Transcript Neki Frasheri - NATO NIG in Albania

NATO ANW: The Third CEENet
Workshop on Network Management
Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
REFLECTIONS
ON DEVELOPMENT OF
ALBANIAN ACADEMIC NETWORK
How a NATO NIG project could survive?
NEKI FRASHERI
INIMA - ANA
Albanian
Academic
Network
ALBANIA - WAS THERE
ANY ACADEMIC NETWORK ???
THE PAST ...
The beginning - seventies
• Computing introduced in 1971
– Center of Mathematical Calculus (academic center)
– Mathematical modeling, engineering, statistics etc.
– Other specialized centers of calculus
(seismics, topogaphy, miltary, accounting)
• There was no networking ...
– Old technology & no interconnection of computers
– Missing of redundancy to stimulate data exchange
– Missing of international collaboration
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 2
Development - eighties
• Project funded by UNDP executed by UNESCO
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Metropolitan network of star topology (1985)
Proprietary technology DSA (Bull France)
Managed by INIMA (Academy of Sciences)
40 Sites, academic institutions and ministries
Training of specialists in different levels
Chair of informatics at University of Tirana
• But ...
– Each site had one ASCII terminal with (?) printer
– The main service used was remote calculation
– Majority of specialists had difficulties to access the
network directly - had to collaborate with someone
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 3
Decline - nineties
• The creation of network was an important event
• But it happened in a bad time
– Emergence of personal computers that from
beginning, even in small numbers, did a strong
concurrence to a network considered as simply a
calculation engine
– For some years while it was in a monopolistic
position, this network survived. When this position
terminated the network was abandoned by its users
and shut down because of lack of financial means
• Everything had to restart from the beginning...
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 4
Lessons learned
• Network needs to offer useful services.
– There is big difference between “potentially useful”
and “really useful” services
– Concurrence between alternate solutions.
• In DCs the main service used is the Internet
– Today donors prefer to invest in content production
– Balance between content, connectivity and hardware
• Direct access to the network is important
– impact of a single workstation connected to a
broadband network would be negligible compared
with slow dial-up connection available for many
workstations.
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 5
ALBANIA - WAS THERE
ANY ACADEMIC NETWORK ???
THE PRESENT
• Renaissance - nineties
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Emerging isolated local networks
First experiments with TCP/IP etc.
Testing dial-up connection with EARN, 1992
First dial-up email connection with Internet, 1994
A NATO NIG proposal, partially implemented...
Public dial-up email service created by UNDP, 1996
Internet service created by Soros Foundation, 1997
This played the role of a small academic network
– Different attempts to create an academic network
– June 2002 - the first step for creation of ANA
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 6
The Millennium
• Termination of Soros Foundation Internet project
that supported a part of academic institutions
– Impossible to use the scarce outdated infrastructure
– The need to rebuilt the academic network from the
scratch,
• Creation of first organization structures for the
new Albanian Academic Network (ANA)
– Joint decision of Ministry of Education and Science
and of Academy of Sciences to create two boards
– a Managerial Board
– a Technical Board
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 7
Managerial Board of ANA
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Minister of Education and Science, co.-chairman
Chairman of Academy of Science, co.-chairman
Rector of University of Tirana (*)
Rector of Polytechnic University (*)
Director of Institute of Informatics and Applied
Mathematics
(6) Charged with ICT in the Ministry of Education and
Science (actually the general secretary of Ministry)
(7) Director of telecommunications at the respective
ministry
_______________________________________________
(*) Two rectors are appointed by the Conference of Rectors
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 8
Technical Board of ANA
(1)
Charged with ICT of Ministry of Education and Science,
actually Chairman of the Board (A.Minxhozi)
(2)
Director of Institute of Informatics and Applied Maths.
(3)
Representative1 from University of Tirana
(4)
Representative2 from University of Tirana
(5)
Representative3 from University of Tirana
(6)
Representative1 from Polytechnic University
(7)
Representative2 from Polytechnic University
(8)
Representative1 from Academy of Sciences,
actually secretary of the Board (N.Frasheri)
(9)
Representative2 from Academy of Sciences
(10) Representative from University of Elbasan.
(11-13) Three representatives of telecommunication sector
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 9
Perspectives for ANA
• Infrastructure
– metropolitan network in Tirana,
– interurban links to connect other five cities
– international connectivity,
including cross-border links with neighbor NRENs
• Possible funding are identified:
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Aids from Italian Government
National Programme for Research and Development
EU & NATO grants (ex. EU project SEEREN)
Other donors (to be found, ex. UNESCO initiative)
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 10
• Principles for a sustainable network
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Built private network infrastructure
Extend network access towards end users
Outsource only a part of maintenance and services
Get minimal guaranteed funding from government
• Necessary conditions for success
– Synergy within boards of ANA, in order to optimize
resources and strengthen the basis for collaboration
– Involvement of decision makers for their support
and push them to develop local networks & services
– Involvement through motivation of specialists from
the academic community, to contribute for developing
of network infrastructure, services and applications
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 11
Lessons learned
• “Gift” versus “Work” approach
– the former is good but dangerous approach
– the latter lead to working network but is difficult
– The best would be a mixed approach
• Coordinate actions with other organizations
– Otherwise need to change objectives of the project
• Be careful with what you will attract users
– implement useful services
– compete with active ISPs
– balance content with connectivity
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 12
Other lessons
• Take care of decision makers
– they may neglect networking
– they may tace care of themselves only
• Design a scaleable solution
– that may survive even with minimal funding
• Be careful with selection of your partners
– you need good-for-network-building partners.
• Involve local human resources through projects
– a way to pay people without asking simply higher
salaries, the latter is difficult to be achieved
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 13
ALBANIA - WAS THERE
ANY ACADEMIC NETWORK ???
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THE FUTURE
It is difficult to speak for the future
The question “would we be able to follow up the
development of ICT?” remains crucial
Academic networking may appear a pure luxury
compared with other needs of the country
But it is a significant indicator for
– the degree of overall development
– and emancipation of the country
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 14
THANK YOU
Neki Frasheri
INIMA - ANA
NATO ANW: The Third CEENet Workshop on Network
Management - Zagreb 22-24 September 2002
Reflection on Development
of Albanian Academic Network 15