LEARN: Lonestar Education And Research Network

1. LEARN: Lonestar Education AndResearch Network Dan Updegrove VP for Information Technology The University of Texas at Austin July 8, 2004

2. Academic Networking: Dimensions • Commodity Internet: Bandwidth, cost, backup • Internet2: Bandwidth, cost, backup • TeraGrid: Access for UT Austin, grid partners • NLR: Opportunity for Texas to participate in generalized, “3rd gen” research network • SURA’s “USA Waves” initiative with AT&T • The need for a statewide R&E backbone net • The LEARN organization: statewide collab! • Will State government provide support? LEARN

3. Commodity Internet • All universities connected, of course • Aggregation among campuses, ISDs, et al. has proven cost effective • Many of us increasingly concerned about • Cost for increased bandwidth • Backup connections • Service level agreements • Security • Metro/regional peering LEARN

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5. Internet2/Abilene • Abilene’s regional POP is in Houston • 16 Primary Texas members: • Baylor, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice, TAMU, SFASU, SMU, SWRI, TCU, TTU, UH, UTA, UT Austin, UTD, UTEP, UTSW, UNT • Currently five costly links; : • Austin, Dallas (2), Houston, Lubbock • SEGP being implemented via: • Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock • UTMDA, UTMB, UTHSC-H, UTHSC-SA, UTSA … LEARN

6. TeraGrid / ETF LEARN

7. TeraGrid/ETF • NSF-funded, “multi-year effort to build & deploy world's largest, most comprehensive, distributed infrastructure for open scientific research” • 2001, Original sites ~ 3 x 10 Gbps • San Diego Supercomputer Center @ UCSD • Ctr for Advanced Computing Research @ CalTech • Argonne National Lab (ANL), Illinois • Nat’l Ctr for Supercomputing Applications @ UIUC • Backbone, LA –Chicago: 4 x 10 Gbps lambdas • 2002, Pgh Supercomp Ctr (PSC) ~ 3 x 10 Gbps LEARN

8. TeraGrid/ETF & Texas • 2003, 3 sites newly funded ~ 1 x 10 Gbps lambda • Texas Advanced Computing Ctr @ UT Austin • Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), Tennessee • Indiana U/Purdue U • UT to connect in Chicago, ORNL to connect at new node in Atlanta ~ 1 x 10 Gbps lambdas • UT’s connection to TeraGrid/ETF backbone can benefit other universities, especially HiPCAT (High Performance Computing Across Texas) members • Requires high-performance state backbone network LEARN

9. TACC’s ETF Connection • NLR providing 10 Gbps wave: Dallas-Chicago Starlight via Wiltel IRU • NLR providing interim 10 Gbps wave: Austin – Dallas, Aug ’04 – Jan ’05 • UT acquiring dark fiber: Austin – Dallas, will light and operate by Feb ’05 • This approach provides more support for state network vision than simple 5-year lease LEARN

10. NLR – National LambdaRail Seattle Clev Chicago New York Pitts Denver Sunnyvale KC Wash DC Raleigh Tulsa LA Albuq. Phoenix San Diego Atlanta Dallas Jacksonville El Paso - Las Cruces Pensacola Baton Rouge Houston San Ant. LEARN

11. National LambdaRail (NLR) • National effort, led by research universities, to provide an enabling infrastructure for new forms and methods of science & engineering • High-performance computational science, engineering, & medical research • High-performance networking research • Leverages historically low prices for dark fiber & competition among equipment providers • Bridge between Internet2 & TeraGrid LEARN

12. National Lambda Rail • $80M est cost for acquisition, 5-yr O & M • Committed $5M partners: CENIC (San Diego, LA, Sunnyvale), PNWGP (Seattle), NCAR/FRGP (Denver) CIC/Big10 (Chicago), PSC/CMU (Pittsbg) VaTech (Washington), Cornell (NYC) Duke (Raleigh), Ga Tech (Atlanta), FL (Jax), LA (Baton Rouge), LEARN (Houston), OK (Tulsa), NM (Albuq.) • Internet2 has committed $10M for one wave to explore Hybrid Optical IP Networking (HOPI), possible successor to Qwest backbone LEARN

