CENIC Today: Volume 10, Issue 8

Welcome to CENIC Today, the monthly newsletter of the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California. In this issue:

CENIC News:

President's Message: A Day in the Life of CalREN

On any given day, CENIC provides to the CalREN community a wide range of network services and support, ranging from videoconferencing and other network-based services to fiber consulting and waves to support everything from metagenomics to educational rich-media delivery. Often, our articles and my monthly President’s Message will focus on one specific use of the network or a specific service. However, this month, I'd like to illustrate for you the full diversity of the traffic traveling over CalREN on one particular day. The results may surprise you.

You can see from the chart below that roughly 70% of the traffic over CalREN at any given time is either bound for or received from non-educational sites. Commercial Internet traffic, with a usage-based fee, contributes 8% to this total, and the rest is peering-related, with 43% originating from or destined for non-educational sites via settlement-free peering arrangements on a national basis (with large companies or ISPs), and 18% also terminating at non-educational sites via settlement-free peering, but on a local basis.

Traffic exchanged exclusively between Associates, located mainly in California and the core of which consists of the institutions that CENIC was created to serve, contributes 15% to the total traffic over CalREN on any given day.

The Pacific Wave international exchange facility, a joint project between CENIC and the Pacific Northwest Gigapop and operated in collaboration with the University of Southern California and the University of Washington, contributes 8% to the total CalREN network traffic. The remaining 8% of traffic is traveling to or from other educational sites accessible via one of the two national education backbones, either Internet2 or NLR.

The network usage pattern displayed in the chart below is probably representative over the period of a year. Although CENIC hasn't historically maintained usage statistics, my belief is that the largest growth area over time has been the traffic to and from commercial sites, with the second largest growth area, in terms of percentage, being the international traffic.

In other words, as part of our charter as a nonprofit organization serving California’s K-20 research and education community, CENIC dedicates a significant portion of our efforts on behalf of that community to controlling costs and managing the performance of traffic to and from commercial sites. This result serves to illustrate the type of network traffic currently serving the various missions of the CENIC network Associates.

This pattern of network usage also illustrates the importance to CENIC (as well as to all of the CalREN Associates) of the aggressive and proactive management of commercial Internet-related traffic, as this is likely to continue to grow more quickly that traffic shared between network Associates.

Stay tuned. In a few years, we can revisit my predictions and see whether they were correct.

-- Jim Dolgonas, CENIC

CalREN Update: Network Projects and Activities

During the month of September, the Coast Community College District's Gigabit connection to CalREN was put into production, and as this link serves not only the district office, but Orange Coast College, Golden West College and Coastline Community College as well, nearly 50,000 of California's community college students as well as faculty and staff at all four locations now enjoy Gigabit connectivity to CalREN and to their colleagues within California and beyond. Congratulations to the Coast CCD, and CENIC looks forward to your coming achievements with the new connectivity to CalREN!

Among the K-12 schools and sites, the K12 High Speed Network (K12HSN) has authorized CENIC to upgrade various DS3 and OC3 circuits currently serving K-12 sites with high circuit utilization. As a result, efforts are underway to upgrade eighteen existing circuits to Gigabit speeds. As these new Gigabit connections are put into production, announcements will be made in future issues of CENIC Today, so be sure to stay tuned to future editions for news about this project as well as circuit upgrades for yet more campuses in California's Community College System.

If you've ever wanted to attend a forum where the highest quality scientists and engineers will be presenting their latest research findings related to all elements of supercomputing, Supercomputing 07 (SC07) is the place to be. SC07 is the International Conference for High-Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis. This year's conference will be held in Reno, NV at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center (RSCC) from November 10-16, 2007.

As mentioned in last month's issue, since SC 07 will be held in Reno, NV, CENIC and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) have taken the lead on providing WAN connectivity for the Reno-Sparks Convention Center (RSCC) from November 10-16, 2007 during the conference. CENIC and the NSHE will continue to put forth the highest effort to make sure that SC07 lives up to the Supercomputing reputation. If you'd like to visit Reno, NV and see for yourself, registration is still open at significant savings until October 15, 2007. You can also find the entire conference program, exhibit information, and travel and tourism information about the Reno, NV area at the SC07 website at http://sc07.supercomputing.org/.

-- Ed Smith, CENIC

Seventh Annual GLIF Workshop Held in Prague

On September 17-18, 2007, The Global Lambda Integrated Facility (GLIF) held its 7th Annual Global LambdaGrid Workshop in the historic city of Prague in the Czech Republic; the meeting was hosted by CESNET, the association of entities responsible for the Czech national research and education network. Held in conjunction with CESNET's own Customer Empowered Fibre (CEF) Workshop, the GLIF Workshop took place at the Carolinum, a magnificent 14th century building at the heart of Prague's Charles University. The Carolinum, shown below, is a marvel of period architecture and has been a central fixture in the university and old Gothic Prague for more than 600 years.

