Advancing South-East Europe into the eInfrastructure era

1. Advancing South-East Europe into the eInfrastructure era Dr.-Ing., PMP, Jorge-A. Sanchez-P. GRNET sanchez@grnet.gr http://www.grnet.gr also on behalf of SEEREN, SEE-GRID, SEEFIRE, SEELight and 6DISS initiatives http://www.seeren.org http://www.see-grid.org http://www.seefire.org http://www.6diss.org The proven power of many

2. Agenda • eInfrastructures & ERA • Pan-European running efforts • Actions for fast tracking • Expansion of eInfrastructures & ERA in SEE

3. Information Age Industrial Age 1781 2000 The Information Age. What is next?

4. Tier0/1 facility Tier2 facility Tier3 facility 10 Gbps link 2.5 Gbps link 622 Mbps link Other link …The World Wide Grid Grid computing represents a fundamental shift in how we approach distributed computing, like the fundamental shift in information access introduced by the Web. The Grid is: • A collaboration & resource sharing infrastructure with origins in the sciences • A distributed service integration and management technology • a mechanism to coordinate resource sharing and problem solving • A disruptive technology that enables a virtualized, collaborative, distributed world • An open source technology & community • An analogy with the Power Grid • A marketing slogan • But more significantly is that in the Grid • the sum can be greater than the parts • real opportunities and new capabilities can be constructed dynamically from distributed services

5. …eInfrastructures and the ERA • The integrated networking & middleware environment is also called electronic infrastructure or eInfrastructure. • The technologies of the Grid-enabled eInfrastructure, allow new methods of global collaborative research - often referred to as electronic science or eScience. • The combination of high-speed core networks and broadband access, Grid-middleware technologies and advanced virtual collaborative environments, constitute the World Wide Grid • WWG applications are one of the major global research and development topics of this century that in time will come to be seen as a commodity service. • The creation of such an eInfrastructure, which will provide fully integrated communication and information processing services, is a key objective of the European Research Area. • The reality is that today, the Grid is a "work in progress", with the underlying technology still in a prototype phase, and being developed by hundreds of researchers and software engineers around the world. Collaborations Grid infrastructure Computing/storage service Network – Connectivity Service

6. Properties Open Reliable ScalablePersistent TransparentPerson-centric Pervasive Secure / trusted Standards-based Research Themes NextGenerationGrid(s) Virtual organisation systems Management co-ord. and orchestrationInformation representation User interface grid (mobility…) Economies business models Facilities Models The context of eInfrastructures in Europe • The vision is to build a European-wide Grid-based infrastructure on top of a broadband networking infrastructure • Transparent and reliable; • Open to wide user and provider communities; • Pervasive and ubiquitous; • Secure and provide trust across multiple administrative domains; • Provide better, cheaper service to its users • Integrates computing power, storage, sensors, instruments and databases. • We are just in the beginning… Single service networks…to multiservice ones…

7. Technology Patforms Excellence throughcollaboration Basic research through competition 6 axes for FP7 Coordination of national programmes Human resources Research infrastructures The context of eInfrastructures in Europe • Strongly supported by the European Council, the European Parliament and Member States budgets (Lisbon Agenda, EC Policies) • In the preparations for the 7th Framework Programme (at stake: Research Infrastructures (RI) is one of the proposed six FP7 axes, increase of FP-budget) • Looking for the Return of Investment (RoI)…!

8. GÉANT2 network and International extensions TEN 155 network IPv6 testbeds 6NET, 6IX, etc IPv6 testbeds 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Grid-empowered infrastructures EGEE2, SEE-GRID2, etc Testbeds: DILIGENT, MUPPET, LOBSTER, EUROLABS, GRIDCC Testbeds Framework Programme 6 GÉANT network and International extensions IPv6 actions Grid-empowered Infrastructures EGEE, DEISA, SEE-GRID Grid testbeds DataGrid, CrossGrid, GridLab, GRIP, GRIA Consolidating Initiatives Grid Research Projects: GRIDCOORD, NEXTGRID, COREGRID, AKOGRIMO, SIMDAT, etc (other) testbeds FP5 FP6 FP7 Complementary to National infrastructures

9. eInfrastructure running projects Collaborations Grid middleware Computing/storage service Network – Connectivity Service

10. Biodiversity Chemistry Digital Libraries Geophysics Industry Earth Observation eHealth Climate modelling Astronomy APPLICATIONS Nanotechnology Physics Bioinformatics Time Example EGEE project Applications for the Researcher and Student

11. Support by Strategy/Policy Groups The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and the eInfrastructure Reflection Group (eIRG) will play a major role in this context. ESFRI/eIRG will develop a roadmap for RI for the next 10-20 years A clear vision of the needs for research infrastructures in the medium–long term should be defined as well as a corresponding roadmap.