13. NLR (Cont’d) • Phase one being built on Level3 footprint using Cisco 15808 equipment • Phase 2: Jax-San Diego + N-S link(s) to be built using Cisco 15454 optronics: newer, lower cost, more flexibility in lambda configs • Texas will have primary POP in Houston (layers 1, 2, 3) plus layer-1 POPs in Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso LEARN

14. SURA Networking Initiative LEARN

15. SURA & “USAWaves” • Identified net infra as key regional issue • Explored dark fiber options: Velocita had best regional footprint; assets acquired by ATT • AT&T partnership, 12/03, includes: • 6,000 miles dark fiber donated (+ equipment) • 2,000 miles donated for net research / zero O&M • Point-to-point lambdas “at cost” (tb negotiated) • SURA & ATT seeking “early wins” LEARN

16. SURA & Texas • Members:Baylor, Rice, UH, TAMU, UT Austin • SURA has committed ATT fiber between Jax and Houston to NLR for backbone • More AT&T fiber available in Texas (map) • SURA’s research initiatives: JLab, coastal research, HPC, grids, biomedical collaboration LEARN

17. SURA AT&T “NexGen” Network Seattle Spokane Bridgeport ,CT Missoula Helena Portland New York City Eugene Billings Boston Minneapolis St. Paul Philadelphia Boise Des Moines Chicago Cheyenne Pittsburgh Cleveland Omaha Reno Washington DC Salt Lake City San Francisco And San Jose Sacramento Denver St. Louis Kansas City Raleigh Tulsa Oklahoma City Little Rock LA Atlanta Phoenix San Diego El Paso LA – El Paso: NOT COMPLETE. Jacksonville Ft. Worth Dallas New Orleans Orlando San Antonio Houston El Paso – Ft Worth: NOT COMPLETE. LEARN

18. The LEARN Organization • Non-profit institutional membership org (n=31): • Baylor, BCM, Lamar, NETnet, PVAMU, Rice, SHSU, SMU, SFASU, TACC, TAMU, TAMU Sys, TAMU-CC, TAMUSHSC, TCU, TSU-San Marcos, TTU, TTU Sys, UH Sys, UNT Sys, UTA, UT Austin, UTD, UTEP, UTHSC-H, UTHSC-SA, UTMDA, UTMB, UTSA, UTSW, UT System • Each member has committed $20K x 2 years • Focus is building & operating R&E backbone • LEARN is also Texas’ NLR member • Could provide leadership/svc on I1 & I2 • Other roles (esp in absence of TIF)? LEARN

19. LEARN (Cont’d) • Full-time Exec Dir being recruited • HQ location to be in Austin • Board meets every 6 weeks + conf calls • Tech Advisory Group meets in parallel • Officers • Chair: Dan Updegrove, UT Austin • Vice chair: Jenifer Jarriel, BCM • Treasurer: Richard Moore, UTMB • Secretary: Maurice Leatherbury, UNT LEARN

20. Investigations of Fiber Options in Texas Possible Fiber Services in Texas LEARN

21. Texas Enterprise Fund • $7.5 M authorized by Legislature last year for advanced R&E backbone network • $2.5M authorized, in parallel, for grid effort • Gov & Speaker have signed off; not Lt Gov • Lt Gov said to be skeptical of economic development benefit of an R&E network • How could we convince him? LEARN

22. Grid Computing & HiPCAT • $2.5M has been requested from the State for multi-university grid computing collaboration • HiPCAT founding members: Rice, TAMU, TTU, UH, UT Austin; other universities joining • Budget for salaries, software; assumes state-of-the-art network connecting universities to each other and to ETF • Other Texas universities could benefit as well as Grid software, expertise are generalized LEARN

23. Open Issues / Challenges • Will state commit the $10M? When? • NLR topology can affect LEARN topology • TeraGrid link must be operational by Oct 1 • NSF role in funding beyond TeraGrid? • LEARN Org needs staff, ongoing support • Indiv campuses need to understand total costs: I1, I2, local loop(s), LEARN, NLR • Advanced networking is a moving target! LEARN

24. Questions? • Contact: Dan Updegrove • d.updegrove@its.utexas.edu • 512 232-9610 • LEARN Info: www.tx-learn.org LEARN

25. Reference: Networking “Alpha-Soup” LEARN