Middleware Announcements

[Susan Topol <>]

Internet2 (R) Members Update
December 2004

<> Qwest Continues Providing Network Services to Internet2
<> Global Collaborators Receive Sustained Bandwidth Award at SC2004
<> Internet2 Deploys Optical Solutions from Nortel into Manhattan Landing 
Exchange Point
<> Spring 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting Call for Proposals
<> Register Now for Winter ESCC/Internet2 Joint Techs Workshop
<> Corporate Relations Update
<> Applications Update
<> International Update
<> Middleware Update
<> Security Update
<> End-to-End Performance Initiative Update
<> K20 Initiative Update
<> Internet2 Member Showcase and Spotlight
<> Internet2 Employment Opportunities
<> New Internet2 Members
<> Coming in January: New Location for Internet2 Ann Arbor Office
<> Future Internet2 Events
<> Internet2 Workshops
<> Internet2 Publications
<> Internet2 Related Events

Member updates are archived at: http://members.internet2.edu/memberupdates/

<> Qwest Continues Providing Network Services to Internet2
Qwest Communications, an Internet2 corporate partner, and Internet2 have 
announced an agreement by which Qwest will continue providing optical and 
SONET network services to Internet2. In this latest agreement, Qwest will 
continue as the backbone transport provider for the Abilene Network through 
September 2007. Under the extension, the Abilene Network will continue 
using nearly 10,000 route-miles of Qwest's 10 Gbps optical network, 
providing Internet2 members with advanced, reliable connectivity for 
ongoing collaboration and innovation.
https://mail.internet2.edu/wws/arc/i2-news/2004-11/msg00007.html

<> Global Collaborators Receive Sustained Bandwidth Award at SC2004
A team of physicists, computer scientists and network engineers joined 
forces at the Supercomputing 2004 (SC04) Bandwidth Challenge to capture the 
Sustained Bandwidth Award. Their demonstration of "High Speed TeraByte 
Transfers for Physics" achieved a throughput of 101 Gbps to and from the 
exhibit floor at SC04 in Pittsburgh. The team was led by the California 
Institute of Technology and their partners at the Stanford Linear 
Accelerator Center (SLAC), Fermilab, CERN and the University of 
Florida.  International participants from the UK (University of Manchester, 
UCL and UKLight), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro State University, UERJ, and the 
State Universities of Sao Paulo, USP and UNESP) and Korea (Kyungpook 
National University, KISTI) also participated.
 http://www.rnp.br/en/news/2004/not-041124.html

<> Internet2 Deploys Optical Solutions from Nortel into Manhattan Landing 
Exchange Point
Internet2 will deploy Nortel Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 and Nortel HDXc 
into the Manhattan Landing (MAN LAN) facility, which interconnects major 
domestic and international research networks. The equipment will enable 
global research and education networks, including Abilene, to interconnect 
with other networks via advanced optical connections providing greater 
research collaboration for Internet2 members and international partners. 
For instance, the Nortel equipment will facilitate the connection of a 
transatlantic lambda, enabled by the IEEAF, between MAN LAN and the 
NetherLight exchange point in Amsterdam managed by SURFnet. Additionally, 
Nortel's equipment will provide important support for Internet2's Hybrid 
Optical Packet Infrastructure initiative (HOPI), which will serve as an 
evaluation testbed for designing the advanced network infrastructure to 
meet the future needs of Internet2's community. Nortel has been an 
Internet2 corporate partner since 1997.
https://mail.internet2.edu/wws/arc/i2-news/2004-11/msg00003.html

<> Spring 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting Call for Proposals
The Spring 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting will be held 2-4 May 2005 in 
Arlington, Virginia. A Call for Proposals for topic sessions will be issued 
on 8 December 2004, with a submission deadline of Friday, 21 January 2005. 
Proposal submissions are encouraged from all categories of Internet2 
membership--university, corporate, affiliate, and association--as well as 
from Internet2 international partners. Proposal submitters will be notified 
regarding acceptance of their proposals by 18 February.
http://events.internet2.edu/2005/spring-mm/callforproposals.html

