Overview
PennNet is the University’s enterprise data network. The PennNet service includes all routers in buildings, distributed Network Aggregation Points (NAP), and the Campus border. In addition, the service includes border firewalls, the campus-wide VPN, and the Carrier Grade NAT services. It is the backbone for wired and wireless network access services for faculty, staff and students in all campus buildings and residence halls. PennNet also provides connectivity to all university services and applications secured behind the ISC data center firewalls and application load balancers, and it allows remote access to sites on the Internet and Internet2.
The service also offers advanced network solutions for research groups and others at Penn who require customized networking. ISC will work with clients to gather requirements, develop design options, provide cost estimates, and implement approved designs.
And finally, the service includes network timekeeping, domain names, as well as DNS, DHCP and IP address management (DDI). This collection of service components, known as Network Names & Numbers, enables:
- Network Timekeeping (NTP)—Synchronize network host clocks to high-precision time sources.
- Domain Names—Assign third-level domain names in the upenn.edu name space to eligible entities at Penn.
- IP Address Management (IPAM)—Enable IT staff to register hosts and manage Domain Name System (DNS) data.
- DNS (campus resolvers)—Perform DNS lookups and cache results on behalf of PennNet hosts.
- SafeDNS (campus resolvers)—Perform DNS lookups and cache results on behalf of PennNet hosts, and redirect lookups for known malicious domain names to a safe web server.
- Authoritative DNS (public)—Publish Penn’s DNS data to the Internet and Internet2.
- Dynamic Host Configuration (DHCP)—Automatically assign IP addresses and provide basic network configuration parameters to hosts on PennNet subnets
Benefits
- Provides network and Internet services to support the critical university business applications and research/collaboration
- High speed networking to on and off campus sites
- Enables other IT strategies such as cloud services and transport of big data
- Robust core network supports many other highly available network applications and services in ISC and school/center networks
- Advanced network solutions provide custom networks above and beyond standard network services that are scalable to a client's availability, security, bandwidth, and budget requirements and are easily supported and integrated with other University systems
Who Can Benefit from This Service
All University affiliates and guests