Clara CLARA: an advanced regional network integrating LA&C NRENs (*) APAN Cairns, Australia July 2004 Michael Stanton CLARA Technical Committee Rede Nacional

ClaraClaraCLARA: an advanced regional network integrating LA&C NRENs (*)

APANCairns, AustraliaJuly 2004

Michael StantonCLARA Technical CommitteeRede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa – RNP, Brazilwww.rnp.br/en [email protected]

(*) LA&C = Latin American and the Caribbean

NREN = National Research and Education Network

Michael Stanton - APAN, Cairns, 2004 2

ClaraClara

The Latin America and Caribbean Region – LA&C

Geography• South, Central and part of

North America, plus Caribbean islands

• Over 10.000 km diameterDemography• Around 400 millions (more

than 40% in Brazil)History• Formerly mostly colonies of

Spain and Portugal and autonomous since c. 1820

Languages• Mostly Spanish and

Portuguese (just Brazil)• Many amerindian languages• English is first foreign

language


ClaraClaraA Brief Story of Networking in LA&C

• Political, linguistic and cultural considerations have traditionally led to considerable interaction between countries within the region

However, networking has not followed this model:• First connections (BITNET) starting 1986 using satellite

links between the US and each country separately• Same topology inherited with transition to Internet• Even multilateral initiatives (RedHUCyT in mid 90s and

AMPATH from 2001) have used traffic hubs in the US.

Recent developments (CLARA and ALICE, 2003) have sought to alter this tendency.


ClaraClaraScientific User Community Needs in LA&C

• The provision of high-capacity networking infrastructure in LA&C countries is in good part to meet the demands of international collaboration

• It is hoped that such provision can be made by a combination of networking interconnections at the regional/inter-regional levels, combined with renovation of national NREN infrastructures


ClaraClaraGlobal connectivity supports science user communities

• Scientific research increasingly dependent on access globally to resources, collaborators, data, scientific instruments.

1. Access to scientific instruments with specific geo-location needs:

• optical telescopes: e.g., Gemini South and SOAR, Chile; operated by US, Brazil and other countries

2. Unique instruments: impractical or unfeasible for each country to “afford” for its own community:

• Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva: thousands of collaborators around the world

3. Access to/collecting geo-specific data and getting it back for analysis, visualisation, sharing

• Environmental data from the Amazon or Antarctica


ClaraClaraSome of the scientific community connectivity needs in LA&C

• Some areas of interest:– Astrophysics

• Argentina, Brazil, Chile– e-VLBI

• Brazil, Chile, Mexico– High Energy Nuclear Physics

• Brazil– Geosciences

• Chile, Mexico– Marine sciences

• Chile– Environmental studies

• Brazil, Costa Rica– Health and Biomedical applications

• Several countries – Grid computing in general


ClaraClaraGlobal connectivity – tendencies

• Very high capacity (10s of Gbps) networks in core countries and between them

• Increasingly regionalised networking– European GEANT, South American CLARA, Asian

cluster efforts– aggregate inter-continental bandwidth now

sometimes greater than continental bandwidth– slow trend away from US as centre of the world– many initiatives outside the US are engaging and

establishing leadership roles in connecting to the world

– European – Asian connectivity

– European – Latin American connectivity


ClaraClaraThe emerging global network

(as seen from Australia)


ClaraClaraLA&C connectivity

• Phase 1: satellite communication with US hub

– bandwidth limited to 2 Mbps

• Phase 2: submarine optical cables– initial bandwidth of 34 or 45 Mbps– no upper limit in sight

– Phase 2A: based on US hub• AMPATH project (2001 - )

– Phase 2B: region-centric• CLARA network (2004 - )


ClaraClaraPhase 1: Satellite connectivity (1990s)


ClaraClaraFirst global conections from LA countries

Two “classical” phases of connectivity:

• e-mail networks (BITNET, UUCP)• full Internet (IP) connectivity

• Table shows the first connections for each LA NREN (National Research and Education Network)

MX CL BR NI UY PY VE AR CR

e-mail 86 86 88 88 88 89 90 90 90

IP 89 92 91 94 94 95 92 93 93

CO EC PE BO CU PA GT SV HN

e-mail 90 91 91 91 91 92 92 94 94

IP 94 92 94 95 96 94 95 96 95


ClaraClaraPhase 2: New Submarine Cables in Latin America (1999-)

E-mergia (TIWS)Global Crossing & TI SparkleGlobal Crossing ImpSatTransandinoUniSur

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Miami

to New Yorkand Europe

to Californiaand Asia-Pacific


ClaraClaraPhase 2: New cables in the Caribbean (Maya & Arcos)

Maya

Arcos(festoon)

Curacao

North Miami

Cat Island

Crooked Island

Providenciales(Turks & Caicos Islands)

Puerto Plata

San Juan

Punta Cana

WillemstadPunto Fijo

Riohacha

UstupoMariaChiquita

PuertoLimon

Bluefields

PuertoCabezas

PuertoLempira

Trujillo

PuertoCortes

PuertoBarrios

Ladyville

Cancun

Tulum

271km

309km

319km

376km

258km

325km 291km

1006km

242km372km

351km

314km301km371km

270km

279km

258km

339km

241km294km

363km

165km

114km

474km

521km


ClaraClaraPhase 2A: US-centric connectivity (2001 - )

AmPath• uses Global Crossing• 45 Mbps (one size fits all) • connections to Miami, and

thence to Abilene (US NREN)• connects Argentina, Brazil (2),

Chile, Panama, Venezuela• other LA&C countries not so

benefited

Mexico• 3 cross-border connections to

US (Texas and California)

AmPath


ClaraClaraWhere do we go from here?

