Progress in The Silk Project

1. Progress in The Silk Project Peter Kirstein Chair, Silk Board Silk Paper for Inauguration

2. NATO Science Com. Netw. Panel NIGs • Improve National Research Net Infrastructure • Not that of isolated groups or institutes • Encourage national collaboration • Preferably to set up National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) • Encourage international collaboration • Ever more important at the current time Silk Paper for Inauguration

3. Status at End 2001 • Grant often included Bandwidth from NATO sources 64 – 512 Kbps • Wanted to go up by an order of magnitude • Cost unaffordable in pre-Silk model ($100k per year for 1 Mbps) • National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) existed in most of the countries Silk Paper for Inauguration

4. Silk Project • Decided to address whole Region of Southern Caucasus and Central Asia • Wanted to build on the existing NRENs • Put in regional network connecting NRENs • Connected also to European NRENs (GEANT) • Start with own resources • Allow to be extensible by others Silk Paper for Inauguration

5. The Silk Countries Silk Paper for Inauguration

6. Fiscal Constraints • Assumed that not more than $2.5M was available from NATO 01-04 Panel Budget • Feasibility study demonstrated that • Only satellite technology was feasible • The budget would allow a minimum of 500 Mbps*months to 8 countries – from Eurasiat • Other financial or in kind contributions additional to this budget Silk Paper for Inauguration

7. Schematic of the Silk System Silk Paper for Inauguration

8. Additional Resources to Date • Cisco -~ Equipment & maintenance donation - $500K • Also training and courses • DESY ~ VSAT Hub housing, Network Operations and GEANT access - $400K • Management in cooperation with Moscow State U • EC SPONGE project for Project Management – dis-semination, measurements & mm conf. - $230K • Internet Society – workshops - $50K • National Start-up Resource Centre – books, wireless LAN equipment, workshop Silk Paper for Inauguration

9. Who gets connected? • Funded by NATO/Cisco • NRENs • Co-funded by NGOs and others • More bandwidth for NRENs • Libraries, schools, etc. • Staged upgrades • Minimum, equal facilities from NATO for one NREN in each country Silk Paper for Inauguration

10. Equipment at Each Site • Kalitel-supplied, NATO financed, central hub and VSATs • 5.6 m dish for hub • 2.4 or 3.8 m dishes for VSATs – depending on geography • Cisco-supplied and financed LAN of • Router and a Switch with 24 interfaces • A large Content Engine as a Web Cache • 2 IP telephones Silk Paper for Inauguration

11. Equipment Status at June 11, 2003 • Stations largely operational in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan • Three have transmit problems, being repaired • Remaining Equipment installation imminent • Shipped Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan next week • National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) exist in most of the countries Silk Paper for Inauguration

12. Schematic of Equipment at each site Silk Paper for Inauguration

13. Bandwidth Plan from NATO Source Silk Paper for Inauguration

14. Pre-conditions for Eq Delivery • NREN Existing • Acceptable Use Policy Agreed • Licence for earth stations approved • Suitable site • Suitable Personnel • Still some problems on government and other policy – but becoming resolved Silk Paper for Inauguration

15. Silk Board and Exco • Silk Board (SB) formal constitution • Managers (Technical, Service, Project, NOC, External) • One from each Silk NREN/Country • Programme Director and Panel Chair • Funders • Silk Exco membership agreed in SB, ratified by Panel • Managers, Cisco, Programme Director, 1 representative each region (Caucasus & Central Asia), regional consultants Silk Paper for Inauguration

16. Rules for Bandwidth Provision • Funded by NATO/Cisco • Minimum equal facilities for each NREN • Co-funded by NGOs and others • More bandwidth for NRENs • More earth stations • Libraries, schools, etc. • Advanced Facilities • Staged upgrades Silk Paper for Inauguration

17. External Discussions • World Bank • Central Asian Multimedia Conferencing • Soros Foundation • Aga Khan Foundation • Supporting University of Central Asia • EC - INTAS Silk Paper for Inauguration

18. Schools Programme Agreed • IREX in Uzbekistan • IFES - Tajikistan • NATO Grant – Georgia • Several others discussed Silk Paper for Inauguration

19. Extending the System • Have started talking to Kalitel and Eurasiasat on further extensions • Current plans with World Bank would have 24 Mbps Common Receive, 10 Mbps Transmit, Central Asian stations 1.4 Mbps Transmit each • Could rise to 42 Mbps total, 3 Mbps transmit per Earth Station • Have discussed further possible upgrade Silk Paper for Inauguration

20. The EC-Funded SPONGE Project • 10/02- 3/05, $250K • Partners ARENA, GRENA, Groningen U, UCL • Objectives: Management, Dissemination, Personal communications • Have got measurements for Q1 – 2003 • Traffic and some caching • Substantial MM Conferencing tests Silk Paper for Inauguration

21. Silk Paper for Inauguration

22. Silk Paper for Inauguration

23. Conferencing Activity • Regular Audio Conferencing VoIP • Use for ExCo meetings • Dial out from UCL Server into Cisco global system • Considerable work on MM conferencing • World Bank will provide equipment in Central Asia • DESY, UCL and RUG have the equipment • Plan to provide equipment for SPONGE partners • Proof is Yesterday’s inaugural conference between Georgian President and NATO Secretary General Silk Paper for Inauguration

24. Service Issues – from SPONGE • Fault reporting • NOC provides 24/7 cover and fault escalation • Will provide training in Russian • Will provide for Cisco system support • Provide Web Services for Silk Partners • Provide help on VoIP and Conferencing • Run carefully controlled voice server • Provide regular news letter Silk Paper for Inauguration

25. Training • Increasing support in Russian Language • Advanced NATO workshops • OSI support for NRENs and workshops • ISOC, Cisco Academy, World Bank etc • On-site training • Distance education • Can provide specialised courses • User and Technical Working Groups Silk Paper for Inauguration

26. Summary • Silk System 6 sites now, 8 operational by 7/03 • Current Funding NATO, Cisco, EC, ISOC • Discussions with other funders looking very promising • From NATO funds getting to 800Kbps transmit/site • 20 Mbps shared receive at all sites • If World Bank OK, Central Asia sites 1.5 Mbps transmit • Caching will increase effective bandwidth • Providing some person-person communications Silk Paper for Inauguration

27. Summary Continued • If other bodies’ support comes through, will need to upgrade total system • At least a further factor of three is achievable • Technical activities starting on measurements, caching, conferencing etc • Training activities advancing • Technical and User Groups starting • Sustainability beyond 6/05 a serious issue Silk Paper for Inauguration

28. The Message • Have talked about technical achievements • The real achievement is the Regional Collaboration of the Participants • Here the progress since meeting in Armenia in June 2001 quite amazing • The collaborative spirit is wonderful Silk Paper for Inauguration