Munich University, Germany

Keeping the extensive network at Munich University up to date takes detailed planning by the IT department. To avoid disruption to ongoing teaching activities, the existing buildings can only be renovated in the semesters breaks. In parallel with this, also the networking of new buildings on the campus was planned. The university relies on modern fiber optics and the FTTO (Fiber To The Office) concept for most of its projects. Fiber optic cabling is ideally suited for inexpensive and high-performance networking of buildings, especially under difficult spatial conditions. At the same time, the Micro Switches allow terminal devices to be connected in the lecture theatres or offices via copper-based standardised RJ-45 interfaces. The university thus saves on additional media converters or interface cards for connecting directly to the fiber optic infrastructure.