Both workshops featured researchers and organizations from four continents, highlighting the truly global scope of GLIF and the scale of global cooperation between research and education networks as they work together to provide integrated and seamless service to their constituents.

Attendees in each of the GLIF working groups (Governance, Technical, Control Plane, and Research & Applications) came together to discuss topics and progress, to learn the latest about the achievements being enabled by GLIF, and about GLIF activities and other activities around the globe in national and international level high-performance networking.

After the welcome address given by CESNET's Jan Gruntorad, SURFnet GigaPort Network director Kees Neggers provided an overview of GLIF for attendees, covering the history of GLIF and the motivations for its creation both technical and application-driven. Neggers' presentation also covered the structure of GLIF itself -- technical as well as administrative as an international virtual organization managed as a cooperative activity with participants rather than members and a lightweight governance structure. The shared vision of the GLIF community was also compelling presented as the pursuit of a new grid computing paradigm in which the central architectural element is optical networks and not computers, with a vision of supporting the decade's most demanding e-science applications.

Jan Gruntorad then presented on GLIF-related activities in the Czech Republic, followed by John Silvester and Rick Summerhill representing NLR and Internet2 (shown below) and presenting on current network updates underway in the United States. The presentation and demonstration given by Tom DeFanti of Calit2 @UCSD and the University of Illinois at Chicago on CineGrid and GLIF was a particular highlight.

Other presentations covered topics as diverse as automated bandwidth allocation across heterogeneous networks given by researchers from Greece's GRNet and Ireland's HEAnet, Korea's Hybrid Network Initiative KREOnet2 given by KISTI's Dongkyun Kim, Internet2 Land Speed Records in the GLIF Environment given by WIDE's Akira Kato, and the Brazilian network testbed Kyatera given by the University of São Paulo's Tereza Cristina Carvalho.

CENIC was represented by CTO Dave Reese at both the GLIF and CEF workshops. At CEF, Reese gave a presentation at reviewing the upgrade of the CALREN-DC network, currently underway, and the planned upgrade of CalREN-HPR and the underlying optical network.

Presentations and a full conference program for the GLIF Workshop can be found online at http://www.ces.net/glif2007/prog/, and CEF Workshop presentations are located at the CESNET website at http://www.ces.net/doc/seminars/cef2007/.

-- Dave Reese, CENIC

Spotlight on CETPA: The California Educational Technology Professionals Association

Established in 1960, the California Educational Technology Professionals Associations (CETPA) is the premiere organization for technologists in California's K-12 system. Between 1960 and 2007, computer technology has moved from its birth and infancy (vacuum tubes were giving way to practical and inexpensive transistor technology) through a turbulent adolescence and into a promising maturity as massive innovations in networks, storage, and processors have made possible research and teaching paradigms unthinkable even in the late 20th century. As a result of these innovations, the roles and responsibilities of the K-12 educational technologist have grown more and more demanding, and CETPA’s goal is to increase information sharing and communication among K-12 technologists on technology-related issues.

From October 9-12, 2007 in Indian Wells, CA in the heart of the Coachella Valley, CETPA's Annual Conference will feature keynote addresses by William M. Habermehl, County Superintendent of Schools at the\ Orange County Department of Education and Mary J. Cullinane, Director of Microsoft Corporation's US Partners in Learning. The conference program features Breakout and Tech Talk sessions, a hands-on lab where attendees can learn more about technology of educational interest including podcasting and the newest offerings from Microsoft and Apple, general events, and various user and advisory group meetings.

A key feature of the CETPA Annual Conference is its Vendor Exhibitor Show, held one day only on October 11, 2007. At this event, attendees can learn about the latest new innovations and meet representatives from approximately 150 organizations offering a smorgasbord of technology to help keep California's K-12 schools at the forefront of global education and lifelong learning. CENIC and the K-12 High Speed Network (K12HSN) will be located at Booth #413, so be sure to stop by!

The event is being held at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa, where attendees can enjoy not only the beautiful scenery of the Golden State's wide open spaces, but recreational activities suitable for all kinds of athletic and cultural interest.

Be sure to visit the http://www.cetpa-k12.org/events/ to learn more, and if you attend, stop by Booth #413 and say hello to CENIC and K12HSN!

-- Janis Cortese, CENIC

CENIC 08: Lightpath to the Stars — Call for Presentations and Call for Award Nominations

It seems like only a few weeks ago that researchers and educators from California and beyond met in the sunny and beautiful city of La Jolla, CA for three days of exciting programming and networking at CENIC `07: Making Waves, and planning has begun in earnest for the 2008 conference, to be held from March 10-12, 2008 in the scenic and historic city of Oakland, CA.

