Network Group Seminar

The Silk ProjectThe Silk Project

Agenda

Overview of SilkCurrent StatusExtending the Silk SystemIPv6 over satellite in SilkThe longer Term Perspective

Silk O/v – Background

In 2001, NATO Networking Panel agreed installation of Regional Network for NISs of the Southern Caucasus and Central AsiaWould connect existing NRENs into GEANTStart with own resources – $2.5 M for 3 yrsAllow to be extensible by others

4

Silk O/v – Countries and Sites

XX

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Silk O/v – Basic Technology VSAT Technology

DVB Shared Channel from hub, uses IPv4/DVB encoder at the DESY HubHas IPv4/DVB decoder at remotesUses Eurasiasat strapped beam transponder

Return link via Single Channel per Carrier from Remotes, uses Cisco router plus SCPC modemHub in Hamburg with 5.6m dishRemotes in 8 NISs with 2.4 or 3.8 m dishesRouters and Silk NOC part of Silk Network

Thinking the future

6

Silk O/v - West Beam Transponder Map

Thinking the future

7

Silk O/v – East Beam Transponder Map

Silk O/v – Schematic of the Silk System

Silk O/v - Dish at Each Remote Site

Silk O/v – Architectural OverviewHub Earth Station at DESY accesses European NRENs and Internet via GEANT

Provides direct International Internet access

National Earth Station at each Partner siteOperated by DESY

Provides Internet access via satellite

Additional earth stations from other sources

Routers for each Partner siteLinked on one side to the Satellite Channel

On the other side to the NREN

Silk O/v– Equipment at Each Site

Kalitel-supplied, NATO financed, central hub and VSATs – 5.6m hub, 2.4 - 3.8m remCisco-supplied and financed LAN items

A 7204 Router and 3524 Switch with 24 I/Fs

A CE 560 Content Engine with 155 GB of disc as a Web Cache

Aim was to provide from NATO resources to 750 Kbps up-link per NIS, shared 18 Mbps down-link

Silk O/v– IPv4 Hub Site Schematic

IPv4/DVB ENCAP

CONTENTCACHE

NREN

Silk HUB (IPv4 only)

NRENROUTER(S)

IPv4 Silk ROUTER

Silk NETWORK

SCPC

Silk O/v – IPv4 Remote Site Schematic

CONTENTCACHE

NREN

REMOTE SITE (IPv4 only)

NRENROUTER(S)

IPv4/DVB DECAP

IPv4 Silk ROUTER

Silk NETWORK

SCPC

Silk O/v – Early Planned Silk Bandwidth

Planned Silk total bandwidth from NATOPer half year

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

02/H2 03/H1 03/H2 04/H1 04/H2 05/H1

Total bandwidth inMbps

Agenda

Overview of SilkCurrent StatusExtending the Silk SystemIPv6 over satellite in SilkThe longer Term Perspective

Thinking the future

16

Status - Current Status

All original 8 sites operationalMost equipment OK, some BUCs have trouble reaching 1.5 Mbps SCPCAfter allowing for FEC and DVB O/h, we achieve 1.65/1.2 bits/Hz in DVB/SCPCWe are currently operating with 12 MHz; we expect to reach 15 MHz shortly

Currently 17.4 Mbps DVB, 4.4 Mbps transmitThe caches currently save about 10% B/w

Caches only store pages own E/s requestsHave implemented CIR quotas

Thinking the future

17

Status - GovernanceHave set up Silk Board (SB)

Seven who manage Silk activities, plus one representative each Silk country

Set up Silk Executive Committee (ExCo)Six manage Silk activities, plus one from each region

SB meets 3 x per year, 2 in Silk countriesEurasiasat has hosted two in Turkey also

ExCo has 2 Teleconferences per monthSB has also invited guests

Thinking the future

18

Status – SPONGE

All NATO money must be spent on Partner countries – not Western staffSilk must be managed. EC funding first project – SPONGE- to manage Silk

Partners UCL, Groningen, ARENA, GRENAFour Work-packages

Management, Dissemination, Measurement and Optimisation, personal communication

Chair Silk Board, Silk ExCo, run Silk Web site, watch over Silk NOC

Thinking the future

19

Status – Co-funding

NATO has put in $2.7MEC funds SPONGE management at $220KDESY houses hub and runs NOC at $400KCisco Donation now worth $550KISOC donations for workshops - $120K

Have held one so far, but sent people to CEENET oneNSRC donations for books/WLAN - $50KIREX is putting in – $30KSoros/Eurasiasat travel - $30KMany are funding projects that build up national infrastructure using Silk

Soros, EC Tacsis, UNDP, World Bank

Thinking the future

20

Status – Received Traffic Q1-04

Thinking the future

21

Status – Received Traffic Q1-04

Thinking the future

22

Status – Personal Communications

Have provided 2 Cisco phones per siteUCL operates voice server

UCL has put dial-out on server to very limited outside lines

Used regularly for ExCo meetingsHave done extensive H.323 usage

Included Heads of State and NATO SecGen

Distance lectures including World BankRequires using CIR in both directions

Agenda

Overview of SilkCurrent StatusExtending the Silk SystemIPv6 over satellite in SilkThe longer Term Perspective

Extending Silk – Possibilities

Have started talking to other funding agencies to provide extension

Could be just extra national bandwidth Could be extra VSATs – now adding KabulCould be Receive-only earth stationsCould be extra networks on Silk routersCould be alternate activity like IPv6

Early discussions look promisingIREX and Soros will provide fundsUniversity of Central Asia will use it via funds from Aga Khan.

