using H3C core and edge switches from 3Com Corp., to replace and expand upon existing Cisco Systems Inc. gear.

The project, valued at less than $1 million, includes several H3C data center switches from 3Com and more than 100 3Com H3C edge switches to serve a community of 8,000 students, faculty and staff, school officials said. 3Com launched the H3C brand in May in the U.S., a 3Com spokeswoman said.

Eventually, the university expects to have as many as 400 H3C edge switches as it grows in size over the next decade, said Fred Tarca, associate vice president of information services.

Brian Kelly, director of information security and network operations, said a major driver of network growth is the use of video, both by students and faculty.

"Two years ago I was trying to block use of YouTube by undergraduates, but following the presidential election, the use of that has morphed and even faculty are using it in the classroom," Kelly said in an interview. "Video is driving bandwidth and capacity planning."

Tarca said the university is essentially an Internet service provider to a group of students who are consumers accessing all kind of content as well as educational customers who use the Internet for vital educational materials. "The students want the same Internet experience as they get at home," he said.

The school doesn't charge a fee for Internet access, but has built access into the total costs of attending Quinnipiac as it competes with other universities to offer a range of features that will lure students, the officials said.

Tarca said the school is also using two-way, real-time videoconferencing based on the Microsoft Corp. Office Communications Server. Wireless gear from Aruba Networks Inc. connects the fiber optic network where the H3C gear is deployed to all the residential and classroom spaces, as well as sports facilities.

The new network is also planned to accommodate long-term growth in online education, which is laden with streaming video and audio, Tarca said.

Kelly said the university first became familiar with 3Com gear when it installed 3Com TippingPoint, an intrusion protection system, two years ago. The school has had no major network breaches, and working with 3Com has gone well, both men said.

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