Wellington Institute of Technology

Transcription

1 Success Story Wellington Institute of Technology Wellington Institute of Technology upgrade their network with a powerful Allied Telesis solution, providing reliability and high performance in an easy to use, robust package

2 The customer Introduction Supporting over 12,000 students annually, and with around 1300 computers and terminals providing access to online resources and applications, the Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) require a network that is high performing and reliable. Allied Telesis products had provided excellent network services for several years, so when it was time to upgrade, WelTec again looked to Allied Telesis to provide an advanced next generation solution. WelTec has been part of the Wellington region for over 100 years, providing training in practical and relevant ways, with qualifications aimed at enhancing student s career and employment options. Teaching staff are specialists and researchers in their fields and WelTec invest in exciting new technology to ensure they remain at the leading edge of training and learning in New Zealand. Working closely with industry and encouraging professional partnerships allows students to work on real projects. Employers can be confident that students gain the skills they need to succeed, and often recruit graduates directly from WelTec. WelTec s main campus is situated in Petone, just a block from the beautifully redeveloped esplanade; and 15 minutes drive from Wellington s inner city. It is close to playing fields, the beach, and Wellington s beautiful harbour as well as a number of fashionable shops and cafes. Transportation options are wide and varied with several bus services operating in close proximity to the main campus, along with a train station only minutes walk away. WelTec also have an inner city campus in the heart of Wellington, along with smaller sites in Auckland and Christchurch. 2 Allied Telesis Success Story alliedtelesis.com

3 The requirements The IT services department of twelve staff, manage four campuses the main Petone campus, Wellington city, and one each in Auckland and Christchurch. More than 12,000 students make WelTec the largest polytechnic in the Wellington region, with courses taking place anywhere between 8am and 10pm over three 17-week trimesters. With such high demand placed on technology resources and online applications, the network must be always available and provide superior performance. WelTec provides remote network access for students and staff, and and file storage for students. Another compelling reason for a high performance network is the provision of high technology solutions such as video conferencing, webcasting, podcasting and e-learning functionality - rolled out across all four campus sites. A next generation network design with increased resiliency was required to guarantee availability of these leadingedge online resources. The increase in courses such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) and digital media training, meant that WelTec - who already had a number of high-spec computers with Gigabit network access - decided to move to a full Gigabit to the desktop solution for all workstations right across the network. With a physical layout that interconnects numerous buildings and remote campuses, along with offering advanced online services, WelTec have sophisticated network requirements. As a result of a history of reliable network service from previous and current equipment, Allied Telesis were again chosen to provide the new solution; thanks to their selection of innovative new products, and their ability to offer excellence at an affordable price. Wellington Institute of Technology 3

4 The solution WelTec chose Allied Telesis SwitchBlade x908 modular Gigabit switches to upgrade their network core, and also to provide a distribution layer for fiber deployment around the campus. The SwitchBlade x908 was designed with reliability in mind. With dual power supplies, fan modules and a comprehensive range of expansion modules (XEMs), which are all hot-swappable, the network can be maintained and reconfigured when necessary without affecting network uptime. The SwitchBlade x908 industry-leading modular switch is the ideal solution for the modern enterprise network core where resiliency, reliability and high performance are the key requirements, facilitated by virtual chassis stacking technology. Server Farm Internet B Block Approx 46TB of logical disk 8000GS SBx GS SBx908 Router WAN to Auckland & Christchurch Router 1 Gbps MetroLAN to Wellington campus 8000GS 8000GS T Block SBx GS 8000GS CAD Labs N Block Figure 1: WelTec Petone campus 4 Allied Telesis Success Story alliedtelesis.com

5 VCStack provides excellent resiliency by allowing you to create a single virtual chassis from two physical devices. In conjunction with link aggregation, VCStack provides a network with no single point of failure, as shown in figures 1 and 2. The new network makes full use of all bandwidth via the aggregated links, and the stacked core and distribution switches work effortlessly as virtual chassis. WelTec now enjoy total network redundancy - should a link or individual unit fail, the traffic would seamlessly route via the remaining links and units; ensuring minimal network disruption. Each VCStack is managed as a single node on the network, greatly simplifying management tasks, and the SwitchBlade x908 runs the AlliedWare Plus fully featured operating system delivering a rich feature set and an industry-standard Command Line Interface. Access to the network is provided by Allied Telesis 8000GS Series managed Gigabit Ethernet edge switches. WelTec have used these well featured cost effective switches to extend Gigabit connectivity, from previously just connecting digital media and CAD computers, to now connecting every desktop right across the campus - delivering a future-proof solution. WelTec also run the WelTec Research, Education and Development network (WREDnet) which is separated from the main network with its own servers, domain, and data storage. WREDnet also provides a student wireless network covering the Petone campus student hub area. This network is especially for IT courses, where (higher risk) R&D and test activities can be carried out without fear of impact on the main campus network. This also provides an opportunity for visitors to WelTec to be granted network and Internet access, without their laptops having to be reimaged to meet WelTec network security standards. 8 Terabyte NAS Server Farm Communication between the main Petone campus and the Wellington city campus is via a 1Gigabit MetroLAN connection, and to the Auckland and Christchurch campuses via a 2Mb (Megabit) WAN connection. SBx Digital Media Studies PCs Figure 2: WelTec Wellington campus Wellington Institute of Technology 5