Thinking the future

25

Extending Silk – Workshops

Will do four workshops – mainly in Russian

Mainly from ISOC funds, one co-funded ANW from NATO and CEENET

Security – Armenia, June

Wireless – Hungary, August

Distance Education - Azerbaijan, September

IPv6 - Hamburg, September

DNS, Registration, address allocation - Kazakhstan, November

Agenda

Overview of SilkCurrent StatusExtending the Silk SystemIPv6 over satellite in SilkThe longer Term Perspective

Thinking the future

27

IPv6 Activities – Background

Countries expressed interest in getting experience – but not at cost of IP4 serviceFairly easy to do with dual-stack router and tunnelled IPv6

Native IPv6 needs special hardware for DVBESA/IABG wanted to test IPv6/DVB H/w

Will provide boards and some B/wEC agreed that 6NET could support dissemination to Silk Project

Some B/w if there is an iPv6 workshop

IPv6 Activities – Overview

Today‘s DVB-S encapsulator use mainly MPE, which does not support IPv6Many satellite links are uni-directional Link-layer multicast not always supportedManagement systems are often proprietary and support only IPv4Other proprietary components (e.g. PEP) do not support IPv6All those are investigated within an ESA IPv6 study

IPv6 Activities - Key Transition issues

R1 R2

Network 1 Network 2

Serial Int

DVB->IP

Satellite

IPv6 network

IPv6 network

IPv4IPv6

IPv6

DVB demodulator

DVB modulator

SCPC modem

SCPC modem

IP->DVB

Serial Int

IPv6 Activities – Two basic solutions

Use of IPv6 tunnelingCould be done with existing DVB-S equipmentUse of Ethernet bridging or IPv6 over IPv4 tunnelWill be done by Silk project

Integration of native IPv6Use new DVB-S equipment based on ULEWill be provided to Silk by ESA / IABG

IPv6 Activities - IPv6 provisions to Silk

Propose to upgrade routers to IPv6Specific routers have worse performance, but this is no problem at Silk speeds

ESA/IABG will provide one DVB-S encapsulating router and five decapsulating PC cardsESA/IABG provide extra bandwidth

Use for 2 MHz IPv6/DVB common channelUse for 5 x 120 KHz IPv6/SCPC transmit channel

CEC (6NET) will provide extra bandwidthUse for 5 x 64 KHz IPv6/SCPC transmit channel

IPv6 Activities– Hub Enhancements

IPv4 ENCAP IPv6 ENCAP

CONTENTCACHE

NREN

Silk HUB (DUAL STACK)

NRENROUTER(S)

Silk ROUTER(DUAL STACK)

Silk NETWORK

SCPC

IPv6 Activities– Remote Site Enhancements

IPv6 DECAP

CONTENTCACHE

NREN

REMOTE SITE (DUAL STACK)

NRENROUTER(S)

IPv4 DECAP

Silk ROUTER(DUAL STACK)

Silk NETWORK

SCPC

Agenda

Overview of Silk

Current Status

Extending the Silk System

IPv6 over satellite in Silk

The longer Term Perspective

Thinking the future

35

Longer Term – Future Steps

NATO will probably continue after 7/05But at a reduced rate with declining fundingCo-funding is vital to many others alsoHard to achieve with these countries

Form of Connectivity will become hybridSatellite necessary for some locationsFibre will come into some sites; already looking at terrestrial possibilitiesOther satellites cheaper than this Silk solution – particularly in CaucasusMay have to move hub to sit on single beam

Thinking the future

36

Longer Term – Future Steps -2

Most terrestrial solutions go through Russia and perhaps Kazakhstan

Will become cheaper, but acceptable politicially?EC starting specific Caucasus Programme

Perhaps Caucasus connects by fibre to GEANT, some others stay satellite

Will discuss Central Asia plans with APANPerhaps there will be links to Pacific Rim

Should use satellite broadcast capability Both Multicast and Broadcast caching

Will make proposal to NATO Science Committee in October, and also to EC (not only IST)

Thinking the future

37

This may not be high science, but it is a fascinating project with very high visibility – and it is fun

More information - Links

Silk projecthttp://www.silkproject.org

ESA IP over DVB projecthttp://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=11271