• AMPATH´s achievements– Initial boost for Advanced Networking in LA– Stimulus for advanced connectivity inside each country– Motivation for collaborative projects

BUT• Why does LA&C communicate internally through Miami?• Why does LA&C communicate with other parts of the

world through the US?


ClaraClaraAn alternative paradigm: regional R&E networking

• Since the early 1990s great efforts have been invested in pan-European networking.

• The present pan-European network is GÉANT (2002-)– currently the largest

capacity operational IP network in the world

– built and managed by DANTE


ClaraClaraGÉANT connections to other regions (2004)


ClaraClaraThe European Commission’s @LIS initiative

• Through @LIS programme the European Commission is supporting improved connectivity to Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C)

• @LIS: Alliance for the Information Society (2003-2005)– 62.5 Million Euros for EU-LA&C on Information Society

Issues– 10 Million Euros for Interconnecting Europe & LA&C

Research and Education communities• Will interconnect LA&C-NRENs

• Consequences:– Formation of new NRENs in many LA&C countries– Creation of the CLARA organisation of LA&C-NRENs– ALICE project to support the building of the CLARA regional

network in Latin America


ClaraClara

• Association of NRENs open to all LA&C Countries

– constituted in Uruguay (like LACNIC) in Dec 2003

• Created in response to @LIS initiative, but not limited to @LIS time scale and restrictions

• CLARA regional network will connect to Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific

Argentina (RETINA)

Brazil (RNP)

Chile (REUNA)

Costa Rica (CRNET)

Panama (REDCYT)Paraguay (ARANDU)Peru (RAAP)Uruguay (RAU)Venezuela (REACCIUN)

Ecuador (CEDIA)

El Salvador (RAICES)Guatemala (RAGIE)Mexico (CUDI)Nicaragua (RENIE)

CLARAMemberNRENs (July 2004)

(NRENs in formation indicated in RED)


ClaraClaraPhase 2B: region-centric networking

ALICE – Latin America Connected to Europe (2003-2006)• Project to build CLARA network, supported by the @LIS

programme (cost-sharing: EU 80% - LA&C 20%)• Coordinated by DANTE, with participation of NRENs from Italy,

France, Spain, Portugal and some LA&C countries, and CLARA itself– (target countries include present 14 CLARA members, plus

Bolivia, Columbia, Cuba and Honduras) • August 2004: CLARA network to commence operations

• ALICE website:www.dante.net/alice

• ALICE brochure (in English, Spanish and Portuguese):www.dante.net/alice/ALICEbrochure.pdf


ClaraClaraExpected CLARA network topology

• Initially connected to Europe• Tijuana (Mexico) PoP to be

connected by dark fibre to CENIC (California)

– access to US, Canada and Asia - Pacific Rim

• Initial backbone ring bandwidth of 155 Mbps

• Spur links at 10 to 45 Mbps (Cuba at 4 Mbps by satellite)

• Initial connection to Europe at 622 Mbps from Brazil

• Network to be operated by CLARA (through CUDI and RNP)

• Expected also to support future US funded international scientific collaborations, including through the IRNC program


ClaraClaraIRNC - International Research Network Connections – new NSF program launched in March, 2004

Synopsis of Program:

• Support for international collaboration for:

– access remote instruments, data, and computational resources located throughout the world

– Remote access to large-scale science and engineering facilities located both inside and outside the U.S. utilized by multi-national research and education collaborations

• NSF expects to make awards to provide network connections linking U.S. research networks with peer networks in other parts of the world.

– Links funded by this program are intended to support science and engineering research and education applications.

– Funded projects will enable state-of-the-art international network services similar to and interconnected with those currently offered or planned by domestic research networks.


ClaraClaraCLARA response to IRNC

• CLARA’s major interest in this program is to leverage good quality connectivity between the US and countries served by the CLARA network through new links from the US to backbone nodes of the CLARA network

• Cross-border dark fibre from Mexico to US• Direct access to the “Southern Cone” countries

(Argentina-Brazil-Chile)

• CLARA believes the region’s interests are best served by working with all US institutions proposing IRNC-funded links to LA&C. We have therefore freely collaborated with both proposals we have learned about.


ClaraClara1st Proposal CLARA for IRNC 2004

to US West Coast to US East Coast

ClaraClara

to Europe (existing)


ClaraClara2nd Proposal CLARA for IRNC 2004

to US West Coast(CUDI-CENIC)

to US East Coast

to Europe (existing)

ClaraClara


ClaraClaraGlobal R&E connectivity from LA&C

• The CLARA initiative is altering the way in which LA&C countries communicate among themselves, and with countries outside the region.

• In particular, LA&C traffic will be aggregated within the region enabling more effective routing to other parts of the world.

• The greatly improved connectivity will also support improved and new collaborations with partners in other regions.


ClaraClara

Thank you!

[email protected]

Documents

Clara CLARA: an advanced regional network integrating LA&C NRENs (*) APAN Cairns, Australia July 2004 Michael Stanton CLARA Technical Committee Rede Nacional