Connection Regulations NUZ*

IT systems that are connected to the University of Zurich (NUZ) network must meet certain requirements. An IT system is any system with a network interface (wired and wireless), such as personal computers, notebooks, servers, tablets, smartphones, IP telephones, WLAN transmitters, webcams, large devices, control and master computers, sensors, actuators, controllers, access systems etc.

For new installations, patch cables of category 6A must be used. The cables must be of good quality. The cables must not be kinked or otherwise damaged. The connectors must be undamaged.
Usually the IP telephone is connected to the UKV socket on the wall and the computer to the free socket on the telephone. Other computers and printers are connected directly to the UKV socket on the wall.

The Network group of the Central IT no longer recommends the use of mini-switches, as these may stand in the way of the possible introduction of authentication for network access (Network Access Control - NAC).

Where available, free UKV connections and Ethernet connections on the IP telephone sets should be used. In other cases, additional UCT connections should be requested from PFM demand management (DE).

The NUZ is a network based on Ethernet (IEEE 802.3). The devices to be connected must therefore use standardized Ethernet. There are many substandards, which play a role in individual cases. The typical Ethernet connection of the NUZ supports the variants 1000BASE-T, 100Base-T and 10Base-T. The selection is made using the autosensing method, which must be mastered by the system to be connected.
The wireless connection (WLAN - Wireless LAN) also works with Ethernet. However, other substandards are used here. The current minimum variant is 802.11g. The current standard is 802.11n. The coming standard is called 802.11ac. In the NUZ, depending on the location, at least 802.11g, mostly 802.11n and for certain new installations 802.11ac is offered. When purchasing systems with a service life of several years, it is advisable to make sure that they support 802.11ac in a future-oriented manner.

For certain types of devices, power is supplied directly via the network connection rather than via an unwieldy and less energy-efficient plug-in power supply unit. These include IP telephones, WLAN transmitters, webcams and special devices used in building services engineering.
In the NUZ, PoE supply is generally reserved for devices operated by the ZI or within the scope of building services engineering. Incorrectly functioning PoE devices can lead to operational disturbances. In special cases, exceptions can be granted for suitable devices.
In any case, only PoE devices which support the LLDP-MED protocol so well that the type and power consumption of the device is displayed on the Ethernet switch of the NUZ and that the power management between device and switch functions smoothly may be connected.
See also additional information on PoE at the UZH.

The NUZ is operated using Internet technology. Therefore, the basic network protocol in the NUZ is IP (Internet Protocol). The protocols TCP or UDP run over it.
A system must support this protocol family correctly. The regulations are defined in countless RFCs (Request for Comments), which are freely accessible via the WWW. Of course, not all of these RFCs have to be supported. There are always some authoritative ones per area.
The system must support manual and automatic addressing for IPv4 (current IP protocol version). The automatic addressing works with the DHCP protocol (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). It must be possible to set the following values for manual addressing: Address, netmask, address of the default router, address of at least two name servers, default domain and optionally address of one or more time servers (NTP).
The UZH currently does not support the new IP protocol version IPv6. In the long term, however, there will be a change to this version, which is why it is important to make sure that long-term systems can be operated with IPv6 in the future.

All systems connected to the NUZ are subject to the safety regulations of the UZH.
The connection to the Ethernet can also be secured. This is currently not the case at the UZH for the wired network. However, this is required for the wireless network (WLAN). The WLAN-CLient must support the authentication mechanism WPA2-Enterprise (sometimes also referred to as WPA2-1x, WPA2-802.1x or IEEE 802.1x), which enables the use of individual user names and passwords. The authentication protocols to be used are EAPoL (EAP over LAN), PEAP or MSCHAPv2.
Connections of non-compliant systems that cause network problems can be deactivated at any time without notice.

If you have any questions, please contact the staff unit "Coordination IT and Construction" of the IT Infrastructure Department of the Central IT. Contact: itundbau@zi.uzh.ch.

* NUZ: Network University of Zurich