Abilene UpdateJoint Techs Summer ’05Vancouver, CA

Abilene UpdateJoint Techs Summer ’05Vancouver, CA

Steve Cotter

Director, Network Services

scotter@internet2.edu

Steve Cotter

Director, Network Services

scotter@internet2.edu

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WelcomeWelcome

• Current Abilene Network

• Advanced Networking Services Offered

• Abilene Network Futures

The Abilene NetworkThe Abilene Network

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Abilene PartnershipsAbilene Partnerships

• Indiana University• Juniper Networks• Nortel Networks• Qwest Communications• ITECs• NC ITEC• Ohio ITEC• San Diego ITEC• Texas ITEC

• Internet2

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Abilene OverviewAbilene Overview

• 10-Gbps ‘best effort’, over-provisioned IP network• Current normal load ~2 Gbps; ~10 Gbps peak

• Carrier provisioned backbone λ’s (Q-Wave)• ~4.7 9’s availability over past 12 months

• SONET backhaul available to connectors• IPv4/IPv6, native multicast, MPLS LSPs• Network research facilitation (data + co-lo)• Abilene Observatory project

• Extensive domestic and int’l R&E peering• Cost recovery model motivates network

utilization and bandwidth upgrade

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Abilene CommunityAbilene Community

• 39 direct connections (OC-3c 10 Gbps)• 3 10 Gbps (10 GE) connections

• OC-192c SONET also supported• 7 OC-48c connections & 3 GE connectors• 25 connected at OC-12c (622 Mbps) or higher

• 234 Primary Participants – research universities and labs• Library of Congress and U.S. Holocaust Museum most

recent additions• Expanded Access

• 126 Sponsored Participants - Individual institutions, K-12 schools, museums, libraries, research institutes

• 34 Sponsored Educational Group Participants - state-based education networks

See: http://abilene.internet2.edu/

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The Abilene NetworkThe Abilene Network

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The Abilene NetworkThe Abilene Network

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The Abilene NetworkThe Abilene Network

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The Abilene NetworkThe Abilene Network

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The Abilene NetworkThe Abilene Network

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Abilene Federal & Research PeeringsAbilene Federal & Research Peerings

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Abilene International Network PeeringsAbilene International Network Peerings

Advanced Services Across AbileneAdvanced Services Across Abilene

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Advanced Network Services Advanced Network Services

• IPv6 • Approx. ⅔ connectors, ½ peers are v6 enabled• 2005: 11 new non-production v6 peerings at Palo Alto PAIX, also

added France Telecom, soon MCI MAE-West • MPLS

• NC-ITEC experimenting (with ITEC Ohio) with creating a multipoint Layer 2 VPN using inter-domain MPLS tunnels & Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS).

• BRUW: experimenting with how to bandwidth reservation across packet and circuit switched networks

• Abilene Observatory• Provides data from router nodes or equip. collocated in Abilene racks• 30+ research projects currently using Observatory data (see

http://abilene.internet2.edu/observatory/research-projects.html)• Manhattan Landing (MAN LAN) @ 32 A of A in NYC - partnership

with NYSERNet, Indiana University, and the IEEAF• A high performance, open bilateral exchange facility for research

Abilene Network FuturesAbilene Network Futures

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What’s Changed?What’s Changed?

• Over the last 5 years, the U.S. research university community has become wholesale customers of telecoms for raw assets & ancillary services• Upwards of 30,000 route-miles of inter-city dark fiber are

held by the U.S. R&E community• > 60% in the regionals

• More than 20 Regional Optical Networks (RONs) have emerged • mostly state based – some with strong gubernatorial support• often concurrent economic development objectives

• Meanwhile carriers generally did not invest in new optical infrastructure during the downturn

• Increased end-to-end network transparency• View of the network as a schedulable resource

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Next Generation AbileneNext Generation Abilene

• Active examination of new network service models is underway• Group A Report - moving beyond the common bearer

service view of best-effort IP • ‘Core’ and ‘Flexible’ waves

• Hybrid architecture evaluation (HOPI Project)• IP core using 10→40Gbps λ transport• Dedicated capabilities using NLR wave and Abilene

• λ’s, GigE channels, MPLS tunnels

• Evaluation of optical transport capabilities• Both commercial and higher ed owned options (NLR & the

RONs)• Design & planning collaboration with U.S. &

international partners • ESnet, TeraGrid, NLR, SURFnet, GEANT2

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Next Generation Abilene TimelineNext Generation Abilene Timeline

• October 2007 – End of recent 1-year extension to Abilene transport MoU with Qwest• Dictates 3rd-generation network timeline

• Architecture: end 4Q05• Transport provider(s): end 1Q06• Equipment selection: end 2Q06• Backbone deployed: end 4Q06• Connector transition: begin early 2007

• Concurrently, need to review business and management models

• Coincidentally…• Late 2007 – expiration of ESnet transport agreement with

Qwest

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NLR & AbileneNLR & Abilene

• Group B Report recommended a merger of Internet2 and NLR as the best way to deliver to the community the services outlined in the ‘Group A’ report

• Both Boards passed resolutions to begin consolidation discussions• Committee of 8 individuals has been appointed to

develop a merger strategy plan• Work to begin immediately

• Goal is to have a plan ready for each board’s consideration by the end of Oct.

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Abilene / NLR MapAbilene / NLR Map

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Next Generation Abilene Design ConsiderationsNext Generation Abilene Design Considerations

Critical factors:• Complexity of delivering dynamic network bandwidth• NLR, RON and international integration

• How do we deliver these services from the campus of one researcher to the campus of another

• Advanced service support• Multicast, v6, High Performance Throughput, Measurement

• Enhanced network research facilitation• Network and end-user security• Options for increased reliability and additional

services (i.e. Commodity Internet services)

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Abilene InformationAbilene Information

• For more Information:• http://abilene.internet2.edu• http://abilene.internet2.edu/observatory/ • http://www.nationallambdarail.org• http://hopi.internet2.edu

• Or contact us at:• scotter@internet2.edu • heather.bruning@internet2.edu • abilene@internet2.edu

• RONs / Abilene Connectors BoF • 8:15pm in Crystal Ballroom 3, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown

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