HSRN Deployment Options

Overview

The High Speed Research Network offers two deployment options for researchers, Copper Upgrades and Direct Fiber connectivity. In general, Copper Upgrade network connections are available to typical commodity hardware and offer higher link speeds (10X) compared to NYU-NET, as well as much lower latency within the network. Direct Fiber connections offers massive bandwidth capacity at 100 Gbps, microsecond latency within the network and to select outside locations, but require specialized hardware and software to gain this benefit.

Note

Older hardware and operating systems typically provide lower speeds. We recommend targeting recent hardware, network cards, and operating systems for optimal performance on the HSRN network.

Direct Fiber Connections

Link Speed Options: 100 Gbps, 2x100 Gbps

The HSRN's flagship offering is a direct fiber-to-the-workstation run to labs, server closets, and research spaces with network connection speeds up to 100 Gbps (100x the speed of standard 1Gbps NYU-NET connectivity).

Fiber CANNOT be run through the traditional Ethernet outlets in the rooms, an Optical Distribution Box needs to be installed to provide connectivity. This box houses 12 or 24 strands of fiber depending on configuration, with each edge connection requiring 2 strands, totaling either 6 or 12 possible connections per box.

The fiber-to-the-desk connections drastically increase network throughput for computers, as well as reducing latency for servers and research devices, enabling novel research use cases as well as improve existing workflows.

Considerations

While the fiber option is incredibly powerful, achieving this level of connectivity requires a dedicated network card specifically designed for optical connections, and a dedicated transceiver for each machine. Details on both the network card and transceiver required can be found in Equipment Guidance.

Workflows that require the high throughput / low latency of Direct Fiber connections will also have increased system resource requirements. Though not required to get the most out of HSRN Fiber, we highly recommend that the systems connected to the HSRN be server-grade or higher-end workstations, with recent processors with high core count and clock speeds.

Copper Upgrade

Link Speed Options: 1 Gbps, 2.5G bps, 5 Gbps, 10 Gbps

PoE Options: None, PoE, PoE+, PoE++

NYU-HSRN offers Copper Upgrades to existing NYU-NET network outlets in connected buildings. The HSRN deploys high-performance Ethernet switches with a dedicated fiber backbone which can upgrade link speeds in existing Ethernet outlets from the standard NYU-NET 1 Gbps, up to 10 Gbps over our switches.

In simple terms, wall Ethernet outlets connect to NYU-NET by default, and provide the main wired connectivity for NYU. For researchers and research use cases, it is possible to simply move the cable from the NYU-NET switch to our HSRN switch behind the wall, enabling HSRN access with higher link speeds as well as drastically lower latencies.

The HSRN is also able to provide Power over Ethernet, supporting PoE, PoE+, and PoE++ (Type 3 and 4) specifications. This can provide up to 71.3W and can power devices such as IP cameras, thin clients, controllers, IoT devices, laptops, etc which have PoE capabilities or the necessary adapters.

NOTE: Computers can connect to either NYU-NET or the HSRN but typically are not connected to both. (Please see FAQs for information about the differences between NYU-NET and HSRN connectivity)

Considerations

There are considerations to upgrades on both the infrastructure and the researcher side.

On the infrastructure side, some existing Ethernet cables that connect the wall to the switch in older buildings may NOT be able to support network connectivity up to 10 Gbps. The HSRN team can identify the maximum link capacity for a specific network outlet. If faster connectivity is required, the upgrade cost for newer cable or fiber can be estimated, and will need to be covered by the researcher or department.

To best utilize HSRN connectivity, we recommend Cat 6A (or above) Ethernet cabling to connect researcher machines to the network wall port. These Cat 6A cables can be found at most electronic stores for ~$20.

Many commodity network cards only support 1/2.5 Gbps connections, special network cards are typically needed to support 10 Gbps connections. While there may be an improvement in speed and latency without upgrading network cards, we recommend procuring a 10 Gbps card for any research machine enlisted for a Copper Upgrade. These 10 Gbps network cards can typically be procured online for ~$100. Details and recommendations can be found in Equipment Guidance.

Please check with your system OEM for specifications on the speed of your current card if you want to attempt to reuse this for HSRN connectivity.

Wireless

Link Speed Options: Variable

The HSRN deploys high performance WiFi 6E access points in select rooms. This provides dedicated high bandwidth, low latency connectivity via the HSRN. Typically, this is done to support research involving microcontrollers, robotics, IoT devices or AR/VR which do not have the capability to connect via a traditional network jack.

HSRN WiFi operats using a preshared key model, which allows devices to connect which may not be able to complete the full enterprise authentication as required by NYU-NET WiFi. Most devices will be able to connect to HSRN WiFi without any issues. If you would like to make full use of the speed, please ensure your equipment is rated for WiFi 7.

If you would like to be added to the list of users and sent the preshared keys, please contact us at hsrn-support@nyu.edu

Considerations

HSRN WiFi is deployed only in select locations, which means that the service area is often limited to the room that the HSRN AP is in. Please keep experiments close to this AP for best service quality.