NETWORKING

The College of Natural Sciences provides wired and wireless networking to more than 1.1 million square feet of space on the UT main campus in Austin, including a dozen buildings in their entirety and parts of a half-dozen others in which we have space. We fund networking from the wall outlet and wireless access point to the campus Network Operations Center. This includes copper and fiber cabling and all network electronics.

Wireless Networking

All College of Natural Sciences space on the main campus is covered by high-speed, 802.11g (54Mbps) wireless networking. This includes all buildings and public areas around buildings. Because of the variety of construction techniques used in UT buildings, it is inevitable that there will be a few "dead spots" where signal strength is not adequate. Additionally, wireless networking in large classrooms and auditoriums does not necessarily support every student simultaneously using the network.

The following CNS buildings have full wireless coverage: BIO, GEA, MBB, NMS, PAI, PAT, PMA, GDC, TMM, WEL, NHB. All space occupied by CNS in the following buildings have full wireless coverage: POB, GRG, SEAY, WCH. For further information about wireless networking at UT, click here. A map of wireless coverage on campus can be found here.

When purchasing a computer with wireless capabilities, look for the phrase "802.11g". Dual-band cards described as "802.11a/g" or "802.11b/g" may also work.

Wired Networking

CNS and ITS jointly work to provide all users an ethernet connection if they are using a desktop computer. For Natural Science staff members in the WCH building, Dean's Office Helpdesk staff is responsible for managing port connections and ethernet connectivity. A port can be "turned on" through the computer help request system if the port number is identified on the request by the corresponding number directly on the physical port outlet.