External Partner Staff
Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
Loughborough University IT Services offers network connectivity, desktop P.C. services, server management, and other services to external organizations that are resident on the Loughborough University campus. This page is intended to provide answers to some of the frequently asked questions. If, after reading this page, you still have further questions, please contact IT.Services@lboro.ac.uk directly.
Questions
Answers
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What networking is provided in the Innovation Centre and the Technology Centre?
The Innovation Centre and the Technology Centre have a commercial leased line Internet connection. This provides tenants with a shared broadband connection to which they can connect their own computers. Within the building there is a managed communications room that is linked to the wall ports in the units with Category 6 structured cabling. Prospective tenants should provide a list of the wall ports that they would like activating in advance of moving into the building so that the wall ports can be patched correctly. We typically provide one or more wall ports in the tenant's unit connected to the external Internet link. We will also connect as many of the other existing wall ports in the unit as required to a switching system in the communications room to provide a private internal network for the tenant.
Figure 1: Basic layout using only the public network
Figure 2: More advanced layout with private and public networks connected by a firewall
Figure 3: More complex setup with a non-NATed web server
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What networking is provided in other buildings?
At present external organisations based in other buildings do not have access to this commercial internet connection, which is only available in the Innovation Centre and the Technology Centre. However under certain conditions connection is available via the academic network, JANET - please contact IT.Services@lboro.ac.uk for further details. Please also see Network Services for Organisations Associated with the University (restricted) https://internal.lboro.ac.uk/it/uniwide/info/SLA/external-network-charges.html.
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Will IT Services configure my machines to use the network?
The basic network infrastructure is managed by IT Services as part of the core service but tenants are responsible for configuring and maintaining their machines themselves. We will provide details of IP addresses, gateways and subnet masks required to get set up the connection to the client. We have got basic introductions to configuring the networking on a variety of Windows platforms to use DHCP - see Windows XP www.lboro.ac.uk/it/external/tcpipxp.html, or Windows 2000 www.lboro.ac.uk/it/external/tcpip2000.html, as appropriate. A variety of additional services can be purchased from IT Services by tenants wishing to out source some or all of configuration and/or maintenance responsibilities - if you require further information on these please contact IT.Services@lboro.ac.uk.
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What will I need to provide to use the Internet?
In the simplest case (figure 1 above) you just have computers with Ethernet interfaces (either built in or on a card - please consult your P.C. supplier if you don't have such an interface on your machine). You can plug those directly into the wall ports configured to be on your public network, configure the machine's networking to use DHCP (see above) and start using the Internet. If you are unsure if your wall ports are connected to your public network please contact Reception on (01509) 22 8890. However some companies need more complex networking to allow them to have secured private networks, special purpose servers, etc. In these cases please contact Reception to discuss your requirements.
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Do I need to have my own firewall?
For many companies the public network that we supply will provide adequate security. For companies that have more stringent security requirements you can have most of your machines on the unrouted private network and then have a firewall between the private network and the public network. You might also still want to run some servers on the Internet visible public network outside your firewall. There are many different firewall products available - please contact your normal IT suppliers.
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Yes, every tenant gets a single, static IP address from us on their public network. This address can be used for web servers, mail servers, etc that need to have a fixed, known IP address on the Internet. You can have separate machines providing these services all appearing to use a single IP address as we provide Network Address Translation (NAT) on the router that connects the Innovation Centre to the broadband leased line. Because NAT is used to allow a single externally visible static IP address to pass service requests on to your servers you will need to tell us which ports need mapping (e.g. port 80 for web traffic, port 25 for mail) onto which of the machines on your public network.
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What if I need more static IP addresses?
Tenants who require additional static IP addresses on the public network for their own servers, etc. can request a limited number of extra static addresses from IT Services. A small charge may be levied for each additional address.
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Can I have access to the communications room to locate my own switches, routers, servers, etc in there?
The communications room is not available for hosting tenants' own equipment - such equipment must be located in the tenant's own space. Some tenants require secure communications due to the sensitive nature of their work so access to the communications room is restricted.
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Can I run a mail server? Web server? Other types of server?
Yes, the leased line Internet connection is a commercial link and so can be used to host your own servers. It should be noted however that the Internet Service Provider that handles the connection will impose some conditions on the material and usage of the network. You will need to let IT Services know (via the Intellectual Properties office) what ports you want made available on your public servers so that we can set up NAT on the router correctly for you. It should also be noted that the network connection is for use by the members of the tenants company and is NOT for resale or redistribution to third parties. In particular the connection provided may not be used to offer ISP services such as web and e-mail hosting to third parties. If you have any doubts as to whether your proposed use of the network might constitute resale or redistribution the please contact the Intellectual Properties office who will put you in touch with someone in IT Services who will be happy to discuss the matter further with you.
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Can I use DHCP to automatically configure the client IP addresses on the private network?
IT Services only provide a DHCP server on the public network - tenants wishing to use DHCP on their private networks will need have their own DHCP servers. However clients should NOT run DHCP servers on their public network.
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Can I use campus information resources such as networked CD-ROMs, databases, etc?
The general answer is "no", as many resources on campus are licensed to the University by third party suppliers on the understanding that they will only be used by members of the University and / or for educational purposes. For more information please contact the University Library.
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What additional support services can I purchase from IT Services?
Currently we offer a number of additional chargeable services to External Clients. These include:
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Staff Desktop Service www.lboro.ac.uk/it/desktop/xp/ - a managed desktop client service allowing your desktop machines to have a single, consistent, look and feel. It also provides staff who can troubleshoot problems with desktop machines. License fees for some of the software included in the Staff Desktop Service will be applicable to external organizations.
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Server Management - IT Services staff can relieve you of the time consuming and technical tasks associated with running servers and services for your staff and customers. We can also provide some hosted services on our existing facilities. Please contact IT.Services@lboro.ac.uk for more information.
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DNS registration www.lboro.ac.uk/it/network/domain.html - IT Services can register domain names on your behalf. We can set up and maintain non-academic UK domains (e.g. mycompany.co.uk) at 20 per domain per annum and non-UK domains (e.g. mycompany.com) at 40 per domain per annum. Please note that the domain name registration charge does not include Web site or e-mail hosting.
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Does the service offer web or e-mail hosting?
No. Tenants may connect their own web and e-mail servers to the network. As mentioned above IT.Services@lboro.ac.uk can manage client servers on their behalf as an additional chargeable service. It is also possible to connect to many external e-mail and web hosting providers using the broadband connection provided, giving tenants access to a wide range of possible service providers.
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I've got a problem with the network. Who should I contact?
In the first instance you should contact Reception at the Loughborough University Innovation Centre on extension 8890. They will then feed information about the problem (which may be specific to you or may be affecting other clients in the building) back to IT Services.
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How much does networking cost?
Please contact Reception at Loughborough University Innovation Centre on extension 8990. Summary of charges for other services (restricted) https://internal.lboro.ac.uk/diss/cc/uniwide/SLA2007-8/
Summary-of-charges07.doc.