<> Register Now for ESCC/Internet2 Joint Techs Workshop
Registration is now open for the Winter 2005 ESCC/Internet2 Joint Techs 
Workshop, hosted by The University of Utah. The workshop will be held 13-16 
February 2004 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The workshop will again offer a 
combination of tutorials, plenary presentations, in-depth sessions, and 
BoFs. A welcome reception, sponsored by Juniper Networks, will be held on 
the evening of 14 February. Related events on 12 February prior to the main 
workshop kickoff include a one-day, hands-on wireless security workshop and 
a ski trip. In addition, the ESnet Coordinating Committee meeting will 
occur 16-17 February. If you would like to organize a BoF or give a 
presentation at the Joint Techs Workshop, please contact E. Paul Love 
<> or W. R. Wing <>.
http://jointtechs.ornl.gov/SLC2005.html

<> Corporate Relations Update

+ Pulver.com Provides Major Support for SIP.edu
Pulver.com Enterprises, an Internet2 corporate member, is making a major 
donation in support of the SIP.edu Initiative, which seeks to promote the 
convergence of voice and email identities, grow SIP-reachability within 
Internet2, and build a community of Internet2 schools that are developing 
and deploying SIP services.
http://voip.internet2.edu/SIP.edu/

+ Juniper to Sponsor Joint Techs Workshop Welcome Reception
Juniper Networks, an Internet2 corporate partner, will sponsor the welcome 
reception at the Winter 2005 ESCC/Internet2 Joint Techs Workshop. The 
reception will be held the evening of Monday, 13 February 2005. Internet2 
gratefully acknowledges Juniper for making this event possible. For more 
information on event sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ellen 
Vaughan <>.

+ Industry Strategy Council Update
Comprised of leaders from the networking industry, the Internet2 Industry 
Strategy Council (ISC) provides the Internet2 Board of Trustees with 
strategic vision and input related to advanced networking and applications 
development, and helps focus technology transfer aspects of Internet2 
initiatives. The ISC recently held a teleconference focused on digital 
media. The council addressed digital media; current efforts on the 
distribution of digital content and streaming media; middleware and 
security integration; and opportunities, directions, and potential 
collaborations in this space. In addition, ISC members have held 
topic-focused discussions on cyberinfrastructure, the production deployment 
of Internet2 applications, and technology transfer. Richard Liebhaber, 
president of Liebhaber and Associates Consulting, serves as chair of the 
ISC. A complete list of ISC members can be found on the web site 
below.  For more information, please contact Jill Arnold 
<>.
http://www.internet2.edu/about/isc.html

<> Applications Update

+ Megaconference VI on December 9
What do schoolchildren in Berrien County, Michigan and scientists at the 
Supercomputing and Networking Center in Poznan, Poland have in common? 
They'll all be participating in the Megaconference worldwide 
videoconferencing event on 9 December 2004 (8:00 am to midnight EST, UTC 
-5). Participants from around the globe will join this interactive 
conference via videoconference over advanced networks, which will be 
streamed live for viewing by anyone with an Internet connection. Now in its 
sixth year, the Megaconference has been a hallmark event for learning about 
cutting-edge uses of videoconferencing. This year's program focuses on the 
theme "Let's Talk: Global Communications, Innovation, and Participatory 
Videoconferencing." Megaconference also pushes the state of the art in 
videoconferencing, allowing both H.323 and SIP software participants for 
the first time, with more than 300 sites and an estimated audience of more 
than 3,000 people worldwide, not counting those who watch the simulcast 
streams.
http://www.megaconference.org/

+ MIT Demos Live e-VLBI Transmission at SC Conference
Scientists from MIT Haystack Observatory, along with several collaborators, 
gave attendees at SC2004 (held 6-12 November 2004 in Pittsburgh) a first 
hand look at the application of high-speed networking to the practice of 
radio astronomy with the electronic transmission of Very Long Baseline 
Interferometry (e-VLBI) data. The live demo featured the real-time 
transmission of e-VLBI data from the Haystack's Westford Observatory in 
Massachusetts and NASA's Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory 
in Maryland, which were streamed over Internet2's Abilene Network to the 
Haystack correlator at 512 Mbps. The live results were displayed in a 3D 
plot (correlation amplitude, differential doppler, differential delay) in 
Pittsburgh as the data were correlated.
http://science.internet2.edu/vlbi.html

+ Performance Production and Master Class Workshop
Register now for the Internet2/New World Symphony Performance Production 
and Master Class Workshop. This hands-on workshop will emphasize real-time 
experience connecting with remote sites over Internet2, setting up incoming 
and outgoing audio, creating a multi-camera shoot, placing lights and 
projectors and operating codecs. The workshop will explore in depth the 
elements needed to do everything from simple one-on-one interactions to 
larger scale stage productions via Internet2. The workshop is designed for 
an audience of technologists responsible for setting up distance learning 
and remote interactive media events. The agenda will also include topics of 
interest to administrators, deans and CIOs.  The workshop takes place 24-26 
January 2005 in Miami Beach, FL.
http://events.internet2.edu/2005/NWS/index.html

