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A Gathering of State Networks: Strategies for the Next Decade

A Gathering of State Networks: Strategies for the Next Decade Merit Network, Inc. www.merit.edu Scott Gerstenberger - wsg@merit.edu Mike Mosher - mmosher@merit.edu Merit Background Private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), Michigan membership corporation

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A Gathering of State Networks: Strategies for the Next Decade

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  1. A Gathering of State Networks: Strategies for the Next Decade Merit Network, Inc.www.merit.edu Scott Gerstenberger - wsg@merit.edu Mike Mosher - mmosher@merit.edu

  2. Merit Background • Private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), Michigan membership corporation • Founded in 1966 by Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University • Members now include all 13 public universities in Michigan • Each member has a seat on the Board of Directors • 100 employees • $23M annual budget

  3. MichNet Services Overview • MichNet is the name of Merit’s network • Michigan GigaPOP and MichNet backbone • MichNet dial-in service • Web and email hosting and support services • Center to Support Technology in Education • USF (E-rate) educational activities • Performance analysis and security consulting

  4. MichNet Services • Michigan GigaPOP and MichNet backbone • External Connectivity • Abilene (Cleveland) OC-12 • Chicago NAP OC-3, OC-12 on order • Cable & Wireless 3 DS-1s, 2 DS-3s • Qwest DS-3, second DS-3 on order • Abilene Service • Michigan State University • Michigan Technological University • UCAID Ann Arbor offices • University of Michigan • Wayne State University • Western Michigan University

  5. MichNet Services - 2 • Commodity Service • 18 POPs in Lower Peninsula • 3 POPs in Upper Peninsula • Mix of POS and ATM • DS-1, DS-3, OC-3, OC-12 point-to-point circuits • Cisco 7500 and 12000 routers, LS-1010 switches • Connections to Ameritech ATM/Frame Relay (OC-3) • Connections to GTE ATM/Frame Relay (OC-3) • 24x7 Network Operations Center • 400 customer attachments (56k to OC-3)

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  8. MichNet Services - 3 • MichNet dial-in service • Service provided to organizations, not individuals • Each organization provides its own end-user support • Distributed authentication/authorization/accounting using Merit-developed RADIUS software • Sophisticated mechanisms for regulating shared use of dial-in facilities by many different organizations • Over 250,000 users • 12,000 Michigan lines at 163 POPs • 95% local call coverage in Michigan • 36% ISDN and v.90 • 72% v.90 • National 800 service • National/international dial-in via AT&T

  9. MichNet Services - 4 • Web and email hosting and related services • Build and support Internet servers • Provide streaming media services • Center to Support Technology in Education • Develops online K-12 resources and training materials • Often involves state level K-12 partnerships • Activities generally grant funded • USF (E-rate) educational activities • Popular email forum and in-person activities • Performance analysis and security consulting

  10. MichNet Customers • Merit’s 13 owner-member universities • 275 other affiliated organizations • Approximately 90% of the state’s K-12 districts • Approximately 95% of the state’s public libraries • Most of the state’s community colleges and private 4-year colleges • Various governmental, health-care, and non-profit organizations • Over 50 commercial organizations and ISPs

  11. State Educational Environment • Very decentralized • 13 universities are all independent of each other • K-12 and community colleges also decentralized • No state-provided network for education • No state-imposed networking standards for K-12 or higher education • No explicit state funding for networking • Merit has no formal relationship with state government, but lots of informal contacts

  12. Merit’s R&D Activities • Active in networking software and standards development for many years • Lead partner with IBM and MCI in managing the NSFNET, 1987-1995 • Current activities: • AAA (RADIUS) Consortium • GateD Consortium • Multithreaded Routing Toolkit (MRT) • Internet Performance Measurement & Analysis • North American Operators Group (NANOG)

  13. Merit’s Funding Model • No state funding • The 13 members pay annual sliding membership fees that cover uncapped connectivity wherever they need it • Fee based on bandwidth and Board voting rights • Affiliates pay for services based on service, bandwidth, location, and organization type • K-12 technology training is grant funded • R&D is grant funded or funded by licenses • Consulting services are fee-based

  14. Challenges for Merit • Network capacity management • Forecasting bandwidth requirements • Buying commodity service and telco circuits • Good news – new providers, prices are dropping • Bad news – new providers, erratic lead times, unmet due dates • Sharing infrastructure for Abilene and commodity • Looking for less expensive last mile connectivity • Using CLECs • Installing dark fiber • Co-locate POPs with carriers • DSL • Wireless

  15. Challenges for Merit - 2 • Working with K-12s and libraries • Decentralized environment makes this time consuming • Uneven understanding of technology • Large disparity in financial resources • Merit generally can’t represent or speak on behalf of the Michigan community with any authority • Struggling with IP video, training teachers, computer-based curricula, etc. • Role and direction of state government has often been unclear.

  16. Challenges for Merit - 3 • Sustaining grant-funded K-12 training • Have learned that teacher training is not something for which most school districts have money available • Evolved to relying on grant funds • Grants are often fairly short term and time consuming to obtain • Staff uncertainty about future projects

  17. Challenges for Merit - 4 • Promoting Internet2 • Signing up additional participants • Participating in demos and other Internet2 promotional activities • Demos can be expensive and/or hard to arrange • Applications not yet abundant • Devising equitable ways to use shared infrastructure to support both Abilene and commodity traffic

  18. Challenges for Merit - 5 • Sustaining R&D activities • Staff losses to commercial world • Changes in NSF priorities makes funding harder • Merit R&D activities less related to operation of MichNet than they once were

  19. Challenges for Merit - 6 • Being a non-profit in an increasingly commercial world • Is Merit a technology partner or just another vendor? • Sometimes viewed with skepticism by organizations that haven’t used our services • Hard to retain staff (pay rates, stock options), but good working environment and high quality of current staff helps • No deep pockets when major capital needed

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