CENIC News

In terms of advanced networks, a substantial amount of the previous decade and a half has been spent in infrastructure investment -- the creation of the physical networks themselves. And just as in the historical examples of railroads and the interstate highway system, after the majority of the any network infrastructure has been established, the communities it serves begin to evolve new ways to take advantage of it.

Infrastructure will always continue to be a major focus for advanced networks, including the continued efforts of closing the digital divide, so remote communities can enjoy the benefits of broadband in a cost-effective way. For any diverse geographic area, the high rate of coverage made possible by market forces is often not good enough, and for a state the size of California, such a rate even when very high can leave enormous populations unserved in rural, hard-to-reach areas with low population density. As a result, schools and colleges in these areas may not have adequate bandwidth and, at home, faculty, students and staff may face similarly bandwidth access issues. Ensuring that broadband networks penetrate fully into all areas of California will remain an important focus for CENIC. Participation in projects like that in the Central Valley and the two Northern California broadband consortia that seek to connect anchor institutions in remote and rural areas, and through them the people they serve, is a vital part of the public good that CENIC was created to bring about.

However, with any new technology, there comes a time when the population it serves simply expects it to work. That is when the new era opens, and with advanced networks, that era heralds the arrival of the cloud and the effective creation of a single distributed computer of sorts, used in a thousand ways by a global community, with the network serving as backplane.

CENIC has long appreciated the inevitability of the cloud and its potential to revolutionize the way that the K-20 research and education communities go about their business. Our agreement with Internet2, about which you’ll read more below, is simply a sign of the readiness of the major national, international, and regional networks to move forward into this new era. Our new Voice-over-IP service, about which readers of CENIC Today will be learning more in the coming months, is a further sign of the ways in which these networks that the research and education community worked so hard to establish can now be used to meet new challenges. And our efforts, in collaboration with CENIC Associates, to create other cloud services to meet the needs of these research and education institutions, will continue as one of the most significant strategic areas of work for CENIC in the months and years ahead.

CENIC network updates during the month of April focus on California's Community Colleges and the University of California, with a 100 Mb/s connection put into place between College of the Canyons and their Canyon Country Campus.

For the University of California, network updates include a 10-Gigabit connection to the CalREN-DC network tier for UC Santa Cruz, and 10-Gigabit connections to both the CalREN-DC and the CalREN-HPR network tiers for the UC Davis Medical Center. The CalREN-DC network tier is used for fay-to-day network uses like e-mail, videoconferencing, and browsing the web, while the CalREN-HPR tier is used for high-performance research applications.

CENIC, in partnership with Internet2 NET+ Services, will extend its unique purchasing program for Amazon Web Services, to faculty, staff, and students at participating research and education institutions nationwide by Fall 2012.

On April 24, 2012, Internet2, the world's most advanced networking consortium, announced that together with CENIC, California's advanced networking consortium, they will now offer a new purchasing program for Amazon Web Services (AWS) to make it easier for research and education community institutions to take advantage of the AWS cloud. This new program will provide a community-friendly self-service portal created and managed by AWS solution provider, Datapipe; discounts on eligible AWS services; and expanded payment options that include invoicing and grant-friendly pre-payment services, as well as traditional credit card payment services.

"This new approach to facilitating ease of access while aggregating usage of Amazon Web Services within our R&E community represents the next of many steps we plan to take in streamlining access and lowering costs for use of these increasingly important cloud compute and storage resources," said Louis Fox, President and CEO of CENIC.  "CENIC is delighted to be an Internet2 NET+ provider in collaboration with Datapipe and AWS to introduce this new approach to our K-20 R&E community."

"Amazon Web Services has been a valuable tool for us at California State University Channel Islands. We've replaced instructional and research servers for faculty, created online environments for students, extended our on-campus storage facilities, and even brought up an experimental voice switch. AWS is flexible, versatile, fast, easy to use, and cost-effective. We're thrilled that the new program between Internet2, CENIC, and Amazon will make it even easier for us to procure and use these essential services," stated A. Michael Berman, Vice President for Technology & Communication California State University Channel Islands.

"Datapipe's Managed Cloud for Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a one-of-a-kind managed services offering that provides the flexibility, scalability, and power of the AWS cloud platform," noted Robb Allen, CEO of Datapipe. "This CENIC-Internet2 program demonstrates how Datapipe delivers innovative new solutions for cloud governance and enablement." 

