Role of EthERNet in Making GIS Resources More accessible

in Ethiopian Academic and Research

Institutions

Zelalem A

EthERNet

Agenda

What are RENs and NREN ?

What is EthERNet

Regional RENs

Services & Activities by EthERNet

Phase II EthERNet

2 9/30/2016

Typical REN and its Architecture

9/30/20163

REN- Research and education

networking is the provision of

computer networks for

interconnecting research and

educational institutes in order to

facilitate exchange of information for

research and teaching purposes.

A layered model

Global Connectivity, Regional

RENs

NRENs

All users are connected at the

campus network level (No scientist

is connected directly to a National

Network. They are all connected to

campus or enterprise networks)

National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) NERN is a network for a closed user group which has advanced connectivity requirements to

support research and education needs. It provide the infrastructure for data communicationand data services for the group. Commonly NEREN rent telecommunication lines fromCommercial providers, while owning the equipment required to route traffic through them

NEREN is essential for participation in data-intensive, collaborative research. The enormousvolume of data that is transmitted over the network, and the need to connect withinternational peers and resources available only through global NREN partners.

NREN partners provide the ultra-high-speed connections directly to institutions within theirprovince or territory.

They are not-for-profit organizations providing advanced services to a well boundedcommunity.

CLOSED USER GROUP, Not in the business of providing public access, NOT A PUBLICNETWORK

Running an NREN is much more than providing connectivity.

About one hundred countries in the world have adopted NRENs as the centerpiece oftheir information and communication technology (ICT) plan for tertiary educationinstitutions, connecting research institutes, and other institutions, such as schools andhospitals.

Once should have a NRENs it is easy to be part of the Global Network for OpenEducation , africa Grid ,etc.

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NRENs in the World

NRENs have been in existence in Africa since 14 years ago

The first NREN to be established & operationalised was KENET in

1999 And the second NREN was TENET in 2001

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Continued….

9/30/20166

What is EthERNet?

The Ethiopian Education and Research

Network (EthERNet) was initiated in 2001

as part of a national capacity building

program along with SchoolNet and

WoredaNet

Project’s aim was to build capacity of public

universities to share educational resources

and research among member institutions

locally and globally, in a phased approach

First Phase – Implementation of

LAN/WAN for six relatively old public

universities

Second Phase -Tele-Education and Tele-

Medicine (MPLS/VPN) for Tele- Education

purposes

Third Phase - E-Library System, for all

public Universities, which include computer

labs for 13 2nd generation universities9/30/20167

Continued…

Ethiopian Education and Research Network (EthERNet) is the Ethiopian National Researchand Education Network (NREN) had spent more than 1.2 billion ETB to do itsinfrastructure project.

EthERNet 40G backbone with 10G access to 36 public Universities and Institute ofTechnologies having its own state of the art Data Center and Network Operation Center iscommissioned .

The optical (fiber) backbone is built on highly reliable OPGW and ADSS on EEU highvoltage lines

4841 Km of fibers are used

Exchange Point/Internet Gateway is at EthERNet Data Center in Addis Ababa to peer withneighboring NRENs (SudREN, KENET, SolmaliREN) and ultimately will connect toUbuntuNet, GiANT, Internet2 and all other global research and education networks.

8

9

EthERNet Optical Network Architecture

Assosa

kiltu

KaraGimbi Nekempt

Ambo

EjajiAddis

Fiche

D markos

Mota

Bihar Dar

Adis

Zemen

Gonder

Debre

Tabour

LalibelaAlmata

Woldiya

Desse Eliha

Semera

Senbete

D Berhan

Debre

ZebitNazerath

Sagure

Melka

Wakena bale robe

shasheme

ne

Honsna

Sodo

Arbamin

ch

Awassa

Dilla

Bule

Horra

Gibe

Jimma

Bedele

Metu

BongaMizan

Teferi

Welkete

Tuluboro

Betemera

Mekele

Abey adi

AxumAdigrat

Awash

Mulu ErereDire

DawaHaromay

a

Jijiga

Legend:

OTM OLA

South ring

North ring

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EthERNet IP Backbone Architecture

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RRENs

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TENET

SEACOM 10GE

(Existing)

TENET Amsterdam

10GE (Existing)

London (UK)

Gateway PoP

(Existing)

Wet Backbone Links

Existing Circuits

P/PE Wet backbone

Core

Gateway PoP

(Non-African Circuits)

Dar Es Salaam (TZ)

P/PE Core PoP

Maputo (MZ)

P/PE Core PoP

Blantyre

(MW)

Lusaka

(ZM)

Nairobi

(KE)

Addis-Ababa

(ET)

Kampala

(UG)

Kigali

(RW)

Edge (Country)

