Report back from Parallel Group 1

Shirley Wood

UKERNA and TERENA Executive

General Comments

• Need clear definition of terms within the document and consistency of use throughout reports, i.e. define Grid and middleware

• View was that the report was about research networking only - not the wider remit of education and research

• Should solve problems for the wider education and research community not just for part of the community, i.e. AAA

• NRENS should be asked to define current services provided and planned services - may help to define interfaces

General Comments

• NRENS should be asked to define current services provided and planned services - may help to define interfaces between NRENs, regional networks and campuses

• NRENs should be involved in network wide policy decisions that should be implemented at end sites.

Move from electrical transmission to optical transmission

• The group agreed with this recommendation and encouraged NREN experimentation in running services over dark fibre.

• There is a requirement to build up technical expertise in this area.

What if anything should be done about Europe’s Digital Divide

• The divide was not just caused by monopolies

• Encourage political support

• If a country has the political support it can overcome the digital divide.

• Should not solve the digital divide at the expense of Europe falling behind the rest of the world

• EU to support a minimum standard of network provision within each country

Does research and education networking have any political role to

play in Europe’s relation with the developing world

• Should ensure that politicians understand the importance and value of education and research networking and what it contributes to the economy

• New networks should use the latest technology

• Collaboration and exchange of ideas and what went wrong

Should NRENs become more inclusive of other communities

• Agree to encourage wider community provided that there is a good business case

• Inclusion of wider community should not reduce the network and services to the lowest denominator

• Must be able to support diverse requirements.

Question 5

• Felt this question was being asked 10 years ago and we have not progressed

• Should ensure that AAA services are common to all

• Need an identifiable problem to solve otherwise we will not progress

What will be the future of NRENS

• American experiment in early 90s showed that NRENs needed - cannot leave to the commercial market

• NRENs can communicate and support own user communities

• NRENs deal with political and different requirements in their own countries.

• NRENs are the intelligent customer

• Should look at economies of scale when purchasing bandwidth across Europe

• No to a European NREN

Questions?