Workers from Consolidated Communications (CCI) will splice together high-speed fiber lines and activate a new telecommunications facility on the San Marcos campus in the next 30 days, creating a more reliable Texas State University network.
Mike Krzywonski, director of Network Operations in the Division of Information Technology says the improvement will give the university network a level of redundancy it has never had before.
Network Operations built a highly redundant network to serve the Texas State campus, with multiple internet circuits running along multiple paths to protect against cable damage and equipment failure. But, a single point of failure exists where the network connects to our internet provider. This new on-campus facility removes that single point of failure.
“In the past, if there had been a long outage or some sort of natural disaster in just the right location, it was possible to lose internet service and it could be out for a while,” Krzywonski said. “With this second CCI facility on campus, we will have redundancy, giving us more options to protect and maintain the Texas State network.”
Texas State gets its internet through a consortium known as the Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN), which serves higher education institutions in Texas. LEARN has facilities in San Antonio and Dallas and offers a connection between institutions and large vendors who offer internet services. Consolidated connects Texas State to LEARN’s fiber-optic network running along Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Dallas.
The university worked with CCI for many years on the current network connecting to the San Marcos campus. In a unique deal, the university paid no additional costs for this second hookup, instead offering the company an easement near the edge of campus to construct a new facility. Consolidated built a small building to house their telecommunications infrastructure. Once the new systems are complete, CCI will not only improve Texas State network reliability but also be able to service other customers in San Marcos.
Currently, university-owned fiber connects the main campus to STAR Park, which then connects to the Interstate 35 fiber. With this second location near Bobcat Stadium, a “metro loop” will be created around much of San Marcos providing an alternate second path to I-35 fiber. Having this redundant system will also improve reliability for the Round Rock Campus, Krzywonski said.
“We have worked with Consolidated for more than two years on this particular effort to improve the reliability of the network,” he said. “We will finally be complete in the next month. It’s an exciting time.”
Scott Ayers is director of IT Marketing and Communications
