Intranet Implementation

BACKGROUND

Internet use in West Virginia has increased rapidly in the recent past and requirements have exceeded the existing capabilities. Previously, the Morgantown Point of Presence (POP) in the North was the only connection out of the state to the Internet. Early in 1999, a second POP was created in Charleston to support the southern West Virginia Internet users. This provides increased bandwidth to continue adequate service and a redundant route to the Internet in case one POP is temporarily out of service.

These changes in the Internet connections require router changes statewide. The decision was made to create a private K-12 intranet as the routers were reconfigured. The creation of a K-12 private intranet solves the problem of insufficient IP addresses for K-12 schools. It also provides capabilities to better manage network resources and implement network security in the k12.wv.us domain.

For most schools, the change is initially transparent. WVEIS and Internet connections will continue to function as before. Computers with 168.216.x.x IP addresses can coexist with 10.x.x.x IP addresses, so the transition does not have to occur all at once. The final process in the transformation to a private K-12 intranet will be to complete the readdressing of every computer and network device from a 168.216.x.x address to a 10.x.x.x address.

Routers, computers and other network devices must be assigned new IP addresses. RESA offices, county offices, schools and the WVDE are all affected. The plan designates specific ranges of IP addresses to be used for servers, network devices and workstations in order to provide a common addressing framework for local and wide area network monitoring and management.

Router configuration changes will be done remotely from the WVDE Network Operations Center (NOC). On rare occasions, the county or school contact may be requested to turn off and restart the router, or a RESA router technician may require access to a building.

The fact that 1000 IP addresses are issued to a location does not mean that the network can accommodate 1000 computers. The shortage of IP addresses will no longer be a factor when acquiring more computers. The crucial consideration will be the design of the networks. The 1000 or more addresses are provided so that each location can implement a logical, long term addressing plan that allows for network growth. Planning for the network hardware and cabling to support larger networks must become a priority.

IMPLEMENTATION

 

  1. The WVDE OTIS (Office of Technology and Information Systems) will provide 10.x.x.x IP address allocations to the county and RESA offices. A list of known summer training schedules, which have been reported to the WVDE, will also be included. The county must complete a form for each location with a router and send it to its RESA so that router reconfigurations can be scheduled.
  2. All routers must be turned on during the summer.
  3. Each county must coordinate with the RESA to manage the process of router configuration changes and IP readdressing. The county should consider schools and offices as being in one of two groups:
    • Schools and offices that will be completely closed during the summer. Those routers will be scheduled for updating on a routine priority basis.
    • Schools and offices which will require WVEIS and or Internet access during the summer.

    Router updates at these locations will be prioritized, as much as possible, according to the dates requested by the counties.

  4. The county will submit the Router Configuration Request to provide additional information to the RESA and NOC about servers and networks at each location. Each county should submit as many completed forms as quickly as possible. Locations for which complete information is not available may be submitted later. This will allow the router reconfigurations to proceed as quickly as possible.
  5. The RESA router technicians will review the forms, resolve any questions with the counties and fax a copy of the completed forms to the NOC. The RESA technicians to contact regarding router configurations are listed at the end of this document.
  6. The process of changing IP addresses to the new 10.x.x.x addresses will proceed at locations with reconfigured routers. The RESA router technicians will notify the county contacts as routers are updated.
  7. The WVDE OTIS (Office of Technology and Information Systems) will provide additional information regarding IP addressing and general networking considerations at the URL http://access.k12.wv.us/intranet/ and updates will be added as the K-12 intranet implementation proceeds.
  8. Internet servers, such as mail servers or web servers, must have a registered domain name in the k12.wv.us domain in order to be accessible to the world. These servers will not be accessible outside of the k12.wv.us domain by using its 10.x.x.x IP address, but it will be accessible by using its domain name. Information regarding the domain name application process is online at http://access.k12.wv.us/internet/dns.htm.

Counties and RESAs are provided with lists of IP address allocations for all locations in their areas of responsibility. Each county board office router will be configured with one subnet of 1022 addresses. Each school router will be configured with a minimum of one subnet of 1022 IP addresses. These addresses are to be used according to specific guidelines indicated on the list of IP addresses. The designated ranges of IP addresses to be used for servers, network devices and workstations will provide a common addressing framework for network monitoring and management. A sufficient initial allocation will minimize the need for locations to apply for more IP addresses in the future. If the subnet design does not meet the LAN requirements of a location, contact the WVDE OTIS.

The WVDE OTIS is the single authority for the management of all 168.216.x.x and 10.x.x.x addresses used in the k12.wv.us domain. All IP addresses must only be used by the location to which they are assigned. Requests for IP address reallocations for reasons of schools opening, closing, merging, splitting, increasing student enrollment, or changing network configuration must be submitted to the WVDE OTIS.