Models on How to Build and Manage National
Research and Education Networks
(NRENs)
South-South Exchange of Research and
Education Network Experience (SERENE)
via the
Global Development Learning Network (GDLN)
Session 1: What is an NREN?
Michael Foley, World Bank
with contributions by George McLaughlin and Nimal Ratnayake
October 13, 2009
What is an NREN?
1. A high performance communications network
- owned and operated for and by the education and
research community of a country
1. The organization that operates that network
- constituted either as: a consortium of members, a
dedicated agency, a company, an NGO, or other legal
entity. Generally not-for-profit
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What does an NREN do?
– Operates the national backbone that connects campus networks
to each other and to other RENs globally, with its own routers,
switches, servers etc.
– Connects researchers and educators globally using dedicated and
private high speed links (not at mercy of commercial Internet
traffic)
– Runs its own Network Operations Center (NOC) to monitor the
network and manage all traffic on it
– Provides access to high cost instrumentation and laboratories
– Customizes connectivity solutions for research teams
collaborating globally
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What other services may it offer?
– Often provide access to the commodity Internet
– Run e-mail service for member organizations
– Host a local Digital Library (saves international bandwidth)
– Host local mirror sites of international databases (ditto)
– Provide platform for new Internet protocols and services (inventing the Internet of
the future – commercial spin-offs )
– Operate Videoconferencing bridging
– Host Higher Education Management Information System
– Host Learning Management Systems (LMS)
– Facilitate E-Learning, and Virtual Classrooms
– Provide Web hosting if required
– Provide technical support services to its members if needed
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Applications that need and use NRENs
• Natural Disaster systems – typhoon, flood, tsunami and
earthquake warning, prediction, and monitoring
• Climate change research, meteorology, environmental
monitoring and data sharing
• Telemedicine and remote diagnostics
• Link with Grid initiatives, computing and data repository
sharing
• Monitor emerging pandemics (bird flu, SARS, H1N1)
• Bio-informatics, Agro-informatics, Astronomy, eVLBI (grid of
radio telescopes)
• Asian Digital Heritage Exchange(ADHX)
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What are the benefits of a NREN?
– Exponentially more bandwidth at same cost
– Critical for access to digital resources, instrumentation, supercomputing
– Essential for international collaborative research – without connectivity you
are outside the club
– Connects faculty and students to global academic community - reducing
“academic isolation”
– Springboard for innovation in country – spin-offs to industry, education,
healthcare, e-government
– Building a computer literate population – graduates are the future customers of
ISPs
– NREN a foundation for the Knowledge Economy
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Why an NREN?
- and not just more Internet access through ISP
• Over 80 countries organize Internet and connectivity
for their universities by means of an NREN and
operate it as a public good.
• NREN interconnections are the fastest way to access
global university/research databases
• ISPs are geared to serve mass audiences, and basic
services, not the specialized needs of research teams
– e.g., IPv6 and multicasting
• NREN not driven by the profit motive
• NREN is inside the academic community
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The Global REN mesh continues to grow
– The Virtual Silk Road (Central Asia and the Caucuses,
and now Afghanistan - NATO)
– University of the South Pacific (JICA, AUSAid)
– GLORIAD (multi-country link around northern globe)
– Pakistan – US link (NSF/Pakistan)
– ALICE/CLARA (Lartin America – EU)
– EUMedConnect (North Africa, Middle East – EU)
– TEIN2 (South East Asia – EU)
– TEIN3 – TEIN2 plus South Asia (EU)
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How current Asian NRENs connect to each other & globally
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Gloriad – cooperation between
US, Russia, China, Korea, Canada, the Netherlands and
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
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GÉANT2 Global Connectivity
11
PERN2 Long Haul Fiber
Layout Map
KIU
Gilgit
Gomal Uni
Hazara University
Kohat
Uni of IT
HEC
RA POP
University of AJK
Peshawar
HEC
RA POP
Uni of
Malakand
Uni of IT
Bannu
COMSATS
Wah
Northern U
UET, Texila
PMA Kakool
Sargodha
University
Gujrat
University
HEC
RA POP
Faisalabad
AUF
RA2 POP
Quetta
BU
RA2 POP
Multan
BZU
RA2 POP
Islamia
University
Bahawalpur
IBA
Shah Latif
University Sukkur
Qaid-e-Awam
University
Tando Jam U
UET , Khuzdar
SU
RA2 POP
Hyderabad
Legends
10 G Link
Lasbela University
Out Side Region Uni
Distant Universities Link
POP
Metro Ring
HEC
RA POP
12
Challenges establishing an NREN
• Vested interest of incumbent Telcos/ISPs (potential loss
of revenue)
• Lack of competition (high cost)
• Lack of, or unaffordable terrestrial/submarine
infrastructure
• Lack of, or unaffordable in-country infrastructure
• Insufficient government commitment
• Inadequate (too much/too little) regulation
• No cohesive user base or mechanisms to support their
formation
• Alignment of needs and opportunities will vary by country
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How to ensure an NREN is successful
• Awareness raising to the academic community – fire the
imagination of users
• Identify which areas can most immediately benefit (exemplars)
• Build capacity of the campus and national network engineers
• Seek discipline-based champions (early adopters)
• Engage facilitators (understanding of user requirements and
opportunities for exploitation)
• Create a sustainable business/financing model
• Keep close to your client base – the researchers and educators
• Cultivate partnerships with funding agencies/donors
• Get the balance right between research, teaching and societal
benefit
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Good Networks aren’t enough
-“necessary but not sufficient”
• Well supported networks without compelling applications will not
be sustainable
• Need an enthusiastic user base with capacity to use it
• Need a framework so applications benefit users in a powerful,
reliable and easy-to-use way
• The technology and its complexity should be transparent to the
user
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Key issues to address
- experience from around the world
1. How to organize the NREN governance
- Ownership, legal/business structure, management
1. How to fund it sustainably
– government, member subscriptions, “deals” with
infrastructure providers, adjunct to research grants
etc.
1. What is the key to success? Mistakes to avoid?
2. Relationships to ISPs/Telcos – compete or
cooperate, meeting of interests?
3. Your questions
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