Networking Infrastructure development

NATO project

Research Infrastructure Support Sub-Programme
NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT
NATO Scientific Affairs Division, bd. Leopold III B-1110 Brussels, Belgium Fax: (32-2) 7074232

1. Project Title:

RENAM Network – second stage

Keywords: telecommunications, computer networks, information system, international collaboration, hardware, software, server, databases.

2.Project Participants

• Project Co-Director (from NATO country) Signature:

Surname/Initials/Title:	Erich Peplow, Doctor
Institute Name:	Fachhochschule Stralsund Hochschulrechenzentrum
Address:	Stralsund, Germany
Telephone:	+ 49 3831-456571
Fax:	+ 49 3831-456729
E-mail:	erich.peplow@fh-stralsund.de

• Project Co-Director (from CP country) Signature:

Surname/Initials/Title:	Secrieru Gregory, Doctor
Institute Name:	RENAM Public Association, Executive Director
Address:	168 Bul. Stefan-cel-Mare, Kishinev, Moldova
Telephone:	+37322 24-80-97, 73-87-63
Fax:	+37322 72-70-26, 49-70-22
E-mail:	secrieru@renam.md

• Principal Investigators (curriculum vitae to be attached for each one)
  List group leaders of all collaborating teams: Surname/Initials/Title Institute and address

1. Andries Andrei, Prof., Academician Academy of Sciences of Moldova
2. Bostan Ion, Prof., Academician Technical University of Moldova
3. Filip Nicolae, Prof., Academician State University, Beltsi
4. Hriscev Eugen, Prof. Academy of Economical Studies
5. Siscanu Ion, Prof. State University, Cahul
6. Tiginyanu Ion, Prof. Technical University of Moldova
7. Bogatencov Peter, PhD Academy of Sciences of Moldova
8. Caisin Simion, PhD State University of Moldova

3. Objectives

4. Networking infrastructure project

1. Existing infrastructure

   Due to previous NATO projects realization the basic communication infrastructure has been implemented in Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) and communication link to Beltsi (the second city in Moldova from economical and scientific potential points of view) was established (see Annex 1). Five nodal access points of RENAM network were created in Chisinau (Academy of Sciences campus Telecentru, Technical University Campus Rascani, Technical University Campus Center, Technical University Campus Botanica, Academy of Sciences Administration block) and one the network node was realized in Beltsi State University, which unites also four technical colleges and forms Belts city RENAM network campus.

   Basic RENAM networking segment communication highways at the first stage of the project realization utilizing Moldtelecom E1 channels and leased lines based on HDSL technology connections. All the Colleges of Polytechnic Community and other Universities integrating in RENAM infrastructure via E1 capacity channels, V.34bis leased lines or by dial-up access servers’ facility. The network nodal points have all mentioned facilities for providing access to RENAM network recourses.

   Internet connectivity and all other external communications links are organized through RENAM central information exchange point realized on the base of Campus Telecentru nodal point (see Annexes 1 and 5). Two Internet connections are available now for RENAM network users. One is satellite channel of 128 kbps capacity built with financial support of NATO project CN NIG 972759. The second Internet access channel was created within Moldnet project, sponsored by Soros Foundation. Radio link with 128 kbps bandwidth is used now for this purpose.

   Created and permanently developing RENAM network infrastructure can be considered now as a kernel of a national scale scientific – educational networking segment, which will cover all the territory of the Republic and will uniting most of corporate networks, that are implementing now in Universities and scientific centers of Moldova.

   An independent Public Association has been founded in Moldova in August 1999 during the first stage of the network infrastructure creation. This Association is responsible for all networking projects management in scientific – educational sphere, network infrastructure development and providing technical support for national Academic network users. The aim of its creation is to unite the technical basis and know-how experience, to elaborate technical decisions for implementation and maintaining communication highways, access points, nodes and multi-user servers. The Association, as it is underlined in its Statute, is open for every scientific and educational body in Moldova, which is interesting in its networking resources.

   The leading organ of the Association accordingly to its Statute is a Council of the Association, whish comprises well known scientists of Moldova, scientific administrators and networking specialists (see Annex 6). The Council produce strategy decisions on RENAM network development directions, considering and adopting technical suggestions. Within the Association an executive department – Network Operating Center (NOC) was founded, whose functions are deal with RENAM network associated projects elaboration and realization, network infrastructure maintains, technical assistance and users support.