PoP

Cross Border Circuit

TENET CLOUD

Kinshasa

(CD)

Windhoek

(NA)

Mtunzini (ZA)

Gateway PoP

Phase 2 Circuit

MPLS X-Connect

Future WACS Cable

Africa – Europe

EIG Circuit

Amsterdam (NL)

Gateway PoP

(Existing)

Intercontinental Circuit

Mombasa (KE)

Gateway PoP

Khartoum

(SS)

2.5 GE

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Services & Activities Delivered by EthERNet

Datacenter

Video Conference

IIT Delhi (4 engineering M.Sc programs)

Telemedicine (JHU, Kintaki University, Washington University – Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Hawassa and

Jimma, Mekelle and Gonder)

Meeting and conferences between Universities as well as from outside Ethiopia

International Advisors and Defense for post graduate students

E-library (www.elib.edu.et ) - a customizable e-library system for public University

E-book (pdf , Picture,Text, Doc, XML, PPT, HTML), Multimedia (audio, video)

Technical support in all areas of ICT for Public Universities including training, ICT academies, project

management etc.

ICT Directors Forum

MAGIC Project (Middleware for collaborative Applications and Global virtual Communities)

WP2- Platforms for Mobility (eduroam , Identity federation )

WP3- Cloud Provisioning and Groupware Standards (API, VC Espresso, eNVIO (large files

transfer), Federated Cloud Service)

WP4- Real-time communications (NRENum.NET service for global dialing list)

WP5- Global Science Communities (eHealth, Biodiversity, Environment, Instrumentation.

Application Software's – (Version controlling System (Gitlab), KMS (Duku Wiki), Monitoring

System (Icinga), Deployed configuration management system (PUPPET), Automatic Backup

System ( Bacula), Auto Installation Using PXE, Domain Controller (Samba4) etc9/30/201615

Continued…

Contribute to inter-institutional collaboration, research and human networking.

Promote joint institutional content development, access to large databases and sharing of

research results

Some of the applications that can be hosted at EthERNet Data Center

DNS – edu.et ,Email,E-library,Video Conferencing System, LMS, EduRoam

Research Collaboration Platforms

Students and staff developed social networking and other useful applications

SaaS – Software as a Service, STaaS – Storage as a Service, BaaS – Backup as a Service, TEaaS – Test

Environment as a Service

Use ICT technologies to make widely accessible teaching materials and tools such as multi-

media based training …

Helps solve the serious lack of ICT manpower on the part of new Universities

Sharing expensive equipment like mainframe, supercomputer, electron microscope,

telescope

There is already massive pool of valuable world class resources available freely to the non-

profit world of REN

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EduCloud Services

• ArcGIS Server

• ArcGIS Desktop and License Manager

• Webhosting for 10 universities and should be scalable to more than 36

• Collaboration and E-mail for 50,000 users and scalable to 1million users.

• Identity management services

• DNS Services

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Campus Network /Local area network for 24 Universities

Data Center Infrastructure.

Decoration

System

Electrical

Power Requirements

Cabling &

Equipment

Racking

System

Facility Management System

Mechanical

System

Network Operation

Center (NOC)

Fibre and UTP

Cabling

Security Wired &

Wireless LAN Active

Network Device

including core distribution and access switches

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Phase II

1. 19 or more higher education to be connected to the EthERNet network.

2. Meshed transmission

The transmission network will be meshed topology, and the ring topology

shall increase from 2 to 5 Rings.

This will enhance the network security, strengthen service availability.

3. Full OPGW migration

Most of the fiber route uses the exsiting OPGW cable, but needs to migrate

the rest that uses the exsiting ET’s optical fiber cable. Meanwhile, it needs

to push EEU to prioritize the OPGW construction in favor of the cities

which accommodate universities.

4. Redundancy at the aggregation layer

For the aggregation layer, one more AG router should be for each

aggregation site

Tvet ins, mizan, kombolcha,adama, yekatit, yirgalem 9/30/201621

9/30/201622

Debark

Engebara Maichew

Kebridahar

Jinka

Bonga

Asebe TeferiWorabe

BIHAR DAR-ARB

Adama-ARA

WELKETE-ARA

DataCenter-EPR-1

DataCenter-EPR-2

KOMBOLCHA-ARA

T8000

M6000-3s

10G

40G

SIDIS KILO-ARA

BOLE-AR2AAggregation layer

Edge layer

Fiche

Mekidla Amba

Asela

SIDIS KILO-ARB

BOLE-AR2B

KOMBOLCHA-ARBBIHAR DAR-ARA

WELKETE-ARB

Adama-ARB

Gambela Dembidolo

Black Lion Medical College

Paulos Mill.Medical Coll

9/30/201623

Future Mesh Topology

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Any Q

?

Thank You!