BERnet Genesis

The University System of Maryland

SEGP Frustrations

Maryland has 3 major state-wide networks UMATS (1988) SAILOR (1992) networkMaryland 1998)

And one NGN Interface MAX GIGPOP 1999)

UMATS Customers University System of Maryland (13 institutions and multiple

regional satellite campuses and research facilities)

Smattering of Community Colleges (slowly justifying connection & cost)

Maryland State Department of Education

Internet 2 Sponsored Education Group Partnership (SEGP) Public Libraries K-12 Community Colleges Public and Private State Universities City of Baltimore Museums and Non Profits

networkMaryland Customers State Agencies

Focus on Executive Branch

County Government

Local Government

County School Systems

Higher Education (transparent access only)

SAILOR Customers (ERATE 30%) County Library Systems County Government K-12 Community Colleges Municipal Government State Government Governmental - Non-Profit

Complexity of Protocols – Pride and Passion

UMATS 100% IP Based over Sonet, gigE, Clear Channel

Carrier Services, NO ATM

SAILOR ATM, Low Speed Clear Channel

networkMaryland Sonet - DWDM Core Transport, FRASI Last Mile

Frame/ATM Service

Solving the Problem First, it’s okay to have several state networks,

after all, isn’t this how the Internet started?

Here’s where the pride and passion come in, don’t they talk to one another? Don’t they want to talk to each other?

Solution? Baltimore Research & Education Network (BERnet)

Brief history of BERnet?

October 2002 Lambda proposal to the net.work.Maryland Engineering &

Advisory Board

December 2002 Net.work.Maryland Advisory Board Approves Concept

April 2003 MOU signed by Chancellor and Secretary Governor BERnet Partners begin meeting to formalize process JHU - Sailor – UMATS (USM) - UMB - UMBC - City of Baltimore -

Morgan –MAX

May 2003 Founding members equally contribute capital dollars Barter arrangement with City of Baltimore for access and

fiber

July 2003 City begins locating fiber within the city and between

the BERNet POP and participating institutions

September 2003 Fiber testing begins

October 2003 UMB, UMATS, City of Baltimore, and MAX online BERnet I2 and I1 passing traffic (120Mb/s average combined)

November 2003 Press Release announcing BERnet UMATS configures OC 3 x 2 (310Mb/s) as redundancy for

BERnet

December 2003 – January 2004 Morgan, Sailor, JHU, and DBM

Add new partners, but there will be a modest fee for service

BERnet

Infrastructure – New Concepts State’s Baltimore POP has become a Maryland peering point for

all state-wide networks but transparent so that the networks can maintain their individualism

Those doing business with education in Maryland become part of a Maryland network grid community

Maryland has the potential to become one of the most connected states in the country, and Baltimore one of the best connected cities on the East coast

BERnet will help education and government produce a trained workforce

Conclusions

State partnering was key to BERnet’s success

All participants are equal and information flows efficiently and equally

Metropolitan educational and professional services can be extended to rural areas

Foundation is there to allow specialized networks to continue to build, while taking advantage of the peering arrangement in Baltimore

This partnership has saved the USM and the State a lot of money, and has created a resource to create a true education network that peers with the State

Questions?