“ITnet/HEAnet Integration Project” (Managed Network Services) Owen Byrne (Managed Network Services) HEAnet Conference Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny, 14th November 2008

Agenda Background Info Project Initiation/Implementation Project Team, Steering Committee Pilot Project Phase Delivering Connectivity Government MANs ESBT Other providers Current & Future Work Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) Service Resilience (Equipment, power) Key Outcomes Q&A

Agenda Background Info Project Initiation/Implementation Project Team, Steering Committee Pilot Project Phase Delivering Connectivity Government MANs ESBT Other providers Current & Future Work Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) Service Resilience (Equipment, power) Key Outcomes Q&A

Background: 13 IoTs included in Project DIT & Tipp Inst already HEAnet clients 3 x Services General IP (aka Internet) An Cheim MIS systems Commodity IP

A (very) Brief History 1998, 1999 ITnet network established (2Mb/s) Replaced “RTCnet” Until recently: access connectivity provided by Eircom ATM infrastructure (45Mb/s per IoT) IP addressing & IP Transit provided via HEAnet 2+2Mb/s replaces 512k leased lines, with 5Mb/s back to ISP Prior to Itnet: “RTCnet” http://www.itnet.ie/history.htm

Times Past: ITnet - HEAnet Slide illustrating single peering point between HEAnet – Itnet for IP transit. ( 2 x STM-1s ->Eircom rtr ->GigE -> HEAnet

Then, two reports: Commissioned by HEA on behalf of Department of Education & Science Sonas & Molloy (2003/2004) Sonas Innovation: technical review Dr. Molloy: governance & management structure Sonas: single organisation to be charged with the delivery of high-speed networking services to all research and educational establishments in Ireland and that HEAnet is well placed to undertake this role. Consultation process with University Presidents and Council of Directors and DES/HEA Sonas/Molloy info: Sources: http://www.iua.ie/publications/documents/reviews/2005/CHIUReviewJanuary2005.pdf http://www.iua.ie/publications/documents/reviews/2004/CHIU_Review_June_2004.pdf

Agenda Project Initiation/Implementation Background Info Project Team, Steering Committee Pilot Project Phase Delivering Connectivity Government MANs ESBT Other providers Current & Future Work Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) Service Resilience (Equipment, power) Key Outcomes Q&A

Summer 2005: Project Initiation Steering Committee created Project team established Joint scoping and technical requirements document produced Pilot Project commences (ITB, WIT, LIT) Followed by approval to include all IoTs

Project Team Implementation Team Martin McCarrick Brian Boyle Owen Byrne Project Manager John Boland Steering Committee HEA DES Council of Directors IUA (CHIU) DIT Mary Kerr Ian McKenna Brendan Murphy, Tim Creedon Michael Nowlan, Brendan Tolan David Scott

Agenda Delivering Connectivity Background Info Project Initiation/Implementation Project Team, Steering Committee Pilot Project Phase Delivering Connectivity Government MANs ESBT Other providers Current & Future Work Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) Service Resilience (Equipment, power) Key Outcomes Q&A

Delivering Connectivity Fibre Contracts ESB Telecom – national ring (1300 Km) e-net – MANs: Galway, Limerick, Cork, Athlone, Letterkenny (200Km) Public procurement process BT, UPC, Dublin City Council Service Delivery VLAN and EoMPLS services to implement Point-to-point links Cisco hardware and CWDM optics Adva DWDM platform Fibre Contracts ESB Telecom – national ring (1300 Km) e-net - MANs management entity (Galway, Lim, Athlone, Letterkenny..) Dublin City Council – extensive Dublin fibre reach Tender underway for various elements (Gtr. Dublin, NUI-M, …)

Government MANs

Wavelength Division Multiplexing CWDM in access network (1470nm – 1610nm. 8 x channels, modulated at 1Gbit/s) DWDM in backbone. Each channel capable of 10Gbit/s Separating signals Combining signals Different light frequencies (colours) over a single fibre path Ethernet transmitters Ethernet receivers DWDM: closer channel spacing, uses 1 transmission window near 1550nm

Access & Core Network

ESBT Backbone General IP, Commodity IP, An Cheim peerings all in Dublin Connect e|net rings to regional PoP Connect regional PoP to national backbone (e|net ring) Additional fibre procured from: Dublin City Council UPC BT (Athlone, Carlow, Tralee) Commodity IP, An Cheim, General Internet peerings all in Dublin However, ESBT network doesn’t reach all IoTs such as Tralee, Carlow, Athlone

