CENIC has undertaken a large number of projects designed to enhance and expand the reach of and the services provided by CalREN. These projects are listed below along with their status and timetables for completion.

You can also view a list of recently completed network expansion projects as well.

If you have any questions about a specific project, please send e-mail to esmith@cenic.org.

Current Network Expansion Projects

The CalREN-DC Network Refresh Project

CENIC is currently undertaking an upgrade/refresh of the entire CalREN-DC network; this is called the "DC Refresh Project." This project consists of retrofitting the DWDM optical system and replacing routers and associated equipment along the entire CalREN-DC network. This substantial undertaking includes an assessment of space and power needs throughout the network as well as shipping, installation, and removal of numerous systems at backbone hub sites throughout California. In addition, the DC Refresh Project involves considerable hardware tracking, inventory, and asset management activities.

Campus Access Infrastructure (CAI) • [ Project Schedule (pdf; updated 08/03/06) ]

The Campus Access Infrastructure Project is a CSU system-wide program that will greatly improve CSU campus and other CSU site connectivity to the CalREN backbone. The end result will be redundant, diverse paths from each campus to the backbone to improve robustness and performance. As a measure of this diversity, CENIC has developed the CSU Diversity Matrix (PDF) to illustrate the nature and depth of the diversity of the path from each CSU campus to the CalREN backbone.

Coachella Valley Fiber Project • [ Project Schedule (pdf) ]

In September 2004, The H. N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation made a $3.4million grant to CENIC for the initial phase of the Coachella Valley Fiber Project. Representing a new dark-fiber build-out to the greater Coachella Valley area from Riverside and south from Palm Desert into Imperial County, the Coachella Valley Fiber Project establishes new backbone hub sites at UC Riverside and at the Palm Desert Educational Complex. In March 2005, CENIC lit the first Gigabit Ethernet connection establishing connectivity between the CENIC backbone and the Palm Desert campus of CSU San Bernardino. Less than a week later, another GigE connection was turned on for the dedication of the Heckmann Center for Entrepreneurial Management of UC Riverside, also in Palm Desert.

15454 Deployment Project

This project involves the deployment and retrofitting of the CalREN and NLR network with Cisco 15454 optical equipment. It will be connected to existing 15808 equipment which is no longer available for sale. It includes a training component for CENIC’s engineering staff and setting up a test bed for research and training purposes.