12. FP7… • What is FP7? • The Framework Programme (FP) is the European Union's main instrument for funding research and development. • It has been proposed for FP7, however, to run for seven years. It will be fully operational as of 1 January 2007. • It is designed to build on the achievements of its predecessor towards the creation of the European Research Area, and carry it further towards the development of the knowledge economy and society in Europe. • What will be the overall budget for FP7? • In the Commission's proposals for the seventh framework programme to the European Parliament and Council of 6 April 2005, the Commission proposed that the maximum overall amount for Community financial participation in the EC seventh framework programme should be EUR 72 726 million. For nuclear research and training activities carried out under the Euratom treaty EUR 3092 million are forseen for 2007-2011.

13. Science and Society Research Capacity Ideas Research infrastructure Support for SME Convergence Regions People (MC) Collaborative ResearchProjects How will FP7 be structured? • The proposed Seventh Framework Programme will be organised in four programmes corresponding to four basic components of European research: • Cooperation: Support will be given to the whole range of research activities carried out in trans-national cooperation, from collaborative projects and networks to the coordination of national research programmes. International cooperation between the EU and third countries is an integral part of this action. • Ideas: This programme will enhance the dynamism, creativity and excellence of European research at the frontier of knowledge in all scientific and technological fields, including engineering, socio-economic sciences and the humanities. This action will be overseen by a European Research Council • People: Strengthening, quantitatively and qualitatively, the human potential in research and technology in Europe by putting into place a coherent set of Marie Curie actions. • Capacities: The objective of this action is to support research infrastructures, research for the benefit of SMEs and the research potential of European regions (Regions of Knowledge) as well as stimulate the realisation of the full research potential (Convergence Regions) of the enlarged Union and build an effective and democratic European Knowledge society.

14. Agenda • eInfrastructures & ERA • Pan-European running efforts • Actions for fast tracking • Expansion of eInfrastructures & ERA in SEE

15. PanEuropean coverage (33 countries/NRENs) • Access at 10 Gb/s • 3900 Universities and Research Instittes • 15 million users + eScience Projects (e.g. Grids) • 3 Layer architecture: • The Pan-European Interconnection: TEN34  TEN155  GÉANT (GN1 in FP5)  GÉANT2 (GN2 in FP6) • The NREN (MAN/WAN) • The Campus Network (LAN/MAN) • Emphasis on switched end-to-end provision of services across multiple interconnected networks • Gaining improved understanding of user needs • Migration from IP services to combination of routing and switching, network control, light paths

16. Evolution: From Geant to Geant2 • GÉANT2, a new generation HYBRID Network backbone: IP(v6) + switched end-to-end provision across interconnected networks over DARK FIBER among 15 countries & growing • The Next Generation Hybrid Network will enable advanced collaborative platforms via hybrid IPv6 & Manageable Layer 1-2 (Ethernet & Light-path switching over Dark Fiber) Services • R&E HPCN and Grid requirements motivated the design and deployment of GÉANT2 as a hybrid, dark-fiber network

17. NREN A NREN C NREN B OXC and/or L2 switch LHC - CERN DF DWDM 10G  NREN D 2.5G  GÉANT2 primary Nx10G backup primary backup

18. GÉANT2Global Connectivity

19. EGEE EGEE is the largest Grid infrastructure project in the World?: • 70 leading institutions in 27 countries, federated in regional Grids • Leveraging national and regional grid activities • ~32 M Euros EU funding for initially 2 years starting 1st April 2004 • EU review, February 2005 successful • Preparing 2nd phase of the project – proposal to 3rd EU Grid call September 2005