All Amazon Web Services will be available, with the following services eligible for the discount program:

• Application Services:
  • Amazon CloudSearch
  • Amazon Simple Workflow Service (SWF)
  • Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS)
  • Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
  • Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)
• Compute:
  • Amazon Elastic Computer Cloud (EC2)
  • Amazon elastic MapReduce
  • Auto Scaling
  • Elastic Load Balancing
• Content Delivery:
  • Amazon CloudFront
• Database:
  • Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)
  • Amazon DynamoDB
  • Amazon SimpleDB
  • Amazon ElastiCache
• Deployment & Management:
  • AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Amazon CloudWatch
  • AWS Elastic Beanstalk
• Networking:
  • Amazon Route 53
  • Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
  • AWS Direct Connect
• Storage:
  • Amazon simple Storage Services (S3)
  • Amazon Elastic Book Store (EBS)
  • AWS Import/Export
  • AWS Storage Gateway
• Support:
  • AWS Premium Support
• Web Traffic:
  • Alexa Web Information Service
  • Alexa Top Sites

Research and education institutions interested in participating in this purchasing program for Amazon Web Services will be able to sign up through CENIC.

This initiative signals the next step in CENIC's relationship with AWS, which began with the establishment of a trial 10-Gigabit peering between CENIC and AWS in November of 2009.  This trial gave CENIC the opportunity to study the benefits that a high-speed connection to AWS brought to CENIC's members.

The CalREN-HPR network established 10 Gigabit connectivity with the LHC Open Network Environment (LHCONE) overlay network in Los Angeles to support large LHC-related flows between Tier 1/2/3 sites separate from the general purpose R&E infrastructures, and did so at no additional cost to Associates. With this connection, researchers at Caltech, the California State University, the University of California, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center can participate in the Open Network Environment.

As with many big-science projects, particle and high-energy physics research facilities generate vast amounts of data, and access to the data plus the computing resources and storage needed to make the most of it, presents a constant challenge to global researchers. The LHC team has addressed this via the creation of a tiered structure of networked data and compute resources. At the root is the Tier 0 site -- located at CERN itself, this site contains all raw data gathered by the facility. Tier 1 sites are globally located and carry out data storage and analysis. Tier 2 and Tier 3 sites are more remotely placed still, and can be comprised of anything from university lab networks to a single PC.

LHCONE is designed as an access environment and shared private network for the Tier 1/2/3 sites. It builds on the familiar idea of exchange points -- locations and switch fabrics where many networks meet to exchange traffic. MAN LAN, StarLight, and NetherLight are examples of single node policy free R&E exchange points, Atlantic Wave and PacificWave are examples of distributed (multi-node) R&E exchange points, whereas Equinix is an example of a commercial exchange point. LHCONE extends the idea of exchange points to a distributed but integrated collection of inter-connected exchange points that are strategically located to facilitate access by the Tier 1/2/3 sites participating in LHC-related research.

The University of Utah and the Utah Education Network (UEN) are partnering with SCinet to provide both Internet-based and dedicated wide area connectivity services for the SC12 conference and exhibition in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 10-16, 2012. In order to provide the best experience possible for the conference participants, we are asking exhibitors and network entities to describe their advanced network resource needs in supporting their organization's presence and demonstrations at the Salt Palace Convention Center (SPCC).

SCinet will work with ESnet, Internet2, National LambdaRail (NLR), Netherlight, UEN, and other collaborating networking organizations to implement the required resources for SC12. If your organization will require network resources beyond a basic IPv4/IPv6 network service, please respond to this call with the details of your particular requirements. While we would like to have as many details as possible outlined early, we recognize that some issues will need to be worked out over time. Please describe your needs with the available information now, so we may plan accordingly.

• Network bandwidth required (e.g., GigE, 10GigE, Nx10GigE, 100GigE)
• Potential long haul network provider(s) to reach SPCC (e.g., ESnet, Internet2, NLR)
• Origination point(s) of network resources
• Will the network resources be dedicated to a single purpose or can they be shared with other SC12 participants?
• If the network resources can be shared, will you need Layer-2 (e.g., point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet) or Layer-3 (e.g., IPv4, IPv6) support?

Even if you are unable to provide all the details above please contact the SCinet WAN Team as soon as possible with what you do know.

Please send your connectivity requirements and questions to the SCinet WAN Team by June 8, 2012. The e-mail address is wan-team@scinet.supercomputing.org.

