High-Speed Network Connections

Next Generation Production Network

Got big data? ITS supports UC San Diego's production network, which has a dual-80G core with 10- to 40G backbone branches and 40G to our campus gateway. Our production network includes 1G standard wall connections (10G & 40G available for a fee) and over 60Gbps of research and commodity Internet connectivity.

UCSD's Research Network Extensions

In addition, UCSD is home to two NSF-supported research network extensions; Prism@UCSD, a science DMZ providing 40G or greater cross-campus connections to big data projects, and to CHERuB (maintained jointly by ACT and SDSC), which gives UCSD an additional 100G of configurable connectivity for experimental research.

UCSD High-Performance Research Partners

In addition to our Internet connectivity, UCSD connects directly at high speed to many nearby research institutions. You can download a PDF of the current connections to external partners.

Troubleshooting

What's slowing my connection?

Check your area: campus network connections are rarely impacted (connect to ITS' UCSD Network Weathermap and log in with your Active Directory username/password to see current conditions).
Your wall jack, provided by the NGN (Next Generation Network) program at UCSD, defaults to a 1Gbps standard, which matches most current Ethernet adapters (NICs).
In many cases, tuning your kernel or TCP/IP stack will improve your performance more than a network upgrade.
- Check out a UCSD SysWiki article on tuning your TCP/IP stack [Note: this link can only be accessed from on campus or via the VPN]
- ESnet offers an extensive site on performance tuning.
Consult with ITS, who can test your connection path and find the source of the problem you are experiencing.

I've identified a bottleneck

If your bottleneck is your subnet or building network, and/or if you’re planning on purchasing 10Gbps or greater NICs, you have several options to improve your connection. Both require purchase of a network switch and may have cabling or other one-time costs:

Upgrade to a 10Gbps production network connection (40G available in some areas)

This NGN-maintained connection will be yours alone until it reaches the building edge, where it will share a 10Gbps path across campus. (Regular campus backbone traffic rarely exceeds 1Gbps.) There is no special configuration required to use these connections.

Upgrade to a 40Gbps Prism@UCSD research network connection, where available

This NSF-supported connectivity allows 40Gbps connections that are yours alone all the way to the Prism@UCSD switch, where 120Gbps in connectivity provides access to SDSC and 2x40Gbps connections into the CHERuB 100Gbps switch. If you need connectivity via CHERuB to the Internet, you will need to know your Internet destination so that a pathway can be negotiated and set up for your use. Subject to fiber availability. Note that Prism@UCSD is not supported by IT Services production network staff.

IPv6 is available on both types of connection where needed.

Contact research-it@ucsd.edu to discuss which is right for your needs.

Request expert help

A campus network expert can assist you in diagnosing the problem and determining the best solution. Contact research-it@ucsd.edu for assistance.