6 Key benefits Solution benefits Uninterrupted network service High performance Advanced online services Reliable Future-proof Uninterrupted Network Service WelTec staff and students can be confident of access to any online resource at anytime, as the virtual network core created with VCStack provides fast failover for uninterrupted network service. Sophisticated, high availability, features ensure traffic flow continues even during outages. For a busy tertiary institution, running 1300 computers and terminals, this resilient network design is essential to avoid unnecessary downtime especially as WelTec offers many high technology courses where online access is a fundamental part of the learning process. High Performance The upgraded network keeps WelTec at the forefront of technology and performance, with Gigabit to the desktop ensuring maximum throughput of data and longevity of design. Every computer now enjoys high-bandwidth connectivity to online resources; especially beneficial for courses such as high definition video production, run at the Wellington city campus. Information and applications that facilitate research and positive learning outcomes are only ever a click away. Advanced Online Services The many aspects and advantages of online access are readily available to all staff and students at WelTec via the next generation network. Secure remote access for staff and students provides anytime, anywhere availability of the institute s resources. and generous file storage capacity are available for all students. High technology solutions such as video conferencing, webcasting, podcasting and e-learning functionality are available at all four campus sites. Other services such as WelTec s e-learning system, LearnZone, provide access to course resources such as group forums, instant messenger, links to related websites, assignment details and more. Distance learning allows the sharing of resources. Video conference tutorials are arranged between the various campuses and other polytechnics, so smaller numbers of geographically spread students can benefit from a single lecture or tutorial. WelTec even run virtual lectures in Second Life, keeping them at the forefront of innovation in learning techniques as demanded by today s digital native students. 6 Allied Telesis Success Story alliedtelesis.com

7 Reliable High reliability is essential for WelTec s always-on network. The SwitchBlade x908 has excellent hardware redundancy built-in to complement the resilient network design. Dual redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fan modules, along with hot-swappable expansion modules ensure no network interruptions during maintenance or reconfiguration. Future Proof WelTec have implemented a network design ready for the next generation of high technology online resources and applications. Gigabit to the desktop provides ample network bandwidth to every computer for current and future needs. The SwitchBlade x908 core and distribution switches have high-speed expansion bays, providing a high level of port flexibility. The ability to add more copper or fiber ports (right up to 10Gigabit Ethernet) as required provides a future-proof network core ready to expand at any time. Ongoing Plans and Partnership Installing wireless access throughout the campus is one of the current plans for adding to the functionality of the WelTec network, providing even greater flexibility in online access. Utilizing the network to stream live video surveillance from cameras to network servers is also an addition to be made, along with using PaketShaper to monitor and control network usage and applications. Weltec have been using Allied Telesis networking products for several years, and the recent upgrade has introduced some of the industry s leading products. The addition of new firewalls supplied by Allied Telesis will further secure the network. Allied Telesis look forward to continuing to work in partnership with WelTec, adding value with technical advice and supplying additional advanced solutions to further expand the capabilities of this sophisticated leadingedge education network. Wellington Institute of Technology 7

8 Featured products SwitchBlade x908 ADVANCED LAYER 3 SWITCHES The SwitchBlade x908 advanced Layer 3 modular switch offers high flexibility and density in a small physical size. It provides scalable and versatile switching solutions for today s data center networks. Each chassis supports up to eight high-speed 60Gbps expansion bays, and is also capable of being stacked through VCS passive backplane. 10GbE /GbE aggregator for mid-size data center 3RU medium density modular platform 8 x 60Gbps XEM module bays (same XEMs as x900 family) Hot-swappable PSUs, PSU redundancy Max capability: 96 x GbE ports 16 x 10GbE ports With VCStack passive backplane: 192 x GbE ports 32 x 10GbE ports Key features» Resilient» Scalable» Reliable» High-performing» Easy to manage VCStack Virtual Chassis Stacking VCStack makes networking simple. It allows you to connect multiple switches together via highspeed stacking links. This aggregates the switches, which then appear as a single switch, or virtual chassis. The virtual chassis can be configured and managed via a single serial console or IP address, providing greater ease of management in comparison to an arrangement of individually managed switches, and often eliminating the need to configure protocols like VRRP and Spanning Tree. 8 Allied Telesis Success Story alliedtelesis.com

9 8000GS Series Low Cost, Managed and Stackable Allied Telesis 8000GS Series Gigabit Ethernet switches are low-cost, managed and stackable. They are 1RU high and rack-mountable. Some switches in this series have optional PoE. AT-8000GS/24 10/100/1000T x 24 ports stackable Gigabit Ethernet switch with 4 combo SFP ports AT-8000GS/24POE 10/100/1000Tx 24 ports PoE stackable Gigabit Ethernet switch with 4 combo ports AT-8000S/48 10/100/1000T x 48 ports managed stackable Gigabit Ethernet switch with SFP x 4 combo ports Management (Web, CLI, SNMP) RADIUS support VLAN support Port security 1RU form factor IEEE 802.1p class of service IGMP snooping Stackable up to six devices Across stack port mirroring 20G resilient ring stacking architecture Across stack link aggregation Wellington Institute of Technology 9

10 About Allied Telesis, Inc. Allied Telesis is a leading global provider of high-quality, flexible, and interoperable network solutions. Founded in 1987 and publicly held in Japan, the Company operates manufacturing, R&D, support, and sales offices worldwide, servicing customers in key markets including government, healthcare, defense, education, retail, hospitality and network service providers. Allied Telesis provides standards-based, reliable video, voice and data network solutions for mission-critical applications. Delivering high-performance, future-proof and fully endto-end solutions, Allied Telesis works closely with customers and partners worldwide to build lasting relationships, partnerships and alliances. For further information visit us online at alliedtelesis.com North America Headquarters North Creek Parkway Suite 100 Bothell WA USA T: F: Asia-Pacific Headquarters 11 Tai Seng Link Singapore T: F: EMEA & CSA Operations Incheonweg EK Rozenburg The Netherlands T: F: alliedtelesis.com 2013 Allied Telesis Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. All company names, logos, and product designs that are trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. C REV B