RSMAS Computer Facility

The Rosenstiel School Computing Facility (RCF) provides a central focus for student computing, network administration, and workstation/PC/MAC installation, maintenance and network connectivity. The RCF currently operates a single-mode fiber based backbone which connects the scientific facilities on Virginia Key, provides standard network services (email, news, file-sharing), and manages a variety of networked workstations and IBM PCs which are used for graduate student education. RCF also maintains several sets of independently supported workstations under contract to specific investigators and/or academic units in the School.

The communications infrastructure at the Rosenstiel school provides 100 Megabits/second (Mbps) ethernet access to the campus and university networks for each computer on the campus. Machines in the computing facility have access to gigabit Ethernet at full line-speed rates. A line-speed firewall securely controls access to external computing resources and manages access to internal computing resources. External connections include an OC-3 (155 Mbps) to Level 3 communications and an OC-12 (622 Mbps) to the Internet2 Abilene network. RCF also links the NOAA/OAR/AOML and the NOAA/NMFS/SEFC facilites through Gigabit Ethernet links over private fiber optic lines. RCF also provides the communications infrastructure to our Satellite Command and Control Facility and to our Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing. Remote access, video conference, and distance learning capabilities are also provided over dial-up ISDN, VPN, and IP connections. The manager of RCF sits on the University Campus Network Coordinating Committee and arranges for Campus and University coherence in network configuration, name services, white-pages, etc.