Submitted by: Gary Crane Program Director NYSERNet, Inc. 125 Elwood Davis Road Syracuse, NY 13212 phone: 315-453-2912 x250 fax: 315-453-3052 email: gcrane@nysernet.org Although this paper does not specifically address a network research topic, it does outline a model for a collaborative regional effort to define an advanced network infrastructure in support of a wide variety of research initiatives. It is hoped that this model could be replicated in other areas of the country as a mechanism for developing advanced regional network infrastructures that could connect to (or be interconnected to form) the national networking infrastructure being defined by the Internet 2 Project. As co-chair of the NYSERNet 2000 Project Applications Working Group, I am very interested in attending your May 13-14 workshop. By the date of this workshop I would be prepared to summarize for the workshop participants the set of research applications that will be supported by our initiative and the network requirements of that applications set. The discussions at this workshop could provide valuable input to the NYSERNet 2000 project and serve to align our research initiatives with other related initiatives. ************************************************************* ************ Gary Crane NYSERNet, Inc. Program Director 125 Elwood Davis Road Syracuse, NY 13212 http://www.nysernet.org gcrane@nysernet.org Phone: 315-453-2912 x250 Fax: 315-453- 3052 ************************************************************* ************ Computer Research Association White Paper Submission The NYSERNet 2000 Project A Regional Model for Developing Network Applications to Enhance Research and Education Collaboration INTRODUCTION NYSERNet, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing research and education by adopting leading-edge networking technologies and applications that enable collaborations among New York State's research and education institutions. NYSERNet has recently adopted a new organizational mission focused on leveraging the financial, intellectual and technological strengths of New York's major research and educational institutions in order to bring about significant Internet service improvements. The goal of these improvements is to enable meaningful research and education collaborations over the network. This newly focused mission is taking shape in the form of a new, highly collaborative project to plan and implement new network technologies and applications in New York State. This project is the NYSERNet 2000 Project. It is NYSERNet's belief that the structure of the NYSERNet 2000 Project can serve as a model for the development of advanced network services in support of research and education in other parts of the country. GOALS OF THE NYSERNET 2000 PROJECT - Identify New York based research and education initiatives that will be advantaged by the availability of a network infrastructure that will provide high bandwidth, low latency and guaranteed quality of service capabilities. - Facilitate inter-institutional collaboration among NYSERNet member institutions that will speed the development of advanced network applications. - Define the specifications for and implement a regional network infrastructure that will incorporate the requirements of our member institutions and those of the related national initiative; the Internet 2 Project. - Provide advanced network capabilities to NYSERNet member institutions at the lowest possible cost by using resources available through grant agencies, corporate partners and economies of scale. - Transfer advanced network capabilities from the research environment into the commercial marketplace as rapidly as possible. - Develop a broad base of technical and financial support for this initiative through an aggressive plan for advancing the current state-of-the-art in the area of advanced network applications and services. Following is the current list of NYSERNet member institutions that are contributing funding and resources to the NYSERNet 2000 Project: Alfred University Brookhaven National Laboratory City University of New York (CUNY) Clarkson University Columbia University Cornell University Eastman-Kodak Company Marist College New York University New York Public Library Polytechnic University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rockefeller University SUNY Binghamton SUNY Buffalo Syracuse University University of Rochester The NYSERNet 2000 Project will be closely coordinated with the national Internet 2 initiative. Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Syracuse University are all charter members of the national Internet 2 Project. As a not-for-profit network support organization, NYSERNet maintains an affiliate membership in the Internet 2 Project. NYSERNET 2000 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The NYSERNet 2000 Project is being organized around the activities of the following three groups: NYSERNet 2000 Project Steering Committee Applications Working Group Engineering Working Group PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE The NYSERNet 2000 Project will require strategic direction from participating member institutions. To meet this requirement, the NYSERNet 2000 Project Steering Committee was created. This steering committee is comprised of NYSERNet Board member representatives from each of the institutions participating in the NYSERNet 2000 Project. This steering committee will provide oversight for the project and make recommendations to the full NYSERNet Board regarding the allocation of NYSERNet resources in support of this initiative. The steering committee will also participate in bringing resources to the project, including technical and administrative resources from their institutions as well as strong ties to industry partners who may be interested in this initiative. APPLICATIONS WORKING GROUP Identifying the research requirements of a shared regional network is a basic building block for the NYSERNet 2000 project. The goals of the NYSERNet 2000 Applications Working Group include: - Identify research strengths of each member institution. This should include the identification of current and potential areas of excellence in all fields of study. - Increase awareness of potential collaboration between member institutions (regional collaboration). - Identify collaborative potential with institutions outside our region (national and international collaboration). - Identify potential collaboration with industry partners. - Identify network features and functions that would advance member institution research initiatives (define new network requirements). - Explore broadening of institutional academic departments to a distributed, inter-institutional department model. - Create a common web based resource to identify research initiatives of NYSERNet 2000 member institutions by field of study. Only through highlighting the benefits of high impact collaborative research initiatives that depend on an advanced network infrastructure, will New York State's research and education institutions be able to build a compelling case for external funding and vendor support for the development of new network capabilities. ENGINEERING WORKING GROUP The formation of a technical working group made up of leading network technologists from participating institutions is essential to the success of this project. This group will take service requirements generated by the Applications Working Group and define the topology and underlying protocols that will be implemented as this new network infrastructure evolves. This group will also be responsible for specifying the operational requirements of the proposed network. The goals of the NYSERNet 2000 Engineering Working Group include: - Developing a preliminary engineering and operations proposal and budget for a NY State "gigapop" for review by the NYSERNet 2000 Steering Committee. - Creating a Request For Information (RFI) to solicit information for partnerships from existing and potential corporate partners. - Selecting network service and hardware vendor partners. - Developing a plan for implementing the nation's first operational "gigapop" in New York State. - Integrating the work of the NYSERNet 2000 Project technically and operationally with the national Internet 2 project. - Fostering technical and operational advancement by all parties involved. ________ For more information on NYSERNet and the NYSERNet 2000 Project please visit the NYSERNet web page (www.nysernet.org) or contact Gary Crane at (315) 453-2912 x250.