What is a “routed” network and why does Boston College need to build one at this time?
A. All the information sent back and forth between computers on a network must be managed in such a way so that individual computer systems are not bombarded with information that is not specific to them. Too many pieces of information (called “broadcasts”) going to too many computers slow a network down. Boston College has what is called a “flat” (unrouted) network, which is very unusual for a network this size. To control the flow of broadcasts and keep the network running, BC has been using a software package, but this software is not a computer industry standard and will not be fully supported in the future. For these reasons, the decision was made to transition to a routed, hardware-based network. Routers are hardware devices that divide computer networks into broadcast areas, allowing for greater flexibility in managing the network, as well as minimizing outages to the entire network.
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