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LANs installed at UK university
Water authority orders telecommunications system Northumbrian Water is to install a digital telecommunications network linking their Gosforth headquarters to four divisional offices. The network will be configured as astar with British Telecom Megastream links from a Ferranti GTE Omni $3 at Gosforth to Omni Sl exchanges at Cramlington, Howdon, Pity Me and Thomaby. The £0.4M contract includes handsets, rewiring and installation.
Replacing electro-mechanical equipment, a BT Monarch PABX and analogue tie lines, the system will handle computer and telemetry data initially on a circuit-switched basis, but later through a sophisticated packet switching system unique to Ferranti GTE. Voice is presently patched in to a VHF lowband radio network: this facility will be retained with the new network allowing
LANs installed at UK university Four independent LANs have been established at the University of Warwick. Each LAN consists of nine Olivetti microcomputers connected via thin coaxial cable. The cable and the intelligent controller cards which facilitate networking were supplied by BICC Data Networks Limited. The network provides full communication between each workstation, and with common peripheral e q u i p m e n t - a file server with 20Mbyte Winchester disc and a printer. The networks are intended both for teaching purposes and for use by individual students and members of staff. Software is available in the file server for the most frequently used programs, such as programming languages, spreadsheets, business graphics, database management, and word processing. For each user, the required program is downloaded from the server to the workstation, the Isolan network has a high speed of data transfer that increases utilization of the computers. The common program store also economises on the number of floppy discs that would otherwise be needed. Although at present the four LANs operate as completely separate
vol 9 no 5 october 1986
systems, the University plans eventually to link them to a network that will embrace the whole campus providing full communication between microcomputers, graphics systems and mainframe computers. This new campus network will replace an existing low-speed data transfer network that currently links
patching through the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Northumbrian Water sought, and obtained, special permission for this facility allowing, for example, outside parties to communicate directly by phone to their own mobile radio units. The Omni $3 at Gosforth will initially handle 400 extensions with some of them grouped to have extra facilities. The Omni Sl's at the Pity Me and Thornaby sites offer 160 extensions each with further 60 and 96 extension SI's at Cramlington and Howdon. (Ferranti GTE Ltd, St Mary's Road, Moston, Manchester MI O OBE, UK. Tel: 061-682 4500, telex: 667857 []
some areas of the University. Two of the LAN's are located in the Social Studies Building, and the other two in the Arts Building. While they are available to anyone in the University, the new facilities are expected to be used predominantly by students in business studies, law, sociology, history, languages, and others outside the traditional computing subjects. ( B i t e Data Networks Ltd, I Frogmore Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 9R], UK. Tel: (0442) 278383, telex: 628811) []
The University of Warwick where four independent LANs have been established
279
Replacing electro-mechanical equipment, a BT Monarch PABX and analogue tie lines, the system will handle computer and telemetry data initially on a circuit-switched basis, but later through a sophisticated packet switching system unique to Ferranti GTE. Voice is presently patched in to a VHF lowband radio network: this facility will be retained with the new network allowing
LANs installed at UK university Four independent LANs have been established at the University of Warwick. Each LAN consists of nine Olivetti microcomputers connected via thin coaxial cable. The cable and the intelligent controller cards which facilitate networking were supplied by BICC Data Networks Limited. The network provides full communication between each workstation, and with common peripheral e q u i p m e n t - a file server with 20Mbyte Winchester disc and a printer. The networks are intended both for teaching purposes and for use by individual students and members of staff. Software is available in the file server for the most frequently used programs, such as programming languages, spreadsheets, business graphics, database management, and word processing. For each user, the required program is downloaded from the server to the workstation, the Isolan network has a high speed of data transfer that increases utilization of the computers. The common program store also economises on the number of floppy discs that would otherwise be needed. Although at present the four LANs operate as completely separate
vol 9 no 5 october 1986
systems, the University plans eventually to link them to a network that will embrace the whole campus providing full communication between microcomputers, graphics systems and mainframe computers. This new campus network will replace an existing low-speed data transfer network that currently links
patching through the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Northumbrian Water sought, and obtained, special permission for this facility allowing, for example, outside parties to communicate directly by phone to their own mobile radio units. The Omni $3 at Gosforth will initially handle 400 extensions with some of them grouped to have extra facilities. The Omni Sl's at the Pity Me and Thornaby sites offer 160 extensions each with further 60 and 96 extension SI's at Cramlington and Howdon. (Ferranti GTE Ltd, St Mary's Road, Moston, Manchester MI O OBE, UK. Tel: 061-682 4500, telex: 667857 []
some areas of the University. Two of the LAN's are located in the Social Studies Building, and the other two in the Arts Building. While they are available to anyone in the University, the new facilities are expected to be used predominantly by students in business studies, law, sociology, history, languages, and others outside the traditional computing subjects. ( B i t e Data Networks Ltd, I Frogmore Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 9R], UK. Tel: (0442) 278383, telex: 628811) []
The University of Warwick where four independent LANs have been established
279