BT Fibre IT Blanchardstown – Servecentric IADT, Dun Laoghaire – Citywest IADT – Servecentric (soon) Athlone IT – NUI Galway Athlone IT – Servecentric IT Tralee – UCC IT Tralee – UL Carlow IT – Waterford IT Carlow IT - Citywest

Milestones 2006: First IoTs connect to HEAnet July: Limerick IT & Waterford IT August: Steering Group approve migration of all IoTs October: IT Blanchardstown November: Letterkenny IT December: GMIT & DKIT 2007: Further Migrations & Service Production Feb: Sligo IT & Cork IT Migrated April: An Cheim Service goes live April: Commodity IP peering with GN established October: Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow IT Migrations 2008: Towards Completion Jan: 24/7 Cover Introduced Jan: IADT, Dun Laoghaire Migration Sept: Tralee IT Migration An Cheim service goes live: 02/04/07 Commodity IP goes live: 04/05/07 LYIT: 20/11/06 GMIT: 21/11/06 DKIT: 05/12/06 Sligo: 20/02/07 Cork: 26/02/07 Tallaght: 25/10/07 Athlone 16/10/07 Carlow: 16/10/07 IADT: 07/01/08 Tralee: 24/09/08

Agenda Delivering Connectivity Current & Future Work Background Info Project Initiation/Implementation Project Team, Steering Committee Pilot Project Phase Delivering Connectivity Government MANs ESBT Other providers Current & Future Work Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) Service Resilience (Equipment, power) Key Outcomes Q&A

Current/Future Work Pre 2005: Now: IoTs, individual clients of ITnet network Single peering point with HEAnet Now: Established as 13 new individual HEAnet clients Dual HEAnet connections (5 remain) Benefit from current & future HEAnet projects National Backbone Extension: phases 3 & 4 Point-to-point connectivity (on demand) 10Gig lambdas for Research Equipment/Service Resilience

National Backbone Extension (Phase 3) 80 applications received for connectivity (15/05/07) From 27 Client Institutions 56 approved by selection committee 19 IoT circuit requests approved 3 additional IoT requests approved under NBE-4 22 IoT circuits (Total): Primary Campus Resilience Off campus transparent LAN services Whereas dark-fibre to primary campus, variety of technologies used to reach remote campus sites Mention 2 x new client connections: IoTI and An Cheim, Broomhill

Connectivity to Remote Campus Sites Carlow IT Wexford Campus Wicklow Campus (Rathnew) LYIT Tourism & Catering College, Killybegs WIT TSSG, Carriganore College St. Confederation House GMIT Castlebar Letterfrack Cluain Mhuire Limerick IT School of Art & Design Cork IT Cork School of Music NMCI Crawford College Blackrock Observatory

Connectivity Solutions Public procurement process (RfT) held Dark Fibre (BT, e|net, Magnum Opus) NMCI: Phase I and phase II MAN interconnected Managed Ethernet Solutions (e|net, BT) Typically EoSDH Licensed Microwave (Airspeed Telecom, NWE) i) Infeasible to try dark-fibre to every remote site, so wireless & managed ethernet solutions used where appropriate ii) HEAnet = 1st operator to use a phaseII MAN

9 links in total within this network i) 6 3rd party high-sites used at various points to reach NUIG ii) GMIT are using these for voice services

Service Resilience Path resilience Power Resilience at PoPs Currently implemented Diverse paths into campus Power Resilience at PoPs Backup generators UPS Equipment Resilience Additional backbone MPLS nodes at PoPs Duplicate CPE router at client sites

Agenda Key Outcomes Q&A Delivering Connectivity Current & Future Work Background Info Project Initiation/Implementation Project Team, Steering Committee Pilot Project Phase Delivering Connectivity Government MANs ESBT Other providers Current & Future Work Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) Service Resilience (Equipment, power) Key Outcomes Q&A

Key Outcomes Bandwidth Latency International Peerings WIT Bandwidth Latency International Peerings Point-to-point Circuits WIT (10Gig), Berlin p2p Native service support (IPv6, Multicast...) Efficiencies of Scale Larger HEAnet client base Scope for increased collaboration Trial projects (IPTV streams…) CIT

Summary 13 additional HEAnet clients (almost 50% increase) Intro of 24/7 (note: with feedback from existing client base) Radically different network architecture than pre-2005 Patience & cooperation of all stakeholders Provider delays Inconvenience of civil works etc. on campus Scheduled maintenance to migrate services Further work Additional connectivity to remote campuses Service resilience Existing HEAnet service suite

Questions?