The Challenge
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District serves students across a vast geographic area in Interior Alaska. With increasing reliance on digital learning resources, cloud-based applications, and centralized IT services, the district needed a modern wide area network capable of supporting current demands while scaling for future growth.
The existing network infrastructure was aging, bandwidth-constrained, and lacked the redundancy necessary for an educational environment where connectivity directly impacts learning outcomes.
My Role
I served as principal architect and project engineer for the deployment of a next-generation 10Gbps Metro Ethernet network serving the school district. My involvement spanned the complete project lifecycle, from initial proposal through post-deployment support.
Sales Engineering & Proposal
- Collaborated with sales team to develop technical solution addressing district requirements
- Created network designs and documentation for RFP response
- Presented technical architecture to district IT leadership and procurement
- Developed cost models and implementation timelines
Network Design
- Architected path-diverse topology ensuring no single point of failure
- Designed redundant metro ethernet rings connecting all school sites
- Specified equipment and configurations for 10Gbps backbone capacity
- Engineered last-mile connections optimized for each school’s physical location
Implementation
- Managed OSP construction and fiber installation
- Oversaw ISP equipment installation and configuration
- Coordinated cutover planning to minimize disruption to school operations
- Conducted acceptance testing and performance validation
Post-Deployment Support
- Provided ongoing technical support and troubleshooting
- Assisted with capacity planning as district needs evolved
- Supported network modifications for new programs and facilities
Technical Architecture
Path Diversity
The network was designed with true path diversity, meaning traffic between any two points could traverse multiple independent physical paths. This architecture ensured:
- Resilience against fiber cuts (common in Alaska due to construction and environmental factors)
- Maintenance windows without service interruption
- Automatic failover measured in milliseconds
Capacity Design
The 10Gbps backbone represented a significant investment in future-proofing. At deployment, this capacity far exceeded immediate requirements, but the design anticipated:
- Growth in cloud-based educational applications
- Increased video conferencing and distance learning
- Centralization of IT services and data
- 1:1 device programs increasing per-student bandwidth needs
Metro Ethernet Standards
The network was built on carrier-grade Metro Ethernet standards, providing:
- Service-level guarantees for latency, jitter, and availability
- Quality of Service capabilities for traffic prioritization
- Scalability to add capacity without architectural changes
- Interoperability with district and vendor equipment
Results
The network successfully connected 8 K-12 schools across the borough with enterprise-grade, redundant connectivity. The 10Gbps backbone provided ample headroom for growth, while the path-diverse architecture delivered the reliability that educational environments require.
This project demonstrated that even in challenging environments like Interior Alaska, schools can have access to world-class network infrastructure that supports modern educational technology.