Dolgonas recognized as a leader in extending the reach of advanced networking into the K-20 education community

On April 24, 2012, Internet2, the world's most advanced networking consortium, honored Jim Dolgonas, president and chief executive officer emeritus of CENIC, as this year's Richard Rose Award winner. This annual award recognizes extraordinary individual contributions that extend the reach of advanced networking into the K-20 education community.

"Jim has been a great contributor to fostering access to and the use of technology in all aspects of education in California," said Dave Lambert, Internet2 chief executive officer and president. "He has been a strong advocate nationally for the most advanced and imaginative uses of the Internet to help our community and the people we serve."

Jim Dolgonas served as president and chief executive officer of the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), from July 1, 2004, until he stepped down January 31, 2012. California's education and research communities leverage their networking resources under CENIC to obtain cost-effective, high-bandwidth networking to support their missions and answer the needs of their faculty, staff, and students. CENIC's membership is drawn from California's K-20 research and education institutions and includes nearly all of the state's public education system and a significant number of private research and education institutions.

"Jim has worked tirelessly to include the K-20 community in all aspects of CENIC -- in shaping the budget, services and products, internal and public policy agendas, and governance," said Louis Fox, current CENIC President and CEO. "Keeping in mind that nearly one in eight Americans lives in California and roughly one-quarter are part of the state's research and education communities at any given time as faculty, staff, or students, Jim's impact as a single individual over more than a decade of service becomes even more awesome."

"It's also stunning to see Jim's hand in so many important projects that extend beyond the educational segments and, in fact, reach many underserved communities throughout California via anchor institutions," Fox added. "His foresight in anticipating the importance of such institutions in expanding the reach of advanced broadband capabilities predated the development of current national and state-level efforts such as Internet2's U.S. UCAN by at least a decade and was pivotal in their implementation."

Most recently, Dolgonas worked with a consortium of small telecommunications carriers and community groups to win $46 million in federal stimulus funds to expand CENIC's fiber path in the underserved areas of the Central Valley. The Central Valley Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure Project will improve the availability of broadband networking infrastructure to schools, colleges, and universities in 18 counties, as well as to anchor institutions in those counties such as county and main libraries, public safety answering points, and healthcare providers.

As a leader and collaborator, Dolgonas also helped to reshape the public policy agenda for the California Public Utility Commission's California Teleconnect Fund to provide additional support for K-12 and community colleges. "Jim's relentless efforts to enhance broadband access for California's K-20 education and research community has spanned more than a decade," said Patrick Perry, Vice Chancellor of Technology, Research and Information Systems, California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. "Jim has literally saved the State of California tens of millions of public dollars."

"Jim has consistently demonstrated a vision for successful collaboration between all educational entities in California in order to efficiently serve all the needs of the public and maximize resources," said Anne Mallory, Superintendent for Imperial County Office of Education. "Jim has a proven record of successful leadership in bringing in new resources, seeking and fostering collaboration between agencies, and proactively working to enhance broadband access for students across California."

Further, Dolgonas has been a longtime supporter of content initiatives. A recent example is the provision of start-up and support to early phases of what is now a California-wide STEM initiative. The initiative has grown to become independent of CENIC and is now its own 501(c)(3) organization with its own funding and governance.

Prior to joining CENIC, Dolgonas served for 25 years in various technology leadership positions within the University of California system, including as system CIO. He has been active in EDUCAUSE, including service on the Administrative Systems Advisory committee, as well as in Internet2 as a member of the External Relations Advisory Council. Dolgonas has also served on various industry advisory committees, including those of IBM and Sun. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of California, Davis and an MBA from UCLA.

The Richard Rose Award, presented by the Internet2 K20 Initiative, in which Richard Rose played an early and influential leadership role, focuses on efforts to extend advanced networking and applications from research universities to the broadest education community, including primary and secondary schools, community colleges, libraries, museums, zoos, aquariums, and performing arts and cultural centers, America's "anchor institutions." The Award celebrates educators or technologists who have had a demonstrable impact on the K-20 community. Mr. Rose was the executive director of the University of Maryland Academic Telecommunications System (UMATS) and USM Office IT, when he passed away in January 2007.

The award was presented on April 24, 2012, at the Spring 2012 Internet2 Member Meeting held in Arlington, Virginia. For more information about the Richard Rose Award, visit http://www.internet2.edu/rose/.

