“ITnet/HEAnet Integration Project” Owen Byrne (Managed Network Services) HEAnet Conference

1. “ITnet/HEAnet Integration Project” Owen Byrne (Managed Network Services) HEAnet Conference Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny, 14th November 2008

2. Agenda • Background Info • Project Initiation/Implementation • Project Team, Steering Committee • Pilot Project Phase • Delivering Connectivity • Government MANs • ESBT • Other providers • Current & Future Work • Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) • Service Resilience (Equipment, power) • Key Outcomes • Q&A

3. Agenda • Background Info • Project Initiation/Implementation • Project Team, Steering Committee • Pilot Project Phase • Delivering Connectivity • Government MANs • ESBT • Other providers • Current & Future Work • Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) • Service Resilience (Equipment, power) • Key Outcomes • Q&A

4. Background: • 13 IoTs included in Project • DIT & Tipp Inst already HEAnet clients • 3 x Services • General IP (aka Internet) • An Cheim MIS systems • Commodity IP

5. A (very) Brief History • 1998, 1999 ITnet network established (2Mb/s) • Replaced “RTCnet” • Until recently: access connectivity provided by Eircom • ATM infrastructure (45Mb/s per IoT) • IP addressing & IP Transit provided via HEAnet

6. Times Past: ITnet - HEAnet

7. Then, two reports: • Commissioned by HEA on behalf of Department of Education & Science • Sonas & Molloy (2003/2004) • Sonas Innovation: technical review • Dr. Molloy: governance & management structure

8. Agenda • Background Info • Project Initiation/Implementation • Project Team, Steering Committee • Pilot Project Phase • Delivering Connectivity • Government MANs • ESBT • Other providers • Current & Future Work • Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) • Service Resilience (Equipment, power) • Key Outcomes • Q&A

9. Summer 2005: Project Initiation • Steering Committee created • Project team established • Joint scoping and technical requirements document produced • Pilot Project commences (ITB, WIT, LIT) • Followed by approval to include all IoTs

10. Project Team

11. Agenda • Background Info • Project Initiation/Implementation • Project Team, Steering Committee • Pilot Project Phase • Delivering Connectivity • Government MANs • ESBT • Other providers • Current & Future Work • Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) • Service Resilience (Equipment, power) • Key Outcomes • Q&A

12. Delivering Connectivity • Fibre Contracts • ESB Telecom – national ring (1300 Km) • e-net – MANs: Galway, Limerick, Cork, Athlone, Letterkenny (200Km) • Public procurement process • BT, UPC, Dublin City Council • Service Delivery • VLAN and EoMPLS services to implement Point-to-point links • Cisco hardware and CWDM optics • Adva DWDM platform

13. Government MANs

14. Combining signals Different light frequencies (colours) over a single fibre path Separating signals Ethernet transmitters Ethernet receivers Wavelength Division Multiplexing • CWDM in access network (1470nm – 1610nm. 8 x channels, modulated at 1Gbit/s) • DWDM in backbone. Each channel capable of 10Gbit/s

15. ESBT Backbone • General IP, Commodity IP, An Cheimpeerings all in Dublin • Connect e|net rings to regional PoP • Connect regional PoP to national backbone (e|net ring) • Additional fibre procured from: • Dublin City Council • UPC • BT (Athlone, Carlow, Tralee)

17. BT Fibre • IT Blanchardstown – Servecentric • IADT, Dun Laoghaire – Citywest • IADT – Servecentric (soon) • Athlone IT – NUI Galway • Athlone IT – Servecentric • IT Tralee – UCC • IT Tralee – UL • Carlow IT – Waterford IT • Carlow IT - Citywest

18. Milestones • 2006: First IoTs connect to HEAnet • July: Limerick IT & Waterford IT • August: Steering Group approve migration of all IoTs • October: IT Blanchardstown • November: Letterkenny IT • December: GMIT & DKIT • 2007: Further Migrations & Service Production • Feb:Sligo IT & Cork IT Migrated • April: An Cheim Service goes live • April: Commodity IP peering with GN established • October: Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow IT Migrations • 2008: Towards Completion • Jan: 24/7 Cover Introduced • Jan: IADT, Dun Laoghaire Migration • Sept: Tralee IT Migration

20. Agenda • Background Info • Project Initiation/Implementation • Project Team, Steering Committee • Pilot Project Phase • Delivering Connectivity • Government MANs • ESBT • Other providers • Current & Future Work • Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) • Service Resilience (Equipment, power) • Key Outcomes • Q&A

21. Current/Future Work • Pre 2005: • IoTs, individual clients of ITnet network • Single peering point with HEAnet • Now: • Established as 13 new individual HEAnet clients • Dual HEAnet connections (5 remain) • Benefit from current & future HEAnet projects • National Backbone Extension: phases 3 & 4 • Point-to-point connectivity (on demand) • 10Gig lambdas for Research • Equipment/Service Resilience

22. National Backbone Extension (Phase 3) • 80 applications received for connectivity (15/05/07) • From 27 Client Institutions • 56 approved by selection committee • 19 IoT circuit requests approved • 3 additional IoT requests approved under NBE-4 • 22 IoT circuits (Total): • Primary Campus Resilience • Off campus transparent LAN services

23. Connectivity to Remote Campus Sites • GMIT • Castlebar • Letterfrack • CluainMhuire • Limerick IT • School of Art & Design • Cork IT • Cork School of Music • NMCI • Crawford College • Blackrock Observatory • Carlow IT • Wexford Campus • Wicklow Campus (Rathnew) • LYIT • Tourism & Catering College, Killybegs • WIT • TSSG, Carriganore • College St. • Confederation House

24. Connectivity Solutions • Public procurement process (RfT) held • Dark Fibre (BT, e|net, Magnum Opus) • NMCI: Phase I and phase II MAN interconnected • Managed Ethernet Solutions (e|net, BT) • Typically EoSDH • Licensed Microwave (Airspeed Telecom, NWE)

27. Service Resilience • Path resilience • Currently implemented • Diverse paths into campus • Power Resilience at PoPs • Backup generators • UPS • Equipment Resilience • Additional backbone MPLS nodes at PoPs • Duplicate CPE router at client sites

28. Agenda • Background Info • Project Initiation/Implementation • Project Team, Steering Committee • Pilot Project Phase • Delivering Connectivity • Government MANs • ESBT • Other providers • Current & Future Work • Additional Projects (National Backbone Extension) • Service Resilience (Equipment, power) • Key Outcomes • Q&A

29. Key Outcomes WIT • Bandwidth • Latency • International Peerings • Point-to-point Circuits • WIT (10Gig), Berlin p2p • Native service support (IPv6, Multicast...) • Efficiencies of Scale • Larger HEAnet client base • Scope for increased collaboration • Trial projects (IPTV streams…) CIT

30. Summary • 13 additional HEAnet clients (almost 50% increase) • Intro of 24/7 (note: with feedback from existing client base) • Radically different network architecture than pre-2005 • Patience & cooperation of all stakeholders • Provider delays • Inconvenience of civil works etc. on campus • Scheduled maintenance to migrate services • Further work • Additional connectivity to remote campuses • Service resilience • Existing HEAnet service suite

31. Questions?