CEF network design including crossborder fibre issues

1
CEF network design (including cross-border fibre
issues)

• Stanislav íma
• CESNET

2
Network construction and parts(what is really
our task)

• Collins COBUILD English Dictionary for Advanced
  Learners
• If you construct something such as an idea,
  piece of writing or system,
• you create it by putting different parts
  together.
• For network construction we need to elaborate
  specifications of
• Network services
• Network building parts (elements)
• Implementation of services by connecting elements
  
• Elaboration of above specifications is called
  network design
• Network design is semantically similar to
  computer design or electronic circuit design, but
  big difference makes complexity and cost of some
  building parts
• Building elements, implementation and operation
  of large scale networks are procured
• Procurement is long process (especially if public
  funding is used) e.g. 7-24 month (but legal
  system in some countries is not so restrictive to
  research)
• Returns and corrections of decisions could be
  very difficult or impossible in such procurement
  process (details depend on procurement
  regulations in given country)
• Result of one-way design proces is not optimal
  (in general case).

3
Legacy procedure of REN design(ISP for RE
community)

• Decide about REN PoPs needed and then
• Procure SDH or lambda services
• Procure ISP-like equipment
• Procure network operation and maintenance
• The first goal is service for researchers
  (research in networking is secondary)
• Main Advantages
• Relatively simple design and operation (we use
  large and matured building elements and services,
  with guarantee)
• Transparency for donators and users (element
  selection is the best in the current commercial
  sense)
• Main Weakness and Risk
• The best in current commercial sense is not the
  best generally (monopoly or dominant position of
  some vendors prevents it)
• Construction simplicity and network reliability
  received are very expensive, i.e. network is
  based on outdated technology, adaptation to user
  needs is far from perfect, both CAPEX and OPEX
  are high
• Vendors prevent some improvements of network
  after installation (to safe their exclusive
  delivery position)

4
New possibilities in REN design

• Main source of innovation is optical technology
• Fibres and fibre lighting devices
• Free Space Optics (up to 2.5 Gb/s per line) with
  microwave backup
• Change of P2P services by P2P fibres is first
  step only
• New types of transmitters, receivers, amplifiers,
  gratings etc. are available, some of them even
  with MultiSource Agreements
• New network services are enabled, for example E2E
  lightpath on demand, fibre switching, facilities
  based networking
• New architecture for cost-effectivness
• Overcome distances by light only (see CESNET2 and
  GEANT2 core)
• OEO conversion and switches should be rare (use
  OADM and OXC)
• Few routers (2-4) per NREN are sufficient (see
  Surfnet6 and Canet4)

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CEF Network approachto REN design

• Decide about REN PoPs needed and then
• Procure Dark fibres including optical first mile
• Procure Open (multi-vendor) network equipment
• Procure Network Integrator (if external support
  for design, deployment and operation is needed)
• The goal is still service for researchers, but
  role of research in design is stronger
• CEF Network approach is field proved
• procurement of dark fibres instead services
  proved by many NRENs, RONs, National LambdaRail,
  partially GEANT2
• procurement of open (multi-vendor) equipment
  proved by SWITCH (including external design
  support), CzechLight (including CESNET-made
  Optical Amplifiers), partially CESNET2
• Many metropolitan CEF RENs has experience with
  network integration by own staff
• Save own improvement freedom and independency on
  vendors
• Save own ability to quick return and correct
  design (including re-tendering etc.)
• Convince vendors in word and deed, that their
  task is changed
• you need dedicated fibre instead of pacifier ?
• you will decide on devices suitable for network
  development, etc.

6
Main strategies for SEE NRENs development

• Short characteristics of main possibilities for
  SEE NRENs
• Safe way Step-wise repeat NREN development
  seen in other countries (it is slow, quite
  expensive and preserves gap)
• Brute force way Use big investment to make
  the second instance of some leading NREN (this
  approach is limited mainly by missing first mile
  fibres and by unsufficient funds)
• Innovation way Strong use of research results
  to solve NREN design problem. Search for
  cost-effective technology successively deployed
  in testbeds and tested in NRENs (or prepared for
  future NRENs)

7
Possible Government Support for RE

• Remove telecommunication regulations for research
  and education
• Simplify tendering regulations for research and
  education
• Establish fibre lines for research and education
  as infrastructure donated by state (such as
  roads)
• Support municipalities deploying first mile
  fibres for research and education
• It helps to national RE and to national
  development. It helps to EU development too (by
  better connecting of SEE research capacity)

8
GEANT2 design characteristics

• GEANT2 is hybrid network Lambda services (Layer2
  OEO services) is offered to participants besides
  IP service (Layer3 services)
• Small changes in network topology, local movings
  of GEANT PoPs requested by nRENs
• Mixed procurement of services and dark fibres
• Extensive comparisons of dark fibres to services
  costs, despite that reasons for dark fibres are
  strategic rather than financial, and result of
  comparison strongly depends on question
• How many lambdas will users need in next years???
• GEANT2 is CEF network in the sense, that core is
  on leased dark fibres and lighting equipment is
  owned by DANTE
• Separated procurement of transmission system and
  switching equipment one vendor selected for both
  (no CEF-like open result)

9
Our example presented on TNC 2004 Rhodes
10
Initial GEANT2 topology(dark fibre core
footprint)
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GEANT2 and SEE countries

• GEANT2 will be one of world-leading
  continent-wide RE network using dark fibres
  (another one will be National LambdaRail after
  merging with Abilene2 in USA)
• Further work is strongly needed, for example
• GN2 procurement of dark fibres failed for
  connection of some countries, despite that dark
  fibres where available (good offer was missing),
  for example to Ireland, Portugal, Poland,
  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania re-tendering in GN2
  is possible
• Transmission and switching equipment are from
  single-vendor multi-vendor interoperability
  problems must be solved on demarcation line
  GEANT2-NRENs
• Important and feasible tasks
• acquire international dark fibres to GN2
  countries Romania, Bulgaria and Greece
• prepare international dark fibres to remaining
  SEEFIRE countries

12
International dark fibre acquiring and using

• Cross border fibre (CBF) issue
• GCBF are GEANT2 cross border fibres, connecting
  GEANT2 PoPs
• RCBF are Regional corss border fibres, connecting
  neighbours NRENs
• In principle, by means NRENs fibres and RCBF is
  possible to implement European-wide lambdas and
  GCBF looks redundant
• Situation is of course much more complicated
• GCBF could be sometimes less expensive (imagine
  quantity discounts)
• Lambdas implemented on GCBF should be more
  reliable
• GCBF could be used for lambdas inside country
  (using OADMs etc.)
• In general, CBF procurement results achieved by
  NRENs and by DANTE are (and will be) different
• GN2 support for RCBF prepared

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Cross border fibre issues (lines are examples
only)
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CBF connection needed

• For GN2 members to
• Bucharest
• Sofiya
• Athena
• For GN2 observers to
• Beograde
• Skopje
• For GN2 non-members to
• Tirana
• Sarajevo
• We should agree in SEEFIRE now about required
  steps, including suggestion to GN2

15
Acknowledgement

• Lada Altmannova for topology maps
• CzechLight team members for collaboration