Infoblox (News - Alert), a California-based provider of appliances for core network services, announced its products have been deployed by the University of Minnesota, in order to provide core network services on campus.

 

The core network services by Infoblox include both internal and external domain name system (DNS) and IP address assignment. The products selected by the University of Minnesota also include management via internet protocol address management (IPAM) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), thereby helping in routine network operations such as providing access to resources such as student registration, assignments and health records.

 

Infoblox said that the University has implemented a unique authentication portal, which is enabled by Infoblox appliances. The Infoblox appliances provide reliability, manageability and as well as security for University’s core network services infrastructure, which ensures nonstop delivery of domain name system (DNS) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) services.

 

The authentication portal enabled by Infoblox appliances on the University campus facilitates more than 6,500 residential hall students with easy, secure and authorized network access.

 

Infoblox said it has installed six of its appliances on the campus, in order to run Infoblox DNSone package that includes company’s grid technology. The grid technology facilitates in linking all the installed Infoblox appliances together so that they can all together operate as a unified system for - resiliency and management advantages.

 

The six appliances include : an HA pair, which are acting as grid masters; two for delivering DHCP services; and the remaining two for performing DNS services as authoritative masters. Apart from these six appliances, there is one more device at the University of Washington. This device is connected with the help of company’s grid technology and is completely integrated with a remote authoritative master and the local six appliances.

 

Infoblox is helping in streamlining of student authentication and IP address assignment. When students log on to University network, they are automatically redirected to a captive portal where a registration page is displayed and acceptable user policy. Once a student is authorized, a unique IP address is assigned that is issued by the University.

 

Prior to installation of Infoblox’s solutions, students had to go to a physical lab on campus and get their device(s) register. This was more cumbersome and time consuming process. Now using the portal, students will have to simply plug in their device in their dorm room, log on and they are on the network after the host registration process.

 

The University has plans to implement authenticated DHCP function all across the campus.

 

"The Infoblox solution met the University's requirements of built-in reliability and features that allow delegated management with data-entry templates for the various departments," said Mike LeVoir, network design engineer at the University of Minnesota, in a statement.

 

LeVoir added: "Infoblox made the process of implementing our student authentication portal seamless. Students used to have to locate their MAC address -- not necessarily intuitive for some -- and then register their device with the IT department by physically visiting one of our centers. With Infoblox, the students don't need to know their own MAC address, nor do they have to leave their dorm rooms. What used to take 30 minutes now takes seconds, and we moved the process from something cumbersome to something much simpler both for students and the IT department."