20. EGEE Activities • 48 % service activities (Grid Operations, Support and Management, Network Resource Provision) • 24 % middleware re-engineering (Quality Assurance, Security, Network Services Development) • 28 % networking (Management, Dissemination and Outreach, User Training and Education, Application Identification and Support, Policy and International Cooperation) EGEE emphasis is on production grid operations and end-user support

21. gLite • First major release of gLite announced on April 5 • Focus on providing users early access to prototype • Reusing existing components • Addressing current shortcomings • Interoperability & Co-existence with deployed infrastructure • (Cautious) service oriented approach • Follow WSRF standardisation • Site autonomy LCG-1 LCG-2 gLite-1 gLite-2 Globus 2 based Web services based

22. Pilot New Deployment of applications • Pilot applications • High Energy Physics • Biomed applications • Generic applications –Deployment under way • Computational Chemistry • Earth science research • EGEODE: first industrial application • Astrophysics • With interest from • Hydrology • Seismology • Grid search engines • Stock market simulators • Digital video etc. • Industry (provider, user, supplier)

23. Country providing resources • Country anticipating joining EGEE/LCG • In EGEE-0 (LCG-2): • >100 sites • >10,000 CPUs • >5 PB storage Computing Resources – Feb. 2005

24. To Japan To NorthAmerica To Korea To Brazil • More that 30 international partners - 2500 person months of work over 3 years - 33 MEuro total cost • Wide-scale native IPv6 testbed. Connectivity speed 155 Mb/s (STM-1) • GRNET actively participates in main activities: • Network operation and services, e.g. IPv6 native network (NTUA, AUTH, CTI, FORTH), DNS, Multicast, IPv6 migration mechanisms, etc. • Applications development and testing, Videoconference, DVTS, etc. • Management, e.g. Weathermap, DDoS (Panoptis), GriD tools, etc.

25. Agenda • eInfrastructures & ERA • Pan-European running efforts • Actions for fast tracking • Expansion of eInfrastructures & ERA in SEE

26. GRNET – Network infrastructure • 12-PoP high speed backbone network based on 2.5Gbps leased lambdas and Gigabit routers. • Interconnects academic and research institutions (more than 80 today) at up to 1Gbps and primary and secondary schools (more than 10.000) at Mbps. • A total of up to 1.500.000 potential end-users. • International 2x2.5Gbps (to be upgraded to 2x10Gbps – 3Q05)

27. GRNET – Grid infrastructure • 6 clusters/sites in deployment (770 CPUs, 34 TBs storage). • Involves all major research and academic institutes working on Grids-eScience all over Greece. • High Energy Physics, Bio-informatics, Meteorology, Astronomy, Computer scientists-Virtual Collaboration Environments • Providing services to the Pan-European GRID community through the EGEE Project and the SEE community through the SEE-GRID Project.

28. Dark fibre plans (2005) • Initiated the process of acquiring dark fibre spans in 4Q2004. • Tenders for DF issued in 1Q2005 (first public ones released in Greece) aiming at three fibre lines: • One terrestrial in northern Greece (Thessaloniki-Xanthi) • Two submarine lines in the Aegean Sea (Syros-Samos islands and Athens-Crete) • DF Tenders requirements: • 15-year IRUs. • Maintenance support at layer-1 (against fibre cuts and fibre performance degradation). • Fibre pairs supporting 10Gbps transmission. • Option of installing GRNET optical equipment (passive or active) in intermediate locations of the end-to-end fibre spans. • Monitoring system for automatic detection of fibre cuts or performance degradation with indication of each Failure Report Time • Availability of at least 99% • Optional protection of fibre spans. • Currently (July 2005) in contract preparation phase. • RFP followed by an RFI for transmission equipment under preparation

29. Received offers 932 km of dark fibre

30. Dark fibre plans (2006+) • The whole of the GRNET backbone is planned to be implemented using dark fibre pairs obtained via long-term IRUs. • Within 2006, tenders will be released requesting for dark fibre between all of the existing GRNET PoPs currently operating with leased lambdas. • Actions for obtaining dark fibre towards the northern part of Greece, in an attempt to establish cross border fibre links with neighbouring countries, are also planned. • Tender for long haul, multiple wavelengths optical transmission & switching equipment also planned for 2006

