ICCN FAQ

• What is the Intercampus Communications Network (ICCN)?
• What exactly is "dark fiber"?
• What are the advantages of using these fiber optic lines?
• How does the new network benefit the University?
• How does the ICCN differ from what we are currently using?
• What are the next steps in the ICCN project and where can I learn more?

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What is the Intercampus Communications Network (ICCN)?

The ICCN is a high-speed communications network connecting the University of Illinois campuses in Urbana, Springfield, and Chicago. (Click here to see a diagram.) Production services began in summer 2007.

What are the advantages of using these fiber optic lines?

The main advantages to using the ICCN's fiber optic lines are:

• The ability to connect all three University campuses in high-availability, redundant, and cost-efficient manner.
• Major per-unit cost savings for bandwidth.
• Increased network capacity for the academic and research needs of scholars and researchers at a world-class research university.
• Greater flexibility, scalability, and reliability in terms of configuring future telecommunications needs, allowing the University to make decisions based need rather than cost.

The University previously used several commercial services for its networking systems. These services were expensive and were usually designed to meet corporate communications needs rather than the unique needs of a large research university.

With the ICCN, the University has access to a virtually unlimited amount of bandwidth for only a marginal cost increase over what it used to pay for commercial communications circuits. The University also manages the network, which ultimately allows for greater flexibility and adaptability.

How does the new network benefit the University?

The benefits of the ICCN are numerous, and it plays a significant role in furthering the academic and research missions of the University.

A University-owned and managed fiber network allows administrative, academic and research units access to:

• High reliability and performance telecommunications among the campuses.
• University sites in the Chicago area, and to peer and partner universities.
• Research laboratories and thinktanks.
• Agencies and companies located on the commercial Internet.
• The academic Internet2 network, and the next generation National LambdaRail.

For the end-user, the ICCN provides much lower levels of latency (i.e., system response time, a critical factor for University-wide administrative applications) and better network reliability for course management software and videoconferencing systems.

The ICCN also provides an added layer of protection and redundancy against equipment failure or accidental fiber cuts. For example, data between the Urbana and Chicago campuses normally flows on the fiber that is directly between the two campuses. Should the intermediary electronics in Rantoul or Kankakee fail, Urbana-Chicago communications are immediately rerouted by way of the Springfield campus. (For a simple illustration of the fully redundant ICCN infrastructure, please see the Network Diagram.)

In addition, each campus has dual electronics on the ring. Should the Chicago-facing electronics on the Urbana campus fail, all traffic is instantly re-routed to the Springfield-facing electronics. The ICCN has been designed to be as reliable and redundant as current technology allows.

How does the ICCN differ from what we used to use?

Before the ICCN implementation, the University was at the mercy of the available Internet Service Providers at the three campuses -- not only their rates, but also their limited bandwidths. Since the majority of each campus was connected to the Internet via a number of commercial service circuits, a dedicated intercampus network provides a bandwidth-friendly model that is less sensitive to cost per Megabits per second (Mbps) fluxuations and network bottlenecks.

The ICCN is a very low-cost network and nearly unlimited bandwidth with costs are contained enough to encourage new network applications and efficiencies-of-scale that were not possible yesterday.

For related project information, visit the National LambdaRail and Internet2 websites.