Workers from Consolidated Communications (CCI) spliced together high-speed fiber lines and activated a new telecommunications facility on the San Marcos campus in Spring 2021, which created a more reliable Texas State University network.
Mike Krzywonski, director of Network Operations in the Division of Information Technology said the improvement gave 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 existed 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 connection, 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. CCI not only improves Texas State network reliability but also services 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” was created around much of San Marcos providing an alternate second path to I-35 fiber. “Having this redundant system improves 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. “ It’s an exciting time.”
Written by IT Marketing and Communications staff.