1. ICT in Higher Education Sector of Pakistan
Initiatives, Achievements and Future Roadmap
Anwar Amjad
Director General (IT)
Higher Education Commission
Islamabad – Pakistan

2. Higher Education Commission, Pakistan
Serving as Engine to Socio-Economic Development of PAKISTAN
Human Resource Development
Research & Development
Quality Assurance
Technology to Leap-Frog
Technology for Rapid and Sustainable Growth
Technology Driving the Knowledge Economy

3. HEC Strategic Aims ICT helping overcoming Challenges Core Support
Teaching & Learning
Education Management
Infrastructure
Information System
Outreaching
Services
Faculty
Development
Unified Communication
Improving Access & Learning
Excellence in Research
HEC Scholars Publication
National Internship Program
Relevance to National Priorities
Core
National Video Conferencing Program
National Digital Library
Pakistan Research Repository
Turnitin/ iThenticate: Plagiarism Detection Tool
PERN 2
Quality Assurance: Standards, Assessment, Accreditation
University Ranking & Statistical System
Reservation System for Degree Attestation
National Higher Education Web Portal
Support
Good Governance & Management
Higher Education Management Information System
(ERP & Campus Management Solution)
National Higher Education Job Portal
Computerization & Networking Projects
National Data Center
Network Operation Center
Infrastructure Development: Physical, Technology
National Research & Education Network: PERN

4. The ICT Strategy… Service to the Citizens
High capacity, reliable and accessible communications
Enabling environment
Laws and enabling environment
IT Education
And an environment that stimulates creativity and welcomes advances in the use of Information Technology

5. From the Weakest to the Most Advanced Setup
ICT HEC
From the Weakest to the Most Advanced Setup

6. 2002 2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-2009 Infrastructure Server Farm
Computer (50)
type writers (70)
buildings (5)
Internet (Individual)
Analog exchange (50)
Computer (150)
buildings (5)
Fiber interconnectivity
Layer 2 switches
Digital exchange (150)
Computer/ Laptop (450)
Fiber interconnectivity
Layer 3 switches
Digital exchange (350)
Computer /Laptop(730)
Access Points
PoE Switches
IP Exchange (650)
Server Farm
Datacenter (2 R)
Servers (5)
Servers UPS (9 KVA)
Firewall , Core switch
512 Mb Internet
Tier 1 Datacenter (4 R)
Servers (19)
Servers UPS (15 KVA)
Firewall , Bandwidth Manager , Core switch
6-8 Mb Internet
Tier2 Datacenter (16R)
Servers (57) ,SAN,DR
Servers UPS (160 KVA)
Firewall , Core switch
12-24 Mb Internet
No Servers
LAN Services
Workgroup
Conventional Data sharing
Domain (isb.hec.gov.pk)
Windows 200o ADS , DNS, DHCP, ISA Proxy
Private / Dept. File Share
Windows 2003 Upgrade
Share point Portal
(eHEC) ,Exchange Server, C-Antivirus ,
Win 2008 Upgrade
Share point Portal
(eHEC) , Employees Directory , SSO,
Services Management
IT Policy Approved , Maintenance Budget Approved , Compliant MS Inventory MS
Computer Section
Contractors Calls, Services management by
Technical Cell
IT Workshop ,TTN, Online Requisition Forms , NMS, (Op Manager ) RFID Cards
IT Department
Remote Management, Terminal Servers , Desktop Monitoring , Backup/ alerts
IT Division
2002

7. National Data Center @ HEC

8. ICT @ HEC Regional Centers
Peshawar
Karachi
Lahore

9. Initiatives to Empower Higher Education Sector
Progress & Achievements

10. Major Projects/ Programs
ICT Reforms (Computerization & Networking in Universities)
Pakistan Education & Research Network (PERN/PERN2)
R&E links to other NRENs
Video Conferencing Systems
National Data Centers
Nationwide IP Telephony (VoIP)
PAKSAT-1
National Digital Library
E-Journals
E-Books
Pakistan Research Repository
HEC Scholars Publication
Higher Education MIS
Campus Management Solution
e-HEC Public Services
HEC Web Portal
Higher Education Job Portal
Degree Attestation
University Ranking System
Graduates Repository
Turnitin: Antiplagiarism Software
Mirror Site(s)
Infrastructure
Services Provisioning

