Introduction and Overview

Although technologies and applications for advanced research and education networks are well developed overseas, there is limited knowledge about these technologies and applications, and experience in their uses, in New Zealand.

As a consequence the Advanced Network Initiative will include an on-going funding and support programme for Capability Development in uses and applications of advanced networking.

Between now and the first stage of the Advanced Network rollout in late 2005, NGI-NZ has been contracted by MoRST to develop and deliver an Interim Capability Build programme of activities targeting all potential members of the Advanced Network. This programme is designed to:

• Develop wider understanding of the nature and potential of advanced networks, and
  
• Inform and train key people from potential user organisations about ways to access and use the network.

One of the programmes is a series of technical and up-skilling workshops for BGP, IPv6 and Multicast protocols, and Access Grid technologies. It is essential that members have a working knowledge of these technologies in order to connect to the advanced network.

The workshops are scheduled for May and June and will be held in Wellington. They will be two days in duration, and each workshop will be run twice, as outlined in the schedule below. Funding support will be provided for participants to attend; (see Travel and Accommodation).

Please note that the Access Grid Workshop is a prerequisite for any institution wishing to participate in an Access Grid (AG) demonstration and trial. The AG Demonstrations are a related activity being offered as part of the Interim Capability Build programme later in May and June. They aim to be a continuation of the successful AG demonstrations held last October involving NGI-NZ, Victoria University, the University of Auckland, Hitlab and Citylink. (More detailed information on the AG Demonstrations will be available soon.)

Workshop Schedule/Dates

(Maximum 12 participants per workshop)

Course Outlines

Note: For the BGP, and IPv6/Multicast workshops, it is strongly suggested that participants have previous experience with router configuration, and basic routing protocols. Participants are asked to bring a laptop and a wireless access card (802.11b/g) if you have one.

1. BGP Workshop Outline - Presenter: Andy Linton, CityLink

Andy has 20 years working with Internet technology. Before joining CityLink Andy was a consultant for APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre), working in the routing area. He has also worked with Victoria University, NetLink, Xtra and TelstraClear. In his own words, "I believe the most important thing we can do is ensure that we keep training new people, and encouraging the attitudes that create innovation and progress."

The course comprises theory and practical hands-on activity with a range of devices. Participants will set up a BGP configuration on a router (Cisco, Juniper, or Zebra/Quagga) and configure transit and peering over an Internet Exchange with other course participants.

Theory

• Routing in general (routers, subnets, routing protocols)
  
• What does BGP do and how does it work
  
• IP addresses (address blocks, CIDR)
  
• PI/PA addresses and AS numbers
  
• BGP route selection mechanisms
  
• Influencing BGP (route maps/policies)
  
• Peer groups
  
• Tools (whois, looking glass)
  
• Recent issues (MD5)
  
• Question round.

Practical

• Activate BGP
  
• Filtering and advertising outgoing routes
  
• Accepting and filtering incoming routes
  
• Connecting to a transit provider
  
• Setting up peering
  
• Manipulating outgoing traffic (localpref)
  
• Manipulating incoming traffic (AS path prepend)
  
• Peer groups
  
• Filtering for security
  
• Recent issues

Participants are requested to bring details of their own netblock allocations in order to build as realistic as possible model.

2. IPv6 & Multicast Workshop Outline - Presenter: TBA

IPv6

The course comprises theory and practical hands-on activity with a range of devices, where participants will actually set up a working IPv6 multicast network between a selection of routers from Cisco, Juniper, and a Linux based router. Using IPv6 transition tools a gateway between the workshop IPv6 network and the global IPv4 internet will be established.

Topics

• Router Configuration: How do you turn on IPv6 routing on a router?
  
• Bind configuration
  
• Transition Issues
  
• Discussion of the effects of multihoming, how auto-configuration affects network administrators and network management.

Multicast

The workshop will cover the theory of multicast and offer a set of hands-on exercises.

Topics

• Router Configuration
  
• Multicast addressing * A selection from the following as time and demand allow:
  
• IGMP - (Internet Group Membership Protocol) used by hosts and routers to tell each other about group membership
  
• PIM-SM (Protocol Independent Multicast - sparse mode) used to propagate forwarding state between routers.
  
• SSM (Source Specific Multicast) utilizes a subset of PIM’s functionality to guaranty source-only trees in the 232/8 range.
  
• MSDP (Multicast Source Discovery Protocol) used to exchange ASM active source information between RPs.
  
• MBGP (Multiprotocol BGP) used to exchange routing information for interdomain RPF checking.
  
• SSM & other topics

• Deploying multicast in a multi-vendor environment.

3. Access Grid Workshop Outline - Presenters: Richard Naylor and Roger Cliffe

Richard has been a pioneer in communications technology, particularly the use of the Internet, for a number of years. He has been instrumental in the development of New Zealand's existing access grid capability and involved with several initiatives to demonstrate the technology. He has a wealth of hands on experience with audio and video recording and streaming on the Internet and will make this knowledge available to attendees at this course.

Roger Cliffe, School of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, VUW. Roger has worked for the SMSCS as a Macintosh Systems Engineer since 1996. Roger has a Bachelors degree in Music, and a strong interest and background in Audio and Video (AV). In 2004 an e-grant to investigate potential uses for the upcoming Next Generation Internet (NGI), gave Roger the opportunity to contribute to the building of an AccessGrid node at VUW. With his background in AV, Roger has the lead on AV aspects of the AccessGrid node.

Day 1: 9-10am start, 5-6pm end.

Morning: General theory and practical, all participants

Discussion of AG model - including

• What is the Access Grid
  
• How does it differ from video conferencing

A Node setup

• Single and multi-CPU versions
  
• Multi-cast functions
  
• The grid framework
  
• The Venue Server
  
• AV components of a node

• Cameras
  
• Microphones

• Acoustic Echo Cancellation - what it is and how to beat it.
  
• Lighting
  
• Mic and camera placement - Room Layout.

Noon: lunch

Afternoon: Split into groups, hands on set up of AG. Set up 3 nodes on a small network.

Day 2: 9am Start, 4-5pm end.

Morning: Remain in groups, cover various AG applications

Run through all collaborative tools.

• Shared Question tool
  
• Shared Browser
  
• Shared Question and answer tool

Noon: lunch

Afternoon: Remain in groups, exercise AG applications

• Using the tools above in a real meeting with all participants using the nodes.
  
• Advanced tricks - recording a Grid session
  
• Webcasting a grid session.

Travel and Accommodation

All Technical Workshops will be held in Wellington at the James Cook Hotel, The Terrace. One night's accommodation at the James Cook, and lunch on both days, will be covered and provided. The Access Grid workshops will also be held in Wellington at distributed venues. Accommodation and lunches will also be provided for these workshops.

For those that need to travel to Wellington from other centres, travel and flight expenses of up to $250 will also be covered.

Participants are asked to make their own flight arrangements, and seek reimbursement from NGI-NZ using the attached Travel Reimbursement form.

Participant registration

For efficient workshop planning it is important that participants register their interest as soon as possible. The workshops are designed and planned to allow at least one participant from each institution or organisation.

Please fill out the attached Technical Workshops Registration form (38Kb MS Word Document) and Travel Reimbursment form (29Kb MS Word Document) and email to:

Debra Sturm
NGI-NZ
Email: debra@ngi-nz.co.nz
Ph: 0-4-494 1306