The computer connection at the US Military Academy

The approach to the establishment of a personal computer (PC) network at the United States Military Academy is reported. The network, called the Cadet Barracks local area network, includes four Ethernets and one channel pair on an older broadband cable. The Ethernets originate in the centralized computing center and use fiber optic cables and repeaters to reach the barracks areas. Connectivity among the four Ethernets, the broadband cable, and an older research Ethernet is provided by media access level bridges. The existing broadband cable is used to reach those buildings that are not part of the barracks complex. Therefore, limited computing resources are conveniently shared and full connectivity among the diverse computer assets is achieved. Smaller departmental networks augment the Cadet Barracks LAN and extend the connectivity to the faculty and administration of the academy. A description is given of the system´s benefits, tradeoffs, and unique features