Together with other Consortia, the Northeastern California Connect and Upstate California Connect Consortia aim to create a comprehensive, integrated, open-access, middle-mile, and last-mile broadband infrastructure that will connect 16 rural counties in Northern California (Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, and Yolo). Having such a cohesive network infrastructure throughout Northern California will have a similar impact as roads and waterways currently have. Without such a comprehensive broadband infrastructure, the over 1.6 million northern Californians living in these counties will continue to be deprived of proper access to the broadband services that are increasingly essential to the quality of life in the 21st century.

The latest quarterly newsletters for the Northeastern California Connect and Upstate California Connect Consortia have gone out, full of information about the latest activities in both projects. Readers of CENIC Today are invited to visit NECCC and the UCCC websites to read the latest issues of the Consortia newsletters and sign up for future updates.

While the Internet certainly does the job it was meant to do and well, its current instantiation was the result of a long series of decisions, many of which could have been made differently and resulted in a very different network. Investigating these other possible Internets and enabling such research to be carried out on the current one is an active area of research. Among those researchers, one of the chiefest is Stanford University's Guru Parulkar, Executive Director of the Open Networking Research Center (ONRC), the Open Networking Lab (ON.Lab), and the Open Networking Summits Inc. (ONS), and was also Executive Director of the Clean Slate Program, which has successfully led to four other flagship projects that have the potential to transform different parts of the Internet.

In 20 years in the networking field, Guru has worked in academia, startups, a large company, and a top tier venture capital firm. He joined the NSF in 2003 in its then new Computer and Network Systems Division and also served as the GENI Program Director (www.geni.net) and received NSF Director's award for Program Management Excellence. Prior to NSF, Guru spent several years in Silicon Valley at high-tech startups.

Prior to Silicon Valley, Guru was a Professor of Computer Science and Director of Applied Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis where he led research and prototyping of high performance networking and multimedia systems for over 11 years.

To learn more about the other Star Performers that CENIC has featured, please visit our website at www.cenic.org.

US & World Networking News:

"The Broadband Partnership of the Americas provides participating countries with an opportunity to harness the significant potential of broadband technology to meet pressing social challenges, drive economic growth and create jobs throughout the region," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.

Internet2 and some of the nation's most prominent high-tech firms announced partnerships that would expedite the delivery of cloud services to college campuses nationwide, and address research, big data and innovation challenges.

At UC San Diego, researchers have devised a way to dramatically boost the amount of digital information that can shoot through fiber optic cables. This addresses the problem of data load and bandwidth in this information age.

This study concludes that the benefits of higher education extend well beyond the direct payoff for students and include substantial gains to the state, and it is indeed worth the investment. California's higher education investments pay off for all of California, not only for the individuals who receive a college education through increased lifetime earnings, but for the state in increased tax revenue and reduced costs for social welfare programs and incarceration.

After putting more than 75,600 netbooks into the hands of students, the San Diego Unified School District has switched its focus to Apple iPads and will buy devices to outfit 340 classrooms before the end of the school year.

In all, the district plans to purchase around 25,700 iPad 2s at a slight discount from retail to roll out to its fifth- and eighth-grade classes as well as some high school classes by next fall.

The 2012 Q1 Special Report on Campus Infrastructure will help education leaders discover answers to their most pressing infrastructure inquiries around networking, the cloud, data center virtualization, storage and security -- as well as the "people" side of the education equation: human resources, IT management and leadership.

About CENIC and How to Change Your Subscription:

California's education and research communities leverage their networking resources under CENIC, the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, in order to obtain cost-effective, high-bandwidth networking to support their missions and answer the needs of their faculty, staff, and students. CENIC designs, implements, and operates CalREN, the California Research and Education Network, a high-bandwidth, high-capacity Internet network specially designed to meet the unique requirements of these communities, and to which the vast majority of the state's K-20 educational institutions are connected. In order to facilitate collaboration in education and research, CENIC also provides connectivity to non-California institutions and industry research organizations with which CENIC's Associate researchers and educators are engaged.

CENIC is governed by its member institutions. Representatives from these institutions also donate expertise through their participation in various committees designed to ensure that CENIC is managed effectively and efficiently, and to support the continued evolution of the network as technology advances.

For more information, visit www.cenic.org.

Subscription Information: You can subscribe and unsubscribe to CENIC Today at http://lists.cenic.org/mailman/listinfo/cenic-today.