Network Services, hereafter abbreviated N.S.

N.S. is a branch of the Office of Information Technologies and Services.
The Director of Network Services answers to the Executive Director of
Information Technologies and Services, who in turn answers to the Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The operations of N.S. are funded
through Academic Affairs.

N.S. plans, designs, deploys, maintains, monitors, and manages the
inter-building and inter-unit data network, UFNET, of the University of
Florida. The data network is designed around a planned architecture and N.S.
enforces the integrity of the architecture. With minor exceptions, N.S.
has been a communications carrier historically offering no application level
services to the data network. The exceptions are given below.

N.S. maintains the Network Managers List as part of the tiered management
procedure established in the Data Network Management Statement.

N.S. plans, designs, deploys, maintains, monitors, and manages the
inter-building and inter-unit video network, UFNTV, of the University of
Florida. The video network is designed around a planned architecture and N.S.
enforces the integrity of the architecture. The video network carries 13
channels of programming and offers satellite downlinks on request from
University units. Advice on programming policy for UFNTV is through the
UFNTV Programming Policy Committee.

N.S. designs, deploys, and maintains intra-building Token Ring and Ethernet
local area networks by request of University units. Network Services maintains
the physical network in Tigert Hall for Academic Affairs.

N.S. supports the physical connections of the student drop/add and advising
functions across campus.

N.S. plans, designs, deploys, and maintains classroom wiring for data and
video.

N.S. participates in the management of telephone services through the telephone
distributed management group which consists of the Director of Physical Plant,
the Assistant Director of Telecommunications, the Executive Director of
Information Technologies and Services, and the Director of Network Services.

N.S. and Physical Plant Division jointly plan, design, manage, and deploy the
conduit and cabling infrastructure installed on campus. Deployment is handled
through an out-source contract with USI of Gainesville. N.S. and Physical Plant
coordinate with the University of Florida Division of Housing in the planning
and management of conduit paths of mutual benefit.

N.S. coordinates and supports off-campus wide-area networking telecommunications
(voice, video and data) projects which impact the University of Florida. This
includes relations with the State Division of Communications, the Florida
Information Resources Network as well as private carriers.

N.S. is responsible for the contract with SURAnet for the University's Internet
connection. This includes the responsiblity for the management of the
ufl.edu domain name space and the domain name server. This responsibility is
managed through an out-source contract with the Northeast Regional Data Center.

N.S. is responsible for the Softswitch and Quickmail email gateways and the
USENET bulletin board service. These responsibilities are managed through an
out-source contract with the Northeast Regional Data Center.