31. Greek School Network • The Greek School Network uses GRNET as backbone with 7 entry points. • 8500 schools connected • To give access to the young generation • The Distribution network consists of 51 nodes (one in each prefecture): • 9 main nodes, • 42 secondary nodes • and are equipped with 60 routers, 41 servers, a large number of telecommunication circuits and the appropriate software

32. Greek Broadband Task Force • Lack of fiber…task Force for the to influence the faster deployment/installation of fiber in the whole country • Formed by the Secretariat of the Information Society - Ministry of Economy and Finance- to coordinate all actions in broadband Access as a path to Regional Development and Information Society • Consists of representatives of all ministries, related general secretaries, information society, industry (SEPE) and GRNET GUNET. Three members (and the coordinator) of the scientific committee of BBTF are from GRNET staff and were instrumental in its initiatives. • Promotes specific actions with targets (among others): • interconnected broadband access regional networks • wireless hotspot and satellite access for remote areas http://www.broad-band.gr

33. Agenda • eInfrastructures & ERA • Pan-European running efforts • Actions for fast tracking • Expansion of eInfrastructures & ERA in SEE

34. A roadmap for establishing National Grid Initiatives SEEREN SEEREN

35. Conceptualization: working on areas of common interest • A couple of rakis in Ochrid… • Followed by a memoranda of understanding • INIMA (Albania) -2000 • RoEduNet/RNC (Rumania) -2000 • UNICOM-B (Bulgaria) -2000 • MARNET (FYROM) -2000 • GRNET (Greece) -2000 • AMREJ (FRY) -2001 • ULAKBIM (Turkey) -2001 • …and first interconnections… • Athens-Belgrade [2Mbps PCM] daily graph (5 Minute Average) • Athens-Sofia [5.2Mbps ATM] daily graph (5 Minute Average)

36. Vision • The vision… ‘ease the digital divide in SE Europe’. • Help promote scientific and educational cooperation between EU MS and SEE • Act as an enabler for dissemination and development of the next generation of Internet technologies in SEE states that are on course to joining the EU. • Contribute to the reconstruction and stabilisation of the region. Ease the digital divide in SE Europe Bring SEE in the R&E Networking Map

37. SEEREN: A “small” step for the SEENRENs, a big leap for the region… South-Eastern European Research and Education Network • Interconnects the Research and Education Networks of AL, BA, BG, MK, CS, HU, RO and GR among them and to GEANT. • Launched and entered its stable operation on Jan. 2004. • in 2005 connectivity is co-funded by GEANT2. • SEEREN2 to start at the end of 2006. • Constitutes today the South Eastern European segment of the multi-gigabit pan-European Research and Education network GÉANT • Distributes the Network Management & Operations to competent Academic Groups in the Region (the Virtual Network Operations Center – VNOC concept developed by GRNET). • SEEREN capitalized on the growing aspiration of the SEE countries to integrate to the rest of Europe and eventually be equal peers with advanced European nations. Still a major driving force. • SEEREN enacted a communication channel between the SEE scientific community. Refocused the R&E community in their common endeavors and wealthy cultural heritage that dates from several hundred years ago. more at www.seeren.org

38. Help in establishing the NRENs • EU-Balkan countriesAction Plan in Science and Technology • A Greek Presidency Initiative with Solid Roots • Ministerial Conference (26-27/6/2003) adopted the documents (Shared vision, Action Plan) • Shared Vision document, sets the Political context – Zagreb process and Thessaloniki Summit and defines four Main Goals: Improvement of Infrastructures, Improvement of Human Potential, Institution Building, Joint RTD activities. • The Action Plan: Specifies the objectives and thematic priorities, proposes for the implementation: instruments ( Multilateral, Regional, Bilateral ), implementing modalities, (Workprogramme, ad-hoc group).

39. (Re)integrate the SEER&E community • Turkey, Croatia, Albania, FYR of Macedonia already members • Bulgaria and Serbia-Montenegro joined in October • Bosnia-Herzegovina? • Turkey, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia already members • Serbia-Montenegro joined in October • Bulgaria?, Bosnia-Herzegovina?, Albania?