Lightpath to the Stars, CENIC's 2008 Annual Conference, promises to be yet another in this series of premiere high-performance networking events for California's research and education communities and their global colleagues.

However, a top-notch program means top-notch presenters, and with the choice of the world's leading researchers and educators among the network Associates that CENIC was created to serve, that makes crafting the conference program both joy and challenge. The Call for Presentations for Lightpath to the Stars is open, and our Program Committee, headed by the San Bernardino Community College District's Glen Kuck and USC's Celeste Anderson, is looking for presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions focused on network-enabled applications and research related to the 2008 conference theme, "Lightpath to the Stars."

Presentations should fit into one of the following categories:

• Technology and infrastructure
• Teaching and learning
• Application development, and
• Use, trends, and/or future developments in network technology and related applications

CENIC 08's Program Committee is especially interested in presentations focused on research, teaching and learning activities involving multiple segments of the K-20 community, and/or international collaborations. Projects or studies to be featured may be works-in-progress. The conference venue will be connected to CalREN, NLR and Internet2 to enable live demonstrations of content or capability.

The deadline for proposals is November 9, 2007, and more information about the proper format for submissions and where and how to submit a proposal for presentation can be found at http://cenic08.cenic.org/cfp.html. Our past conference program for Making Waves can be found at http://cenic07.cenic.org/program.html if you're curious about the types of presentations accepted for last year's conference in La Jolla.

CENIC's Annual Conference features more than presentations, however; our annual Innovations in Networking awards are also presented during our conference, and as such we are also searching for Award Nominations for the 2008 Innovations in Networking Awards. These awards highlight network applications and projects by identifying exemplary innovations that leverage the network and have the potential to improve the way instruction and research is conducted, even when the impact of the innovation may not be felt immediately. We are especially interested in collaborative efforts developed in 2006-07 which engage multiple segments of the K-20 community and/or international partners. A committee selected by the CENIC Board of Directors will determine the award winners on the basis of submitted materials, and additional interviews if necessary.

The deadline for submissions is December 7, 2007, and more information about the Call for Award Nominations can be found at http://cenic08.cenic.org/cfa.html, including the proper format and categories for submissions and where and how to submit a nomination. Summaries for past award winners can also be found at the Call for Award Nominations, if you would like to see the types of projects and applications that have been honored in previous years.

The conference will be held this year at the Oakland Marriott City Center, located in the heart of downtown Oakland and convenient to fabulous shopping and dining as well as historical sites such as Jack London Square and Oakland's Chinatown. The conference hotel is also extremely conveniently located within easy walking distance to BART and Amtrak stations (click links for walking maps), and through them may be reached from all major Bay Area airports. The conference website, shown below, features Hotel & Travel information as well as links to local points of interest when visiting Oakland.

We look forward to seeing you in Oakland in March 2008!

-- Janis Cortese, CENIC

National Networking News:

University of New Mexico Works to Bring Modern Communications to Navajos

In the age of technology, there are people in rural New Mexico who have never used - or seen - an iPod or a cell phone. Officials at Navajo Technical College, the Navajo Nation and the University of New Mexico say it's time to bridge what they call "the technical divide."

Chris Landgraf, an Internet network engineer at UNM, said there's no reason people in far-flung areas of the state - particularly Navajos and other American Indians — should be exempt from enjoying modern communication. "The average Navajo American is on a bus two or three hours a day going to school," he said. "But when they come to Albuquerque to visit, they see people here getting connectivity on the bus because of the wireless access."

Officials at Navajo Technical College, a tribal college in Crownpoint, are working on a project they hope will connect many American Indians to modern technology. The project is called "Internet to the Hogan" and covers the Navajo Nation, which includes New Mexico, Arizona and a portion of Utah.

UNM Information Technology Services is helping Navajo Technical College get connected to LambdaRail, an ultra-high-speed network serving universities and research organizations. The crew is erecting a tower in Crownpoint to establish a point-to-point wireless connection with the Albuquerque Gigapop, an on-ramp to LambdaRail.

Source: Albuquerque Tribune

Cal Poly Architecture Department Receives Largest Single Gift Commitment in CSU History

The Architecture Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, a nationally recognized program that has educated many of the professional architects who serve California and the nation, announced on September 26, 2007 a pledged bequest of $60 million.

It is the largest single gift commitment ever made to a campus in the California State University – the largest system of senior higher education in the country.

Nationwide, it is also one of the largest gift commitments ever made to an architecture department at a public university.

