IT classes available to national research and education community

Merit Network has announced a number of upcoming online classes including summer workshops on data center infrastructure management and the BGP routing protocol. Available over the Internet via desktop interface, the classes can be taken from any location, and registration is open to members of the educational community.

On August 1-2, "BGP and Advanced Routing Concepts: A Practical Workshop" introduces BGP and related routing concepts, including configuration, path selection, best practice recommendations and examples of BGP problems and solutions. Participants will configure Cisco routers during a half-day lab to simulate different BGP configurations. This course is developed and presented by engineers from NYSERNet, New York's research and education network.

http://www.merit.edu/bgp2012

Presented on August 7-9, "Data Center Infrastructure Management" is a three-day course on the critical features of managing a data center or server room of any size. The course is led by David Cole, a data center expert and technology veteran, who will discuss the most pertinent topics in the data center/server room industry, including power, cooling, energy efficiency, management tools, and integrating IT Service Management.

http://www.merit.edu/dcim2012

Andy Rosenzweig, Merit's Manager of Professional Learning, notes that the courses are relevant to the needs of many educational institutions. "The BGP course leverages the long internetworking experience of NYSERNet's engineering staff and provides a unique learning experience for engineers that manage organizations' connections to multiple network providers. The data center course is one that Merit has hosted twice before, with very positive reviews from students for its completeness and relevance for professionals who manage data facilities."

Other online classes available in the next several months include Linux security, IT project management, SELinux, network security and web site security auditing. They are part of Merit's ongoing Professional Learning program, which offers professional development opportunities of particular interest to IT professionals in education. A full calendar for 2012-2013, including traditional classroom courses and special events, is available at http://www.merit.edu/learning.

Elwood Downing, Vice President of Member Relations, Services and Communication at Merit, is pleased that Merit is able to offer these professional development opportunities for the research and education community nationwide. "These classes continue our efforts to help enhance the skills of technologists in education through unique learning opportunities. Offering these courses via the Internet makes them accessible to a larger audience and reduces the difficult logistics and costs of attending traditional courses."

Registration and more information for all courses are available via the schedule at:

http://www.merit.edu/learning