<> International Update

+ RedCLARA Pan-Latin American Network Launched
RedCLARA is the first Pan-Latin American network for research and 
education, and was officially launched at the Third Latin American and 
Caribbean meeting of the European Union Ministerial Forum on the 
Information Society held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 22-23 November 2004. 
Currently connecting Argentina, Brasil, Chile and Mexico, by early 2005 
RedCLARA will also connect eight more countries (Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela, 
Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua) and later, in 
another phase, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras and Paraguay. 
RedCLARA is directly connected to the Pan-European research network GEANT, 
with large support from the ALICE (America Latina Interconectada Con 
Europa) initiative, funded by the @LIS (Alliance for the Information 
Society) cooperation programme of the European Commission.
http://www.redclara.net

+ CESNET2 Exceeds 3,000 KM of Dark Fiber
CESNET, an Internet2 international partner, operates the research and 
education network for the Czech Republic.  The CESNET2 optical gigabit 
network recently completed an upgrade that utilizes a technology called NIL 
(Nothing-In-Line).  Instead of using fiber lines with spans of about 80 km 
between housing points, this technology uses very long, multiple fiber 
spans of about 150-200 km each, making it possible to skip some of the 
housing points and reduce operational expenses. The global length of the 
dark fiber lines in CESNET2 is now 3,643 km. CESNET2 is connected to GEANT, 
the pan-European network that peers with the Abilene Network in multiple 
locations.
http://www.ces.net/doc/press/pr20041103.html

+ TEIN Korea-France Link Upgraded to 155 Mbps
The Korea-France link under the Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN) 
has been upgraded from 45 Mbps to 155 Mbps. The 155Mbps upgrade allows a 
direct link between two continents, Europe and Asia Pacific, utilizing 
sea-me-we3 (SMW3) submarine cable.  The Korea-France link, a backbone 
network of TEIN, is connected to GEANT, the pan-European network that peers 
with the Abilene Network.
http://www.apiicc.org/

<> Middleware Update

+ Shibboleth

- Shibboleth v1.2.1 Release
The Shibboleth team is pleased to announce the availability of release 
1.2.1 of its Shibboleth implementation. This release includes many bug 
fixes to address stability and other issues that arose in the last six 
months. In addition, there are two notable additions to the packaging: 1) 
the SP (target) implementation in this version will build and run on Mac OS 
X (the IdP (origin) implementation already ran on OS X), and 2) RPMs are 
being provided to simplify the installation of the SP (target) side on 
Fedora Core. RPMs are available on the Shibboleth distribution site for the 
dependencies as well as the Shibboleth components. To download the release, 
view related documentation, or for the list of new features and fixes, 
please refer to the release page at:
http://shibboleth.internet2.edu/release/shib-latest.html

- Shibboleth v1.3 Update
Shibboleth version 1.3 will be rolling out in early 2005. We wanted to 
alert people to this and to point out some planned enhancements in this 
version which will include many feature and functionality enhancements, 
including completing the support for having a single copy of the HS/AA be a 
member of multiple federations, extensive refactoring of the code in 
anticipation of upcoming work to provide interoperability with IBM and 
Microsoft's WS-Security framework, and support for use of Shibboleth by the 
Grid Security Protocols and LionShare. This version will be certified for 
use within the US Federal E-Authentication initiative.

- Shibboleth Federal E-Authentication Pilot
With successful testing of the Shibboleth code modifications to meet 
e-authentication specifications, the next version of Shibboleth, version 
1.3 due first quarter of 2005, will be certified as e-auth compliant. The 
Internet2 Shibboleth development group is now working with the federal 
e-auth team on the next stages of work, which will focus on the 
inter-operability of InCommon with the federal federation.