11. Pakistan Education & Research Network (PERN)
The National Research & Education Network of Pakistan

12. PERN Overview
A project to fulfill the overall vision and objectives of IT Action Plan of the Government of Pakistan,
A dedicated digital communication network interlinking all public/private sector chartered universities/ degree awarding institutes.
Provides integration of data banks, collaboration for research and development activities and up-gradation of teaching and learning skills.
Connectivity with Other Education and Research Networks worldwide.

13. Inception
Disputed Territory

14. PERN Evolution PERN Status (2003 – 10) Universities/ Institutes 104
Core Bandwidth
155 Mbps – 10 Gbps
Last Mile Bandwidth
4 – 310 Mbps
International Bandwidth
8 Mbps - 6 Gbps
International Leased Circuit
155 Mbps
Inception
[ ]
PERN 1
[2005 – 2007]
PERN 1.5
[2007 – 2008]
PERN 2
[2009 – 2015]
PERN2 Project ( )
Universities/ Institutes/R&E Org.
350+
Core Bandwidth
2x10 Gbps
Last Mile Bandwidth
1 Gbps
International Bandwidth
10 Gbps
International Leased Circuit
622 Mbps

15. Current Status Public Sector Private Sector PERN1 11 15 26 7 2 1 10
Univ.
Inst.
Campuses
Total
PERN1 11 15 26 7 2 1 10
PERN2 50 4 61 19 87 9 6 17

16. PERN2 project
A multi-gigabit network for the education and research community of Pakistan

17. Objectives
A high speed multi-gigabit dedicated network for universities/institutes/research centers of Pakistan.
Achieving following for the nation
NREN as per International norms and standard
High level of data/information security
Resource and information sharing both centralized and distributed

18. Scope & Targets Network upgradation through
Eight (8) Regional Access (RA) PoPs in major cities
Three (3) Core Regional Access (cRA-PoPs)
Five (5) Sub Regional Access (sRA-PoPs)
Twelve (12) Local Access (LA) PoPs with in these cities
1 Gbps connectivity to universities/ institutes
10 Gbps fiber rings in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad
10x Gbps nationwide fiber link
2.5 Gbps Commodity Internet
155x Mbps R&E link to other NRENs of the world

20. Islamabad/ Rawalpindi

21. Services Offered through PERN
Communication Infrastructure
High speed network for scientific research, viz. Grids, simulation, computation, etc.
Infrastructure for local hosting for fast and reliable electronic communication
Internet
Access to international digital resources through high speed internet
Intranet
Closed loop secure connectivity to parent university/ institute
Video Conferencing & Voice over IP
Access to video conferencing program of HEC and VU
Voice over IP enabled network providing end-to-end IP communication
Access to Digital Resources
National Digital Library
E-Books
Pakistan Research Repository
Mirror Sites
Access to mirrored sites locally hosted for easy and fast access

22. The New International R&E Link
Internet2 & TEIN2/3
TEIN2 and our colleagues from Japan will provide transit from the TEIN2 PoP in Singapore to the TransPac node in Japan, and from there TranPac will provide transit to the Pacific Wave exchange to finally take the circuit terminating to Internet2.

23. History Initiations Idea floated Follow-up APAN 2006 in Taipei
IU/TEIN2/HEC is bridged together in July 2006
MoU signed between PERN/HEC & Internet2 in December 2006
Idea floated
Proposal of a dedicated link between PERN and Internet2 on cost sharing basis is floated in the Joint Committee Meeting on Science & Technology between Pakistan & USA in February 2007
Follow-up
Co-PI follows up with NSF in April 2007
PI visits Pakistan in April 2008

24. Updates/ Status Circuit Commissioned Inaugural Session August 15, 2008
TEIN2 and our colleagues from Japan provided transit from the TEIN2 PoP in Singapore to the TransPac node in Japan, and from there TransPac provides transit to the Pacific Wave exchange to finally take the circuit terminating to Internet2
Inaugural Session
The official launch of this connectivity was in 2008.

