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Universal IP at Last
10/29/2004
There’s no end to what you can do over IP. Prepare your network, take our test, and go!
Heard the one about the New Age appliance repair person who shows up unexpectedly
at the door, and tells the housewife, “Your fridge e-mailed me”?
Well, now there really are networked, IP-enabled refrigerators.
Your campus may be in the same situation. Traditionally, there have been many devices and systems running independently, and using separate cabling and control systems. You now need to prepare to integrate many of these systems into your data or IP-based networks.
Why You Should IP-Enable These Systems Networked systems allow for remote device
management and troubleshooting, in effect permitting a systems administrator
anywhere on campus (or off, for that matter) to manage and support the systems.
For management consolidation. Devices can be managed from the operations center,
rather than by walking around, saving time and effort.
For cabling standardization. Separate systems and groups of components can share the same types of wires. This can help contain costs and improve aesthetics in new construction and remodeling projects.
IP-enabled systems can be set up to proactively send notifications when help is needed re: environmental conditions, lamp replacement, or fan/filter cleaning. Many systems link to e-mail or text pagers, to alert managers about issues needing attention. This proactive communication can minimize classroom downtime and may also prolong the effective life of devices.
IP is standards-based. This fosters the ability to interconnect many types of systems, and avoids proprietary-type control issues and costs.
There is global acceptance of IP as a transport mechanism, permitting the vendors
to offer their wares to a larger market, consequently driving down costs.
Candidates
While voice over IP (VoIP) is the current attention-getter, there are new applications for IP integration, including:
Video (with audio), both one-way broadcast and two-way interactive
Building Automation systems (control and management of heating/cooling and lighting management systems)
Physical security systems (cameras and security equipment controllers)
Multimedia systems (projectors, monitors—any device that has an Ethernet/IP connection or a serial connection)
Candidates Make It to the Campus
Video over IP. Back in ’99, Northcentral Technical College (WI) pioneered a video-over-IP network on a US campus. The new system was designed for live distance learning courses across several campuses, and the transport between buildings became IP, replacing an analog video system from the ’80s. It worked out so well that VoIP was added onto the system later. NTC chose Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com) for the network electronics and subsequent IP phones. Polycom (www.polycom.com) was ultimately selected for the video encoding/decoding units (codecs); Tandberg (www.tandberg.com) was also deemed acceptable.
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