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Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor
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Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor |
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Avenew Update March 9, 2001 |
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Illinois Century Network Update: March 9, 2001 8:00 p.m. Greetings Avenew Customers: Please find complete details of ICN activities, actions, and next steps to address the end of Avenew network services. I will be monitoring e-mail throughout the weekend and will make every attempt to answer any questions as quickly as possible. The short version: 1. The ICN is 100% dedicated to doing everything possible to avoid interruption of service and staff is acting aggressively to find timely solutions. 2. Avenew customers are requested to fill out the participation agreements immediately. 3. The ICN is making 150 Cisco routers currently in stock available as loaners to schools that need them on a first come, first served basis (must request on application, see details below for instructions and specifications). 4. The ICN is moving rapidly to order necessary equipment and circuits to bring Avenew customers onto the network. 5. A task force in MSA 1 will be assigned to deal exclusively with Avenew customers converting to the ICN. 6. Avenew has agreed to keep all circuits up through May 30. 7. Ameritech has agreed to fulfill circuit orders on an emergency basis to move forward as quickly as possible. The details:
At this time, all Avenew customers should fill out the participation application and submit the same to the ICN as quickly as possible. This application is available from the web site (www.illinois.net or www.illinois.net/news/archives/avenew/avenew.htm).
If you need help filling out the application, Regional Technology Center staff are at your service and you can locate the staff in your region by clicking the Regional Technology Center button on the web site or going directly to www.illinois.net/rtc/. [The supervisors in each area will be brought up to date on Monday as we gear up to meet the demand and short time frame.] The ICN also has a toll free number staffed M-F, 8-4:30: 877.844.2724.
Since the ICN does not provide filtering, e-mail services, or web hosting at this time, schools that need this service are encouraged to continue in discussions as to how to best procure them. ICN staff are speaking with N2H2 representatives (the product currently used by Avenew) to see if a group discount can be arranged and will also work with the State Board of Education Learning Technology Centers (LTC) to investigate other options to meet these needs. Some of you have mentioned banding together to work through the issues such as filtering, web hosting, or e-mail and the Learning Technology Centers are good resources to assist in this regard.
The ICN staff has been pursuing two paths simultaneously with the goal of minimizing disruption to current Avenew customers. Although we had hoped for developments that would allow a completely transparent continuation of services, it is now apparent that this is highly unlikely. Keeping the existing Avenew infrastructure is not a possibility at this time due to factors beyond our control.
After concluding lengthy discussions with our vendors and network engineering staff late last night, the ICN is now moving forward aggressively to ramp up to meet the challenge of serving anticipated Avenew customers. Today, we have placed emergency orders to procure necessary services to our central POP facility in Chicago to handle Avenew customers. Necessary backbone equipment will be ordered no later than Tuesday of next week.
Typically, the ICN has sought to extend backbone services by bringing circuits as close to institutions as possible in order to reduce costs for everyone involved. Our telecommunication analysts and network engineers will continue to work through the weekend to finalize plans to best serve Avenew customers. On Monday, the ICN will determine whether community distribution points are advisable or if direct connections to the ICN backbone point of presence or other existing entities is the best route to take to provide service. This depends on the availability of services, required time frames for implementation, telecommunication provider in the local areas served, tariffs and pricing, network design, and other factors. If community distribution points are desirable from a technical and cost efficiency perspective, staff will begin discussions with entities ideally located to provide those services.
ICN staff will work in a highly professional manner and present recommendations to all of you as quickly as possible, receive and review all feedback and counsel, and proceed to swiftly solve the problem at hand. Please realize that the ICN staff is not an inexhaustible resource, however, and redirecting staff members to respond to multiple inquiries from legislative staff may cause some difficulties for us in the short term. Any queries from our elected officials will be answered immediately as a highest priority, with the utmost care and professionalism, and ICN staff time to answer each query will be fully documented and shared with you accordingly along with all answers or materials provided to such queries.
In order to meet this pressing need, the ICN is expanding the Point of Presence resources in Chicago effective immediately. This equipment will be ordered no later than Tuesday on an emergency basis. In addition, circuit orders to extend the backbone network capacity to meet anticipated needs were ordered from Ameritech today. Additional backbone circuits and equipment will cost the ICN about $1.3 million in year one with a recurring cost of approximately $150,000-350,000 depending on how the network is deployed, where community distribution points are established, if any, and whether the ICN is able to take advantage of existing installations in the region.
The ICN has a limited number of Cisco routers in stock (approximately 150) in our warehouse that we are offering to schools in need on a loan basis. These routers are Cisco 1720's (specs below) valued at about $2,000 each. If you would like to receive one of these routers please specify 'ICN Router' on the participation application under hardware. If your school is already making other arrangements please continue to do so, however, the ICN is making these routers available on a loan basis until at least October 2001. We will distribute the available routers to applications requesting them in the order received. Schools receiving these routers will be responsible for tracking and inventory.
The Cisco 1720 has a 10/100 Ethernet port, 1 T1 DSU, 24 Mb RAM, IOS 12.0.7 IP+. This IOS supports IP, Eigrp, ospf, Rip, DHCP, NAT, and tunneling. It does not support bridging, Appletalk, IPX, DEC, etc.
In conversations today with Avenew's president, Marty Gilmore, he has assured me that Avenew will cooperate fully to keep services up through May 30, 2001. In lengthy conversations with Ameritech executives last night, I have been assured that Ameritech will do everything possible to help us move forward in the shortest possible timeframe. The ICN staff is prepared to do everything possible to move forward quickly in an effort to get schools converted to the ICN in order to avoid disruption of services.
I will send communication on Monday or Tuesday that will contain a list of staff assigned specifically to the Avenew conversion with contact numbers. ICN's proposed solutions for local connectivity will be shared via the ICN list serve and the Avenew Transition List next week. All questions will be answered as quickly as possible. Please feel free to contact me at the toll free number listed earlier or by e-mail at . I have received at least twenty voice mail messages today and I am working through them as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience as we work to move forward together. Best regards, H. Neil Matkin |
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