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Working with CIT Network & Communications Services (NCS)


Contents of this page:

Preparing for an Installation Visit

This section is written for both Telecom Coordinators and Technical Support Providers/Network Administrators. Whether you are planning for a voice or data network installation, much of the preparation involves gathering the same information. If you have both a telecom coordinator and a network administrator in your group, you should work closely when preparing for an installation.

As the Telecom Coordinator/Network Administrator, you are responsible for preparing for a visit from your NCS. Proper preparation ensures that the work slated to be done can be completed at the least cost to your department in terms of time, money, and inconvenience.


Installation Visit Checklist

Generally before an installation visit from your CIT Service Team, you should:

  • Generate a complete and accurate Request for Service (RFS) (See Request for Service (RFS).

  • Coordinate the Service Team visit with your telephone or workstation users to minimize the impact of downtime.

  • As with any time you work with your CIT Service Team, you should be familiar with the topology of your voice and data network: know how it is designed, the type of LAN technology in use, and the number of telephones and workstations on it. It will be easier to be familiar with these details if you consistently keep and maintain records about your data and voice networks. If you are preparing for an installation of a new LAN, you should have the same information that your CIT Service Team technician has, that is, the information on the RFS.

  • If a user's password for file server access, bypassing a screen saver or workstation security application will be needed during the installation process and the user will be unavailable, get the password ahead of time; this ensures that your CIT Service Team technician will be able to accomplish the installation. After the installation, encourage the user to change it.

  • Move furniture that may be in the way of CIT Service Team technicians. This entails moving furniture out of the way where new jacks are to be installed or where existing jacks need to be made accessible.

 

When to Use a Request For Service

A Request for Service (RFS) is a consolidated data and voice form you must fill out to request any of the following services:

  • installation of a new telephone or data network.
  • moving or changing an existing telephone or data node on your LAN.
  • disconnection of a telephone or data node already on your LAN.
  • installation of a new jack or upgrade to an existing jack.

 

Obtaining and Recording Existing Jack/Port Names

The voice and data communications jack is a wall-mounted box that consists of a face plate (like that of an electrical outlet) with modular plugs referred to as ports. There are two types of jacks; a duplex (2 ports) and a quad (4 ports).

Every existing communications jack and port at Cornell should have a name that follows Cornell's naming convention. The complete name consists of three parts:

Room number - Jack number - Port number

e.g. 417-C2, where 417 is the room number, C is the jack number and 2 is the port number.

Note: Once jack names are assigned they usually do not change even if the room number changes; this means that it is possible that the room number part of the jack name will not match the current number of the room itself.

The jack number portion of a jack name is an alphabetical identifier; jacks are generally lettered in sequential order, clockwise around a room. For example, if Room 417 has three jacks, the first one is 417-A, the second 417-B, and the third 417-C. A hyphen should be placed between the room number and the jack letter.

A duplex jack has two ports numbered 1 and 2. CIT typically reserves port 1 for voice communication and port 2 for data communication. You may specify that both ports be used for data communication; in that case you will need to specify in your RFS that side 1 and side 2 should be used for data. For example, if jack 417-A needs data on both ports, specify the jack names as 417-A1 and 417-A2.

A quad jack has four ports numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Again, CIT generally reserves port 1 for voice communication. The remaining ports 2, 3 and 4 may be used for either voice or data communications.

Jack names can appear more complicated when room numbers have letters associated with them. If room 417 is subdivided and its subdivided room number is actually 417B, then the three jacks would be named 417B-A, 417B-B, and 417B-C. If you want data ports on both sides of 417B-A, you would specify 417B-A1 and 417B-A2: 417B is the room number, A is the position of the jack in the room and 1 and 2 specify the port.

Occasionally, existing jacks are not named correctly or there may be a reason why it is difficult to figure out what the name is. To serve as a check against this situation, your RFS should always provide the telephone extension associated (usually on port 1) with the jack.

 

Obtaining and Marking Floor Plans

If you are planning for a new data or voice installation, or requesting new jacks for an existing data or voice network, it is essential that you provide a floor plan for the space that accurately reflects the placement of new jacks.

The best way to do this is to mark a copy of the official Cornell floor plan which describes the space where the new service is to be located. If you don't have an official Cornell floor plan, check with your Building Coordinator. If that person doesn't have one, you can request one from Facilities Planning, Humphreys Service Building.

Once you have an official Cornell floor plan for your space, carefully mark it to show the appropriate placement of your new jacks. Follow these guidelines when planning where to put jacks:

  • Don't put a jack behind a door.
  • Don't put a jack behind unmovable modular furniture. (CIT is not responsible for moving furniture to obtain access.)
  • Do put jacks near workstations and desks.

Use these guidelines when marking your floor plan:

  • Use a red triangle to point out the location for a new jack.
  • If a jack is to be installed for a wall phone, mark a "W" beside the jack.

 

Workstation Profiles

A Workstation Profile Worksheet is a valuable resource in supplying you with an overall view of the workstations within your department. The information can be of value to you when planning to upgrade or replace departmental workstations.

There is no existing Cornell form for you to follow; you can create your own form, customizing it for your department's needs. Information you may want to record might include:

  • Name (of the person or device)
  • Workstation/device make and model
  • Jack - The jack name on the face plate to which the workstation or device is connected.
  • Extension Associated with Jack - The telephone extension number associated with the jack.
  • IP Address - If you are unsure of what the IP address is or how to find it, follow the instructions in the next section, Finding a Computer's IP Address.
  • Type/Model - The particular kind of workstation and name of the company that makes the workstation.
  • Serial Number - A unique identifying number for the workstation, usually located on a plate on the back of the central processing unit. You'll find this information useful for tracking inventory.
  • OS Version - The version of the operating system running on the workstation.
  • Adapter Cards Already Installed - You may want to record card name (or purpose of the card) currently installed.

 

Finding a Computer's IP Address

IP addresses are used to identify hosts on the Cornell network that ties into the Internet.

The network administrator is responsible for assigning IP addresses on his or her LAN. If you are installing a new LAN, your CIT Service Team will further explain and assist in assigning IP addresses to workstations.

If you are adding additional network connections to an existing LAN your CIT Service Team may need to know what IP addresses you will be assigning to the new workstations. These IP addresses must be unique (no two workstations can have the same IP address).

To determine the workstation's assigned IP address:

  • Windows 98/Me (Millennium)

    1. From the Start button, select Run.
    2. Type winipcfg.
    3. The next window will display IP address, Subnet Mask and other information.
    4. After you've made a note of the information, click OK to close the window.

  • Macintosh OS 8.6/9.1/9.2
    1. From the Apple menu, select Control Panels and then TCP/IP.
    2. The next window will display IP address, Subnet Mask and other information.

  • Macintosh OS X
    1. From the Apple menu, select Location and then, Network Preferences.
    2. Click the TCP/IP tab.
    3. The IP address, Subnet Mask and other information will be displayed.

  • Windows NT/2000/XP
    1. From the Start button, select Run.
    2. Type cmd.
    3. In the next window, type ipconfig.
    4. The IP address, Subnet Mask and other information will be displayed.
    5. After you've made a note of the information, type exit to close the window.