40. Upgrade of infrastructure • Networking Infrastructure Grant (NIG) with Bulgaria finished (200k €) • Networking Infrastructure Grant (NIG) with FYR of Macedonia (200κ €). Metropolitan Network in Skopje inaugurated in September 2004 • Advanced Networking Workshop (ANW) “Policy Issues for NRENs in South East Europe” (25κ €) in Varna, Bulgaria http://www.terena.nl/conferences/nato-anw2003

41. Access to Advanced Services Expertise & material from 6NET, Euro6IX, GEANT, NRENs, … IPv6 modules tuned for each Workshop Support for IPv6 deployment & future IST participation Workshop organisation & technical support Personal expertise & Cookbooks Dissemination Longer-term assistance Material preparation • Deployment of IPv6 • Formalize the continuation of the dissemination and promotion of the best practices from the 6NET project to the SEEREN network of countries and partners, that was started in March 2004, • Help the main SEEREN beneficiary countries to study potential deployment scenarios/solutions over the SEEREN infrastructure, experiment and get familiar with IPv6, • Support (technically) the continued connectivity of SEEREN countries via IPv6, that was started in March 2004, • Support the transfer of 6NET’s IPv6 application demonstrations to SEEREN. • Provide information about experiences of IPv6 deployment in less developed network user communities. • Organise a joint technical workshop based on the 6NET Cookbooks and the programme of workshops in SE Europe, held within the scope of the SEEREN project. • Produce joint reports on the results of the 6NET-SEEREN cooperation.

42. SEEGRID: the “eInfrastructure inclusion” into SEE South-Eastern European Grid-enabled eInftastructure • Established at least one fully operational and certified grid site in all participating SEE countries • each contractor setup at least one site • third parties setup additional sites • 5-50 nodes targeted in each site • EGEE SEE ROC caters for the operations • HEP and Biomed applications, developed by EGEE, deployed in the regional infrastructure. Two additional Grid applications developed by SEE-GRID partners deployed in the regional infrastructure: • Volumetric Image Visualization Environment (VIVE) for medical images and other static or time-dependent scalar and vector 3D fields • Search Engine for South-East Europe (SE4SEE) for Grid-aided web-crawling & data indexing • To achieve sustainability of the grid infrastructure assists in establishing a National Grid Initiative in each SEE country more at www.see-grid.org SEEREN SEEREN

43. SEE-GRID infrastructure

44. National Certification Authorities • Need of trust and security -> National Certification Authority • At European Level need to cooperate -> EUGridPMA • The SEE-GRID project will be a relying party in the EUGridPMA (along with EGEE, DEISA, and other major grid projects) • GRNET will establish a regional SEE-GRID “Catch-all” CA for the partners who do not yet have a PMA-accredited Grid CA • Project partners are assisted to develop their own Grid CA and apply for membership in PMA

45. SEEFIRE: looking for asustainable eInfrastructure South-Eastern European Fibre Infrastructure Studies • is producing studies on the options available for acquiring an optical fibre network infrastructure and strategies for the development of R&E networking in SEE. • is raising awareness among stakeholders of NRENs, governments, users and telecommunication operators, about providing interconnection facilities in SEE to reduce the digital divide. • Will provide: • a benchmark of existing and potentially available optical fibre for NRENs in the region; • an analysis of the technical options available for the deployment of dark fibre and the management of optical transmission by NRENs in the region; • reports on economic aspects and regulations; • dissemination of information and increased awareness about dark-fibre deployment both at technical and policy-making levels more at www.seefire.org

46. Submarine Fibre Cable/Systems Worlwide

47. Submarine Fibre Cable/Systems Europe

48. Submarine Fibre Cable/Systems Mediterranean

49. Submarine Fibre Cable/Systems Black Sea

50. SEA-ME-WE3 (South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe)smw3cbp.francetelecom.com Landed and connected countries : Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, France, U.K. Belgium, Germany 2700 Km at 2 x 10 Gbit/s Principal parties to the construction and maintenance agreement : KDD, DBP TELEKOM, SINGAPORE TELECOM, Telekom Malaysia,VSNL (India), France Telecom, Marconi (Portugal), BT (U.K.), MPT (Myanmar) etc. [Total of 88 telecommunications carriers from 64 countries]