25. PERN – Internet2 Connectivity

26. PERN participation in TEIN3 Project for Connectivity to GEANT2
Second Initiative
PERN participation in TEIN3 Project for Connectivity to GEANT2

27. Progress and Status
PERN is in close coordination with people at Dante, GEANT2, and EC
PERN has been taking part in TEIN2 meetings and was advised for its inclusion in TEIN3 project
PERN is participating in the Feasibility Study being conducted by Dante
Feasibility Study report is expected to be finalized by early next year
Circuit commissioning is expected to be materialized somewhere in December (subject to PERN acceptance in TEIN3 project)

28. PERN – GEANT2 Proposed Connectivity

29. Collaborative Projects
PERN- Providing necessary infrastructure and connectivity for collaborative research and activities
9/19/2018

30. Few Major Research Activities
EVO Panda Server
Collaborative and Interactive communication
PingER Monitoring
Network health monitoring
Bio-Informatics Node
Part of Asia-Pacific Molecular Biology Network (A-IMBN) program
Tele-Medicine
Bridging the HealthNet with PERN/PERN2
High Energy Physics
The largest project on the planet, Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is going to be operational, providing real data to the scientists.

31. PERN2: Network Operation Center

32. NOC Components Operations Facility Independent Network Connectivity
Phones on the Desk
Dial in # +92 (51) 9040 PERN (7376)
Office Communicator
UAN – PERN
Wall mounted display for PERN2 nodes monitoring
Seating space of Three (03) level support
Space for Two (2) persons for PERN2 Help desk
Space for Four (4) persons for 1st level support
Three offices for Senior Staff
Workstations for all staff and Servers for network monitoring
Glass partitioned space for PERN2 facilities

33. Management Software Network Monitoring Software Service Communication
Orion Solarwind
Huawei Datacomm Monitoring System (DMS)
Service Communication
Trouble ticketing facility to the member institutes
Dedicated servers with SAN storage
notifications of alerts/ alarms of various levels
PERN2 public interface

34. Future Roadmap Outreaching with Infrastructure
College Network of Pakistan (CNP) (Extending PERN2 to PERN3)
Extending PERN2 Services to
Teaching Hospital
Public Libraries
Research & Development Organization
K-12 Schools and beyond
Education Management Plan
Setting up Higher Education Management Information System at all universities
Educational Alliance
Microsoft
Oracle
Learning Tools
Development & Management

35. College Network of Pakistan (CNP)
Envisioning the Extension of PERN2

36. Statistics on Colleges
Public Sector
Private Sector
Total
Degree Colleges in Pakistan*
777
358
~1135
Enrolments
296832
29161
~325993
Teachers
15456
5112
~20568
Provincial Distribution
Sindh
N/A 42
Balochistan
~64 ~6
~70
Punjab
~447
~200
~647
NWFP 48
FATA/FANA -
Federal Capital 12
ACADEMY OF EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT (NEMIS), ISLAMABAD
Source: Ministry of Education [Summary ]

37. PERN2 : Proposed Wimax Connectivity to CollEges
NE80E
Peshawar
NE40E
ISD
NE40-2
LHR
Legend
10GE Link
STM 64 POS Link
1GE Link
Colleges in Metro Cities
QTA
Colleges at Distant Locations
Colleges in PERN PoP Cities
MUL
RA-POP
LA-POP
KHI
Campus-POP
HYD
Collages

