Regional Optical Networksand

Evolving US National Research and Education Networking

Paul Schopis, OARnet

Dale Smith, University of Oregon

International Task Force, Internet2 2005 Fall Member Meeting, Sept 19, 2005

Regional Optical Networks (RONs)

• Evolution of IP-only carrier circuit-based regional networks (old Internet2 Gigapops)

• RONs are based on dark fiber

• Most lit with DWDM

• Provide much more to customers than basic IP services

US RON Dark Fiber Holdings

OARnet Background• Founded in 1987 as part of the Ohio

Supercomputing Center

• 90+ higher ed member institutions

• Board of Regents funding

• OSTEER advisory council

• Internet2 gigapop

Third Frontier Network

• Phase 1: replace backbone with dark fiber• Phase 2: connect 17 universities to

network with dark fiber or gig circuits• Phase 3: connect other universities and

colleges• Phase 4: connect other partners

Dark Fiber Acquisition• RFP issued during Summer of 2002• Dark fiber was strongly preferred, but

leased services considered

• Vendors who bid dark fiber were required to offer a minimum of a single pair of fiber over their network

Dark Fiber Acquisition

• Determined that leased lambdas were too expensive and not widely available

• Selected a bid from Spectrum Networks for single pair of fibers– American Electric Power (AEP)– Williams Communications (Wiltel)

Dark Fiber Acquisition

• $4.6 M for 20 year IRUs

• $342K/yr for maintenance

• 1600+ route miles

• Truewave, SMF-28, LEAF or Terra Light Fiber

• Aerial and buried

TFN Financing

• $21M investment• Financing from Ohio State University

– Loan for fiber ($7M)– Short-term financing ($2M)

• Financing from state capital budget ($8.5M) – Equipment Purchased from SBC– Last mile to 17 institutions

Equipment

• Cisco 15454 integrated solution (DWDM)– all of the amps, mux/demux etc. integrated

• Multi Service Transport Platform (MSTP) – ITU G.709 compliant

• Cisco routers (GSR 12000) and switches• Juniper M7i routers

Implementation

• Using MPLS

• Using Logical Routers

• 2.5 gig backbone

• Hired 2 optical engineers

• Using Cisco Transport Manager software

• First fiber cut tested redundancy

Last Mile Solution

• RFP issued in Dec 2003 for last-mile connectivity to all higher education and K-12 sites

• OC3, gig circuits and 10 gig circuits

• SBC won last mile contract

What is next?

• Connect institutions with state-funded last mile connections

• Assist institutions with last mile solutions• Investigate fiber possibilities• Seek partners for network

Factors for Consideration for Interconnecting RONs

• Technical - Pretty easy, O-E-O

• Economic - A little more complicated

• Social and Operational - Getting pretty complicated, enters into levels 8 & 9 of the protocol stack e.g. Politics

Evolving US National R&E Network

• United States National Research and Education Network was Internet2

• National Lambda Rail (NLR) is a new player

• What is the relationship?

• Why two national research and education networks?

• What does the future hold?

Internet2• SONET Backbone provided by contract with Qwest• Qwest contract also calls for free SONET backhaul

from Gigapop site to nearest backbone node• Core Service is layers - IP• Members are primarily individual institutions of

higher education, research labs, or other corporations

• Many members - $27,000 plus contracted network costs.

• Large central management with costly overhead

NLR

• Startup funded by financial commitments of members

• Dark-fiber based network lit with DWDM• Core service is lambda• Members are primarily Regional Optical

Networks• Few members - $5 million over 5 years plus

service fees.• Management is thin and avoids large, costly

central functions

Relationship between I2 and NLR

• Internet2 is a double member of NLR

• All NLR members are also members of I2

• I2 and NLR backbone footprint very similar

• Both seek to advance research through high performance networking

• However, differences in membership, culture, and focus of services

Why two Networks?

• Technology sector bust provided opportunity to acquire dark fiber

• NLR formed by forward thinking members at the national research and education community

Factors at Play

• Qwest contracts for I2 SONET circuits expires in October 2007

• Demands on I2 to support more than IP• Two networks confusing to virtually everyone• Two networks are a drain on resources• I2 and NLR boards are in negotiation about

merging the two organizations to form the New National Network Organization (N30)

Predictions of Future• Merger will happen and N3O will be created• All networking activities will use current NLR as national

backbone• Free backhaul will not be available• There will be dramatically fewer mid-level (Gigapop)

networks• All mid-level networks will be RONs• Much work is required to provide more than just IP in

various domains of control of network– from campus to RON– RON to backbone– RON to RON