The University of Utah’s Network Services team works closely with local network administrators to support, monitor, and optimize network performance while maximizing network security and availability. Network services include enterprise networking, wireless, firewall, load balancing, and virtual private networks (VPNs).
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Meet Your Colleagues: Network Edge
Set designers on the original Star Trek series labeled some pipes on the Starship Enterprise “GNDN,” or “Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing.”
IT staff members who work in telecommunications closets and encounter spaghetti-like knots of cable get the joke, but they also heed it as a cautionary tale. A GNDW cable is the last thing you want to find in a cluttered comms closet, which explains why UIT’s Network Edge team is so meticulous about cable management.
“I appreciate good cable form,” said IT Specialist Nick Bradberry. “I love when everything is organized, that’s gorgeous and beautiful. The [obsessive compulsive] part of me goes ‘Ahhh…’”
The Network Edge team manages client network connectivity — “mostly the switches on the other side of the network jack in the wall,” said Network Engineer Chris Robinson.
If you think of networking as a relay race, edge is the final leg, generally from the internet service provider (ISP) to the end device. To make this hand off, an edge server is strategically placed to be as close as possible to the “last mile” — the last networking step between end devices and the internet of a wide body of endpoints (end devices making requests).
UIT leaders applaud VP debate readiness efforts
Planners going into Utah’s first, and 2020’s only, United States vice presidential debate on October 7, 2020 knew that optics could impact the University of Utah's reputation. A lot was riding on making a good impression.
Funding will allow the U's Wi-Fi capacity to triple
The CARES Act has awarded $8.5 million to UIT's Network Services team, out of which $5.9 million is earmarked for improving wireless coverage at the university — inside and out.
Wi-FI GUIDES
Using a VPN to access the campus network
To access certain resources on the University of Utah network, university employees and students working or studying remotely should use a secure virtual private network (VPN).
- Cisco AnyConnect
- Palo Alto Global Protect
- Departmental VPN
Get connected: The U's four wireless networks
- UConnect is a secure connection requiring a valid uNID and CIS login — visit onboard.utah.edu to connect a device
- UGuest is an unsecured, open-access network for visitors with limited bandwidth
- ULink is the U's wireless network for Internet of Things (IoT) devices
- Eduroam gives students, faculty, and staff to secure internet connectivity across campus and when visiting participating institutions
Best practices: Are you a good Wi-Fi citizen?
It may not be obvious at first, but what you do can affect Wi-Fi performance for those around you. Setting up your own wireless hotspot or router will create connectivity issues for those around you. Good etiquette is necessary for everyone to get the connection they need!
Topics include:
- Choose your connection wisely
- Wired connections have benefits
- Stop sending mixed signals
Tips & Resources
Telecommuting: Information security best practices
Compared to working on campus, telecommuting can present different information security risks, especially when it comes to network security, data storage, and physical security. By following these information security best practices, you can help protect yourself and the university from cyberthreats.Cloudpath detected as a virus
Virus detection software may identify Cloudpath (onboard.utah.edu) as a virus. If this happens, users may have to update their virus definitions and security content.
Cloudpath is the certificate security software integrated with onboard.utah.edu.
TOP SERVICES
(Service Portal requires authentication)
HELPFUL LINKS
- Information Security Office
- Center for High Performance Computing — Perfsonar
- Utah Education Network
- Internet2 Network Operations Center
- Network Services org chart
UOFU IT NEWS
- UIT: Node 4
- ITS: Hardwired (authentication required)
HELP DESK
Urgent? 801-581-4000, option 1
Less urgent? helpdesk@utah.edu