38. PERN Footprints in the Punjab
S. No.
PoPs
Cities cover under Phase I
No. of Colleges 1
cRA-PoP
Lahore
148 2
sRA-PoP
Multan 43 3
Faisalabad 54 4
LA-PoP
Rawalpindi 62
Total
307
S. No.
Cities cover under Phase II
No. of Colleges 1
Bahawalpur 4 2
Sargodha 25 3
Gujrat 16
Taxila 5
Wah Cantt 10
Total 57
S. No.
Cities cover under Phase III
No. of Colleges 1
79 Cities
283

39. Wireless Coverage (WiMax)

40. Colleges to PoP connectivity

41. What does it take? Capital Cost Unit Cost
College End Equipment (router/firewall)
Rs. 250,000
UPS (3KVA)
Rs. 70,000
Wireless (WiMax) tower
Wireless (WiMax) equipment
Rs. 450,000
Installation/ Service charges
Rs. 100,000
Miscellaneous (office eqp, vehicles, contingencies)
Rs. 60,000
TOTAL
Rs. 1,000,000
Network Operations Cost
Monthly Cost
Bandwidth
- 8 Mbps (E1) dedicated - 4 Mbps (Broadband) dedicated - 2 Mbps (Broadband) dedicated
$400/month
$250/month $150/month
O&M (repair & maintenance, staff, co-location, etc.)
10% of B/W
Long-distance circuit cost (for distant colleges only)
Rs. 6,500

42. Benefits the colleges will get once connected on PERN/ PERN2
Few Examples but not limited to

43. Video Conferencing Setup @ HEC

44. Service Utilization Launched in Dec 2006 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Universities Equipped 4 14 26 70
Events organized
532
514
632
1376
Savings
Cost in Rs. million
5.344
98.96
95.612  
Time in man-hours
2120
51044
49317
 60639
163120

45. Footprints of Video Conferencing Facilities in Pakistan under PERN

46. National Digital Library
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
No. of Universities given Access -
110
170
250
292
Training of NDL
5100
7500
10000
12000
No. of Journals
14500
20000
20000+
23000+
Articles Downloaded
Research Output
788
890
1048
1257
1500+
2406

47. Digital Archives Pakistan Research Repository
1800 PhD thesis digitized
50 MPhil thesis digitized

48. Digital Archives E-Journals 23,000+ Journals
Major Publishers/ Repositories
IEEE ACME EBSCO
Nature APS Emerald
ACS Elsevier CUP
Blackwell Synergy JSTOR

49. Digital Archives
E-Books Scheme
45,000 books downloadable & printable

50. Mirroring of MIT’s Open Course Ware

51. Nationwide IP Telephony
Voice communication solution that meets today's and tomorrow needs of HEC
De-centralized architecture but centralized management and administration
Integration of various telephone exchanges across the offices of HEC
9/19/2018

52. More Targeted Services
Remote Instrument/ equipment Access
Web and hosting locally
Distributed Content Servers: Knowledge Repositories
National E&R Data Centers/ NOCs
Connectivity to International Research Networks

53. ICT to help HEIs Leapfrog
E-Academia Initiative

54. HEC e-Academia Initiatives
people-to-people
E-Administration
E-Conferences
Communication,
Groupware
Services
Web Portals
Virtual Class
rooms
Learning
Management
Persons
E-Presence
AAI
Authentication
Authorization
Infrastructure
access to
information
access to
facilities
Distributed,
media-rich
information
technology
Digital Libraries
Interaction with
the Physical
World
Digital
Libraries, E-Pub
PRR
Digital Thesis
OJS
Digital Journal
Inter-operate
Libraries
Docking
Networks
VOD
9/19/2018

55. AAI Design
University A
Identity
Management
No user registration and user data maintenance at resource needed
Single login process for the users
Many new resources available for the users
Enlarged user communities for resources
Efficient implementation of inter-institutional access
Student Admin
Web Mail
e-Learning
Library B
e-Journals
Literature DB
University C
Research DB
e-Learning
User Administration
Authentication
Authorization
Resource
Credentials
9/19/2018

56. Thanks!
Q & A