Due in part to minimal vendor support for AppleTalk and IPX communications, Enterprise Information Technology Services at UGA is proposing to eliminate these protocol communications across the campus backbone network.
“Development is occurring predominantly in the area of standard Internet Protocol communications,” says David Matthews-Morgan, associate director for EITS operations and infrastructure. “With the advent of Macintosh OS 9.x and higher and Novell Netware 5.x and higher, AppleTalk and IPX have been supplanted by IP and are no longer required for file, print and other services.”
Eliminating AppleTalk and IPX across the campus backbone network will free up excess bandwidth these protocols produce. It will also simplify implementation of the next-generation UGA network since it will reduce the processing power needed to support these protocols in the core routers. AppleTalk and IPX could continue to operate within a building but they would be unsupported, according to Matthews-Morgan.
“EITS will be conducting a survey of Macintosh and NetWare server usage to gauge the impact of eliminating AppleTalk and IPX across the campus backbone network,” says Mathews-Morgan.
Assuming no major impediments are encountered, the target date for the elimination of AppleTalk is June 1 and for IPX is Dec. 31. Documentation will be developed to assist departments migrating from AppleTalk and IPX to IP.
Anyone adversely affected by either of the proposed elimination dates should contact Matthews-Morgan at 542-5359 or dmm@uga.edu.