South African National Research Network SANReN

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South African National Research Network (SANReN)
International workshop on African Research and
Education Networking25-27 September 2005, CERN,
GENEVA

• Imraan Saloojee
• DST, South Africa
• imraan.saloojee_at_dst.gov.za

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Presentation Outline

• The Square Kilometer Array RadioTelescope (SKA)
• The need for a high speed research network
• Current situation
• Envisaged future
• Challenges

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The SKA

• Largest and most sensitive radio telescope ever
  built
• Global initiative from the start
• Estimated budget 1.5bn
• Based on new technology to reduce cost and
  increase sensitivity, field of view,
  multi-beaming, frequency range and flexibility
• 1 million square metres of effective collecting
  area.
• 100 times more sensitive than todays best
  instruments.
• A distributed array of antennas.
• A software telescope
• Economic opportunities

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• Future of Radio Astronomy and success of SKA bid
  depends on availability of low cost bandwidth for
  optical fibre for data transmission
• Huge infrastructure in region
• Bandwidth makes it possible to locate large scale
  science infrastructure in developing world

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The need for Research Networks in S.A.

• Enabler for international collaboration
• Science no longer succeeds in silos
• Sources of research input globally distributed
  HUGE
• Able to tackle more challenging problems
• Research facilities expensive, avoids duplication
• Allows researchers to spend more time researching

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GEOSS
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• HartRAO only Radio Astronomy observatory in
  Africa
• Key role in international VBLI

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Current Research Network in South African

• TENET is the bandwidth consortium that arranges
  general Internet access for some of these (via
  TELKOM)
• The TENET family
• GEN2 agreement with Telkom (approximately half of
  commercial rates)
• All universities and Universities of Technology
• Plus U of Lesotho and U of Swaziland
• HMO, HSRC, MRC, iThemba labs, NLCSA, NRF, HartRAO
  CHE, SAASTA,,
• More than 600 000 users
• CSIR, ARC and some other government research labs
  not part of TENET family.
• Small connection to GEANT through TENET
• Bandwidth Limited and even at half commercial
  rates expensive

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The Géant Connection (1)

• Established in Oct 2004
• GRE tunnel through TELKOM SAs IP network
  between
• Géants London PoP and
• TENETs International Gateway in Cape Town
• Provisional in that
• it shares long-haul bandwidth with general
  Internet traffic
• It will ultimately be superseded by dedicated
  link
• Traffic flow is small, but growing fast
• Great feel good impact on research community

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Future Research network in SA

• SANReN The SA Government is creating an NREN
• Department of Science and Technology (DST)
• Driven by needs of big e-science projects
• SALT, VLBI, SKA, HESS, ALICE Project, NBN, GBIF,
  GEOSS, SAEON,HPCC, NLCSA
• Strengthen links to Géant
• Will not provide general Internet access
• All TENET institutions will connect, either
  directly or via a SANReN/TENET gateway
• First phase in place by early 2006
• Dedicated connection to Géant (1 Gb/s going to
  10Gb/s)
• TENET is project Manager for DST

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Benefits of SANReN for South Africa (1)

• Leverages global resources and programmes for SA
  Scientists
• High speed connectivity to over 3000 research
  institutions worldwide
• Enables access to huge amounts of information
  from primary research facilities around the world
  e.g High Energy Physics, e-VLBI, Human Genome,
  EO data
• Continued Participation of SA researchers in
  cutting edge science and innovation

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Benefits of SANReN for South Africa (2)

• Makes the establishment of large scale science
  infrastructure like the SKA in South Africa more
  attractive
• Enables better and wider use of expensive
  infrastructure
• Provides a platform for innovation
• Enhances SA reputation as a science destination

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Probable SANReN design

• SANReN PoPs
• Johannesburg
• Durban
• Port Elizabeth
• Bloemfontein
• Cape Town
• Limpopo Province
• Architecture
• 10 Gb/s backbone
• Up to 10 Gb/s connections to sites
• International Connection through SAT3 or EASSy
• Support IPv4 and 6

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• Sites
• 10 sites including TENET gateway will connect in
  phase 1
• Further 10 in phase 2
• Additional sites thereafter
• Deployment model will depend on final outcome of
  negotiations
• Leasing, IRU, ownership

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Challenges

• Challenge 1 Long-haul connectivity
• Challenge 2 Terrestrial infrastructure
• Challenge 3 Market structure in SA
• Establishment of differential regime for research
  and academic networks to be provided for
• Licensing of private research and academic
  networks
• Pricing for bandwidth which is available for
  research and academic purposes on existing
  networks
• Interconnection

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The University of Witwatersrand

• 11.3 Mb/s Internet access

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Summary

• ESTABLISHES LONG TERM CAPABILITY TO TRANSACT AT
  THE HIGHER END OF GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE AND
  INFORMATION FLOWS
• Strong Government support and drive for RD
• SANREN will establish 10Gb network with
  connecting all research institutions into GEANT
• Will carry research traffic
• Negotiations at advanced stage
• Government commitment to use legislative and
  regulatory options to reduce cost of research
  bandwidth