The GEANT Perspectives Fernando Liello NREN Policy Committee

The GEANT Perspectives Fernando Liello NREN Policy Committee Chairman

Learn the Lesson • GEANT is a success • We have to plan for its development – What want we to keep ? – Where can we improve ? – What would be better to change ? • Which will be our next target ?

Europe as an Example • • More than 3100 Research Institutions Many Countries (currently 31) Different technological choices Different requirements in terms of service level • Different funding and organizational schemes

GEANT Reach (in Europe)

The Key Elements • A Layered Model – Campus – National – International • Competent, Dedicated Organizations – The NREN Consortium – DANTE • Sound no-nonsense Model • Strategy and Control at the NREN level

Closing a Loop • Research Networking Started with Mission Oriented Networks • Economy of Scale lead to National (Multidisciplinary) Research Networks • Today’s Developments can Revive Mission (or Experiment) Oriented Networks ? • Is It only a Matter of Bandwidth ?

Infinite Bandwidth • Can we afford to use ls as link unit ? • We have to face the implementation lifecycle – How long to have 40 Gbps on a l ������� – How long to have 256 ls (or more) on one fiber • When a more efficient scheme of SDH for multiplexing/de-multiplexing capacity will be commercially available ?

Private Networks • The Solution for Big Science – Require Complex Organization – Huge Investment • Does Big Science Really Exist ? • Who makes the Choice ? • The Chain Effect: – What happens if two Private Networks have a node in common ?

Virtual Private Networks • Share the same physical infrastructure among many virtual ones • Share of financial (and management) resources • Allow Test and Production Grade services to coexist • The Chain Problem is still there

Quality of Service • E-to-E Qo. S implies Coordination of (at least) three organizations + the last mile problem – The site A provider – The site B provider – The intermediate carrier • Negotiate the needed level of Coordination (and how to implement it).

Virtual Temporary Connection • Connect Computers to a Virtual Network on Request • At the Required Bandwidth • With Guaranteed Qo. S • … the next step beyond GRID … • … and far beyond l allocation

An Empty Network • Commercial Internet serves an huge number of relatively small capacity transactions Average occupancy can be high to achieve profitability • Research Networks have a small number of large capacity users Average level of usage must be low to guarantee availability

The Strategy • Expand the Capacity to keep the bandwidth available to the users • Create a VPN service to fulfill the request of mission oriented and development communities • Introduce automatic end-to-end bandwidth allocation and Qo. S

The Challenges • Make the Structure more Hierarchical – Regional Networks – Encourage the creation of Pan-Continental networks outside Europe • Global Connectivity – Research is Global – Build the Global layer • Make Research Networks more Flexible

Some (incomplete) Answer • The Federal Model looks good • Better technical coordination is vital • The role of organizations like DANTE and TERENA is vital (but NRENs are essential) • NREN control is the only practical solution – Policy, Strategic, Financial and Technical Decisions

Some Constraints • The large Political and Financial Support, that research networking currently enjoys, brings Obligations as well • We must evolve the Research Network, not to destroy it to build a new one: flexibility must be the keyword • To set the requirements too far ahead of time will be foolish

The Good Network • The services must be visible and accessible • The network you use to access them must be transparent hence invisible

Conclusions • GEANT has proved its organization model • Keep the physical network Federal but Unique and evolve it • Implement technology and tools to allow the user to have a partitioned view of the network (if needed) • Keep in mind the whole (global) picture