Cal Poly is respecting the donor’s request that his name not be announced.

Source: Cal Poly News

National LambdaRail (NLR) and CANARIE Inc. Partner to Expand Networks, Promote International Research Collaboration

National LambdaRail (NLR), a dedicated national network infrastructure serving U.S. research and higher-education, and CANARIE, Canada’s advanced network development organization, announced today they have agreed to partner to expand each other’s network infrastructure and further enable international research and collaboration.

The agreement will expand NLR members' access in the Northeastern U.S., connecting Boston and New York to Chicago through Canada, and provide an alternate path between western and central Canada through the U.S. for CANARIE users. CANARIE's connectivity over NLR was made operational yesterday. The expanded NLR network, over CANARIE, will be fully operational by the end of the year.

Source: NLR News

Mardi Gras 2008: Call for Papers

From lightweight mash-ups to lambda grids: understanding the spectrum of distributed computing requirements, applications, tools, infrastructures, interoperability, and the incremental adoption of key capabilities is the theme of Mardi Gras 2008, to be held January 31 to February 2, 2008 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.

The goal of Mardi Gras 2008 is to improve our understanding of the drivers for all of these technologies, how they relate to one another, and how user communities can transition from simpler approaches, like Web 2.0 mash-ups, to more full-service grids, when better discovery, reliability, security, etc., are needed -- while achieving sufficient interoperability -- and how tightly coupled virtual organizations can be.

To this end, we are seeking the best, most insightful papers on all of these technologies, and the application domains that are driving their requirements and development. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2007, and more information on the proper format for submissions and where and how to submit can be found at the Mardi Gras 2008 website.

Source: The Mardi Gras Conference

Internet2 Community Meets for Annual Fall Member Meeting To Highlight Advances in Internet Technology

Internet2's annual Fall Member Meeting brings the future of the Internet to San Diego this week as the organization and its member community meet to celebrate another year of accomplishment and advances in Internet development and discovery.

Dr. Larry Smarr, director of Calit2, will present the opening keynote titled, “New Applications of SuperNetworks and the Implications for Campus Networks" and Dr. Francine Berman, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center will chair a panel entitled, “Cyberinfrastructure: The Way Forward” at the second general session of the meeting.

The meeting will also include a wide variety of sessions including presentations by the member community on the new high-performance nationwide Internet2 Network, advances in middleware technology, new optical networking technologies, network research, as well as advanced applications in telemedicine, arts and humanities, K-12 educational programs, distance-learning, among many others.

Source: Internet2

SAGE-enabled Cyberspace Demonstration over GLORIAD Takes Place as Part of Sputnik Celebration

Fifty years ago, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I — little more than a beeping metal ball — into space. Never before had an artificial satellite orbited the Earth. Sputnik I advanced the future of space travel, and this week, its historically significant launch was marked with a global networking demonstration that advances the future of cyber travel.

At Russia’s International Forum for the 50th anniversary of Sputnik I, a five-day celebration of the historic launch being held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, guests attending a special demonstration at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Space Research Institute (IKI) in Moscow saw high-resolution animations streamed from the United States and the Netherlands to Russia over GLORIAD research and education networks using visualization middleware called the Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE).

Source: GLORIAD News

Six Petabytes: Fermilab Hits New Record

The U.S. national accelerator laboratory Fermilab recently reached a record six petabytes—six million Gigabytes—of data permanently recorded on tape, while data sent from the lab exceeded two petabytes, more than double the amount leaving the lab three months earlier.

“Our traffic has been growing in terms of the amount of bytes we move onto the site as the Large Hadron Collider and Compact Muon Solenoid experiments ramp up,” said Matt Crawford, the department head for Data Movement and Storage in Fermilab’s Computing Division.

Prior to a year ago, traffic never exceeded a fourth of a petabyte in a month, Crawford said. He attributes the increase in both outgoing and incoming data to CMS, DZero, and Collider Detector at Fermilab collaborators actively moving data for analysis.

Source: International Science Grid This Week

Clark County Schools Give Coax the Ax

Saving anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000 by not having to install coaxial cable TV networks in each new school that is built would be a welcome development for any school system. When you're building 10 or 11 new schools a year as Nevada's Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas is, however, you're talking about a significant amount of money spared.

"That's a lot of savings," said Philip Brody, chief technology officer for the 310,000-student district, the nation's fifth largest (and fastest growing). "It really starts to add up."

CCSD stopped putting coaxial cable, or "coax," in its new schools after a pilot project to study the feasibility of the idea proved highly successful two years ago. Now, instead of running over coax, all video service for the district's new schools going forward--23 buildings and counting--is streamed over the schools' IP networks, Brody said.

Source: eSchool News

About CENIC:

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.

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