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Birthing a New Regional Optical Network

Birthing a New Regional Optical Network. ADVA Enterprise Summit October 5, 2006 David L. Merrifield Associate Director of Computing Services University of Arkansas dlm@uark.edu. Widening Bandwidth Gap. Cornerstones to Networking in Higher Education Today. Ownership and Control

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Birthing a New Regional Optical Network

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  1. Birthing a New Regional Optical Network ADVA Enterprise Summit October 5, 2006 David L. Merrifield Associate Director of Computing Services University of Arkansas dlm@uark.edu

  2. Widening Bandwidth Gap

  3. Cornerstones to Networking in Higher Education Today • Ownership and Control • Leadership and Partnership • Network Research Laboratories • Big Science - Big Pipes • Teaching-Learning - Big Pipes • Collaboration and Cost Efficiencies • Worldwide Connectivity

  4. National LambdaRail

  5. Internet2 Network

  6. Regional Optical Networks

  7. Florida LambdaRail

  8. Florida LambdaRail

  9. Louisiana Optical Network Initiative

  10. Louisiana Optical Network Initiative

  11. Lonestar Education and Research Network

  12. Lonestar Education and Research Network

  13. Third Frontier Network

  14. TFN – Third Frontier Network

  15. Arkansas Research & Education Optical Network

  16. Creating A New Arkansas Network – AREON • Governor Mike Huckabee provided initial seed money • $6.4 Million on December 23, 2005 • Objectives: • Acquire fiber backbone for the state • Connect University of Arkansas to national research networks • Arkansas Research & Education Optical Network (AREON)

  17. Birthing a New Network • Key Decisions • Who is going to do the work? • Who is going to run the network? • Who is going to pay? And how much? • Who can use the network? • What will you let them do on the network? • Who are your partners? • How are you organized?

  18. AREON Overall Strategy • Acquire state fiber backbone • Connect University of Arkansas to NLR and Internet2 through OneNet partnership • As additional funding becomes available, light the full backbone • Connect all 11 public 4-year colleges and universities

  19. AREON Ongoing Strategy • Initial operations through University of Arkansas, with some outsourced optical network management • Creation of a non-profit corporation that will assume responsibility for network • Continued funding through membership dues, future state funds, and grants • Collaborations with neighboring RONs

  20. Building AREON Network • Research fiber availability and type • Hired Fiberco, an Internet2 company, to do fiber discovery • Faster ramp-up • National level relationships with fiber providers

  21. Building AREON Network • Identify in-state participants • Affects the backbone routes and optical design • Affects the budget • Get long-term commitments • Perform site surveys to determine best options for lateral fiber and colocation

  22. Building AREON Network • Obtain fiber IRUs* • Tough getting fiber providers to sell their dark fiber • Contracts are lengthy and full of telco lingo • Challenging to legal counsel and technical & management staff • Contracts from different vendors may be similar, but each is very unique *IRU – Indefeasible Right to Use

  23. Building AREON Network • Design the optical network • Fiber span lengths & loss characteristics • Identify Layer 2 and 3 network requirements of the participants and core network • Consider redundancy requirements • Determine lambdas needed • Hand off specifications to optronics providers via RFP and/or negotiations

  24. AREON Fiber Routes TULSA Fayetteville Jonesboro Russellville Fort Smith Conway MEMPHIS Little Rock Pine Bluff Arkadelphia Monticello DALLAS Magnolia MONROE

  25. AREON Fiber Routes TULSA Fayetteville Jonesboro OneNet NLR Internet2 Russellville Conway Fort Smith Little Rock MEMPHIS OADM Site Campus Router Pine Bluff Optical Amp Site Arkadelphia Monticello DALLAS Magnolia MONROE

  26. Little Rock Metro Fiber TULSA Fayetteville Jonesboro OneNet NLR Internet2 Russellville Conway Fort Smith Little Rock MEMPHIS OADM Site Campus Router Pine Bluff Optical Amp Site Arkadelphia Monticello DALLAS Magnolia MONROE

  27. LOTA Ring Louisiana Oklahoma Texas Arkansas

  28. Challenges • Ribbon cutting ceremony December 5, 2006, with Governor Huckabee • No fiber rings in the state • Expectations are as high as the cost • Unrealistic estimate of campus bandwidth needs • Continued funding • Twenty years is a long time

  29. Questions? David L. Merrifield University of Arkansas Computing Services 155 Razorback Road Fayetteville, AR 72701 dlm@uark.edu

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