PennNet | Information Systems & Computing

Overview

PennNet is the University's enterprise data network, which includes routers, Network Aggregation Points (NAP), and the campus border. It also encompasses border firewalls, the campus-wide VPN, and Carrier Grade NAT services. PennNet supports wired and wireless network access for faculty, staff, and students in all campus buildings and residence halls. It provides connectivity to university services and applications behind ISC data center firewalls and load balancers and allows remote access to the Internet and Internet2.

The service offers advanced network solutions for research groups and others at Penn requiring customized networking. ISC collaborates with clients to gather requirements, develop design options, provide cost estimates, and implement approved designs.

Finally, the service includes network timekeeping and domain names, as well as DNS, DHCP and IP address management (DDI). This collection, known as Network Names & Numbers (NN&N), enables:

Network Timekeeping (NTP)—Synchronizes network host clocks to high-precision time sources.
Domain Names—Assigns third-level domain names in the upenn.edu name space to eligible entities at Penn.
IP Address Management (IPAM)—Enables IT staff to register hosts and manage Domain Name System (DNS) data.
DNS (campus resolvers)—Performs DNS lookups and caches results on behalf of PennNet hosts.
SafeDNS (campus resolvers)—Performs DNS lookups, caches results, and redirect lookups for known malicious domain names to a safe web server.
Authoritative DNS (public)—Publishes Penn’s DNS data to the Internet and Internet2.
Dynamic Host Configuration (DHCP)—Automatically assigns IP addresses and provides 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

Target Audience

All University affiliates and guests

Rates

This is funded by Allocated Funds as recommended by the Penn Technology Investment Committee (PTIC).

Detail

Advanced network solution design and implementation incur standard ISC labor charges. These will vary depending on building architecture, type of wiring, and location of wiring closet in relation to a wallplate.

All project fees for this service are based on time and materials. Standard ISC labor rates will apply.

Customized DHCP options incur a one-time setup fee ($200) for design, testing and implementation of each option. Requests for customized DHCP options should be made through ISC Client Care.

Please note that ISC continues to collect the first two segments of budget codes (CNAC-ORG) for certain types of service requests for the purposes of attribution and accountability even though no charges will be generated against them.

For more information, contact ISC Client Care.

ISC rate increases are generally aligned with University increases.

The ISC rate review process is timed to coincide with the University’s annual budgeting process. Rates are reviewed over the summer, and if any require a change, they are approved for the following fiscal year. ISC will make its best effort to communicate these changes to clients by the end of October to allow for budget updates. Exceptions may occasionally occur (e.g., a vendor changes a pass-through fee midyear), and when they do, ISC will do its best to provide as much lead time for clients as possible.