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Minutes of the CITAC Campus Network Committee Meeting
February 27, 1998
Members Present:
Dan Bernardo, Judy Miller, Keith Ratzloff, John Streeter, Chair
Materials Distributed at the Meeting:
Attachment A--Message from Brad Shaw to John Streeter, Subject Committee's
Charge.
Attachment B--Edited Message from Harvard Townsend to John Streeter, Re:
"Status of Available Documentation of the Campus Network Plan."
Attachment C--February 17th description of the present Campus Network,
which was provided to IBM Global Services.
Additional Materials, referred to during the meeting and incorporated into
the Minutes by attachment:
Attachment D--Edited Message from John Streeter to Bradley Shaw, CITAC
Chair, Re: "Assessment of the Task at Hand for the Campus Network
Committee."
Discussion:
John Streeter reviewed the Committee's charge and introduced the materials
listed above that were distributed at the meeting.
Discussion centered on the lack of and the need for a formally documented Campus Network Plan. Such a plan would effectively communicate the detailed intentions of Information Technology Services (Computing and Network Services and Telecommunications) with respect to developing the Campus Network to the Campus Community. It would need to be updated at least annually. The idea or analogy of a creating "road map" showing all components of the Campus Network and indicating needed, planned and in-progress improvements in each component was considered appropriate. Indication of when the improvement would be performed and whether funding for its costs had been secured could be incorporated into the documentation.
The revolutionary and evolutionary aspects of the present methods of developing the Campus Network were considered normal and essential based upon the perceived persistent shortage of financial resources to provide dedicated long-term central funding specifically designated for capital improvements and increase operating costs to continuously advance the Campus Network. Said another way, taking advantage of the one-time financial resources that become occasionally available in individual organizational units to make both revolutionary and evolutionary improvements in various segments of the Campus Network is accepted as the only way CNS/Telecomm can make progress in the fiscal environment.
Harvard Townsend's message made the Committee aware that the engagement of a consulting firm was under consideration as a possible means for the development of such a plan for the University. Discussion concerning that possibility focused on the perceived need for formal documentation of the Campus Network Plan, limited resources in CNS/Telecomm for carrying out the community and technical research necessary to develop the documentation, and the possible high cost of having a 3rd Party Develop the plan.
The Committee generally acknowledges:
That there is a need for a survey and thorough analysis of the current and future communications needs of the Campus Community as input to any the Campus Planning Process,
That there is a need for a well thought out and formally documented detail plan for development of the Campus Network including some indication of scheduling, funding availability, and technical priorities based upon the nature of each specific need,
That a considerable amount of professional time with appropriate technical expertise in voice, video, and data communications would be necessary to conduct an appropriate needs assessment and to develop a thorough and detailed plan,
That there may be considerable tangible and intangible benefits to engaging a qualified consulting firm capable of providing an appropriate quantity and quality of technical professionals to develop and document the plan, without endorsing the engagement of any particular consulting firm.
That a more costly planning process would necessarily utilize financial resources that could have otherwise only potentially been invested in hardware/software for the Campus Network, and
That the existence of a formally articulated Plan would greatly improve prospects for obtaining Campus, State, and Federal funds for Campus Network improvements.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m. No subsequent meeting date or time has yet been established.
The Chair will contact Members of the Committee to make arrangements for the next meeting.
Attachment D:
Edited Message from John Streeter to Bradley Shaw, CITAC Chair, Re: "Assessment of the Task at Hand for the Campus Network Committee."
It is my intention to hold the meeting to 30 minutes, subject to possible development of philosophical analysis in the discussion.
I am aware from a meeting with Beth (Unger), at IT Leadership yesterday, that she and Harvard Townsend are working with the IBM Corporation to establish "a network planning consulting contract" in the very near term.
My approach to the Committee's charge is that we are to review and comment on the adequacy of any Campus Network Plan. In particular, I also want to emphasize that we should be concerned with the adequacy of the understandability and usability of the Plan itself and any documentation, diagrams, etc. purporting to describe the University's "Campus Network Plan" to the University Community. The idea being that each administrator, researcher, educator, or other member of the University Community should be able to understand the Plan sufficiently to identify current and future communications networking needs and plan for future acquisitions of equipment and services in the context of the University's Campus Network Plan. Each of them should be able to do so with some confidence that the architecture, facilities, and developmental schedules described in the Plan will be capable of accommodating their needs in the stated time frames, baring some unforeseeable change in future communications networking technologies or governance structure. For example, the State might cause a drastic centralization of network governance and bring about a major change the technical direction, which the University's Network Communications Plan had established.
Please let me know, if this general approach is acceptable to you. Thanks.
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