1. Nature of communication

   Networking infrastructure will provide new capabilities for scientific and educational community, which includes more than 20 institutions of ASM, 6 State Universities, about 25 private higher educational institutions, more than 30 colleges. RENAM Intranet structure will allow to solve the following tasks:

   1. creation and distribution electronic distance learning and training courses for Universities and colleges students, postgraduate students, pupils;
   2. creation bibliography information exchange, electronic publication availability for all members of scientific-educational community of Moldova;
   3. distributed information systems implementation for scientific and educational institutions management;
   4. distributed applied scientific databases creation and exploitation;
   5. join projects realization, information project support, establishing necessary contacts with industry and governmental organizations.
      

      Internet connectivity will provide:

   6. collaboration in joint scientific and technological projects realization. More then 150 join research projects are developing by the Moldavian scientists together with the colleagues from more than 20 foreign countries;
   7. bibliographical information exchange, which includes electronic form of the Moldavian scientific journals availability for Internet users;
   8. full access to wold wide Internet services for scientific-educational community of Moldova, including operative access to scientific publication, applied databases, new technological and scientific information.

   The data transfer rate within Intranet is planed to be from 128 kbps (interurban communication lines) to 155Mbps (fiber optic ring highways), and 10/100 Mbps (campus LAN segments). External Internet link capacity have to be increased up to 256-:-512 kbps for the second stage of RENAM network development project realization.

1. Project description

   Proposed project focusing on the following aspects of future RENAM network infrastructure development:

   1. Transferring principal arterial RENAM network connections on new technological base. That’s mean utilizing of fiber optic communication media within Chisinau City RENAM backbone and creation ATM technology OC3 links for the most intensive traffic exchange highways realization. This direction of network development assumes the creation of an independent fiber optic communication ring (dark fiber), which will be used for data exchange by all scientific and educational community representatives, and will provide optimal cost/throughput and very reliable solution.The realization of this part of the project will help to restrict month rent payments for Moldtelecom channels. The fiber optic ring topology is shown in Annex 3 and proposed technical decisions for its operation are described in Annex 4. This stage of RENAM Chisinau City backbone development will provide the creation of the following nodal points:
      1. Academy of Sciences campus Telecentru;
      2. Technical University campus Rascani;
      3. Technical University block No 2;
      4. Academy of Sciences Administration block;
      5. Moldtelecom main building and Interurban Telephone Station (Modovian ISP CIX).

      At the next stage of RENAM network development new nodes plan to be created and included into fiber optic ring – State University of Moldova, Academy of Economical Studies, Technical University block No 1 and Technical University campus Botanica (see Annex 3).
      Fiber optic connection to Moldtelecom Central telephone station will allow to obtain an effective access to external links for interurban communications with distributed RENAM network participants. This link will also provide access to the Moldavian Internet Service Providers Information exchange point, which is constructing on the base of Moldtelecom core router Cisco 7206.

   2. Widening RENAM network for covering new regions of the country. The project suggests creation new nodal point on the south of Moldova – at Cahul University (see Annex 2). This region of Moldova is developing now very intensive and Cahul University is the focal point of its scientific and educational activity. This stage of the project realization has to provide improved connectivity to Betsi State University Campus. This channel is planned to be upgrade up to 128 kbps.
   3. Support and improvement of existing Internet connections. Available resources of now operating Internet access channels are already overloaded. Within the project we propose to continue support utilization of the created due to previous NATO project realization satellite channel to Hamburg (DESY). At the same time there is a plan to improve connection capacity via existing satellite channel belonging DNT Association, which was installed by support of Soros foundation. In future RENAM Association as a strategy aim plans to establish contacts with TERENA (Trans European Research and Educational Networking Association) and to use fiber optic connection to appropriate TEN155 Pan-European network access point. For this purpose contacts with science and educational networking authorities in Romania will be very useful.
   4. Establishing connections with leading scientific and educational institutions. Proposed solutions presumes that the largest State Universities and Scientific Centers, some private educational organizations will have connections to basic RENAM network infrastructure. The prospects of the number of the network participants grows can be observed in Annex 2. Some new connections will be provided with the help of already existing technical base, which is obtained during previous projects realizations. All available equipment, witch will be liberated in the process of fiber optic communications ring constriction will be used for new Universities campuses, Scientific Centers and colleges inclusion into RENAM network.

   The project budget includes some very important positions concerning provision reliable power supply conditions. This is an important problem for correct network nodes operation, which unite basic educational and scientific structures of Moldova.

   A proper realization of Internet Service Provider functions for scientific – educational community of Moldova can be possible only if RENAM Association will become a Local Internet Register (LIR) for all institutions, which obtaining Internet services through created networking infrastructure. LIR status will allow the Association to have its own Internet recourses, regulate the process of their distribution, to establish partnerships relations with RIPE end other Internet control authorities. Expenditures for registration RENAM as LIR for scientific and educational community of Moldova in RIPE are included in the project budget.