- Identity Provider (IdP) Installation Checklist Now Available
We've now run several InstallFests, 4-5 hour sessions designed to help 
campuses get a pilot IdP installation operational quickly and effectively. 
The "Checklist" given to attendees is now being published for others to 
use. This collects and condenses information currently found in several 
sources presenting the information in a "cookbook" approach. It does not 
contain any of the reference material currently found in the deploy guides. 
The Checklist, of necessity, removes some of the flexibility and choices 
that sites would ordinarily have during the installation process. In 
return, it provides a single complete step-by-step description of an 
installation and configuration within the InQueue federation. The checklist 
is available at:
http://shibboleth.internet2.edu/guides/identity-provider-checklist.html

- Burton Paper
As part of its Directory and Security Strategies Overview, the Burton Group 
released a document on Shibboleth. Principal Consultant Doug Simmons 
reviews the Shibboleth standard, its current implementations, its 
relationship with existing standards, and its future. Burton Group focuses 
on "offering in-depth analysis of infrastructure technologies. Burton 
Group's unbiased, in-depth, technical research and advice helps IT 
technologists and architects make smart enterprise architecture decisions 
in increasingly complex environments." Please note that you need to be a 
Burton subscriber to access the document. We understand that many member 
sites do have subscriptions, so you might check around your campus to see 
if there is a subscription allowing you to read this document.
http://www.burtongroup.com/research_consulting/doc.asp?docid=899

+ NSF Middleware Initiative (NMI)

- Next NMI Release Features Introductory Release of Signet and Grouper
In addition to providing updated versions of Shibboleth and other 
components, the 13 December NMI release will feature introductory releases 
of Signet and Grouper. You can review the included components at:
http://nsf-middleware.org

- Register for CAMP Med: Identity and Access Management for Medical 
Applications Workshop
Registration is open for CAMP Med, an NMI-EDIT workshop that will offer an 
introduction to the tools available to support identity and access 
management for medical and health-related applications and to the 
technology issues faced by academic medical centers. Targeted at both 
technology management and integration architects supporting campuses 
medical schools and central IT functions, the workshop will be held in 
Tempe, AZ on 9-11 February 2005.
http://www.educause.edu/camp051

<> Security Update

+ SALSA-NetAuth Federated Wireless Network Authentication
A sub-group of SALSA-NetAuth has begun working on a roadmap to address the 
"visiting scientist" problem. Specifically, the group is addressing the use 
of home authentication credentials for network access at visited sites. 
Building upon the experience of TERENA/Eduroam, the group is looking to 
deploy a pilot system in the near term while analyzing the requirements for 
a next-generation system in the longer term. Such a system might leverage 
existing work in deploying inter-institutional federations.
http://security.internet2.edu/netauth

<> End-to-End Performance Initiative Update

+ E2E piPEs (End-to-End Performance Initiative Performance Environment System)
A concerted effort to make PMPs (performance measurement points) available 
is underway. A training workshop to train network engineers in the use of 
the tools and provide CIOs with information on how piPEs implementation 
will be cost-effective is under development. The first version of this 
workshop is slated for February or March 2005.

+ OWAMP (One-Way Active Measurement Protocol)
Stanislav Shalunov, Internet2 Engineer, gave a presentation on OWAMP at the 
IETF's IP Performance Metrics Working Group meeting this month. A recent 
security review of the latest version of the protocol draft uncovered two 
problems that will be addressed in the upcoming release of the code.
http://www.internet2.edu/~shalunov/ippm/draft-ietf-ippm-owdp-11.txt

The Institute of Telecommunications, Portugal, has completed the first 
phase of development of a Java implementation of OWAMP.
http://www.av.it.pt/jowamp

<> K20 Initiative Update

+ Lehigh University Makes Remote Instrumentation a Reality for K-12 Students
In Summer 2004, one of the most powerful microscopes in the world was 
delivered and installed in the basement of the Nanocharacterization Lab at 
Lehigh University. Remote access to the XL30 electron microscope is now 
available to K-12 students thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Andrea 
Harmer, Director of Web-based Education, and Programmer George Motter of 
Lehigh University's Library Technology Services.
http://www.lehigh.edu/%7Einimagin/announce/9-13-04b.html

<> Internet2 Member Showcase and Spotlight

+ Member Showcase: NEES Earthquake Engineering Consortium Grand Opening
Initially launched as a research initiative with $81.8 million of National 
Science Foundation (NSF) support, the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for 
Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) is a consortium that includes 15 
large-scale, experimental sites, which feature such advanced tools as shake 
tables, centrifuges that simulate earthquake effects, unique laboratories, 
a tsunami wave basin and field-testing equipment. Distributed across 10 
states, these facilities are linked to a centralized data pool and 
earthquake simulation software, bridged together by the advanced 
capabilities of Internet2 networks. The new NEESgrid system allows off-site 
researchers to interact in real time with any of the networked sites. On 15 
November, the NSF hosted the grand opening of NEES, which was webcast live 
and featured live demos of several NEES tools.
http://www.nees.org/index.php

For more Internet2 showcases, see:
http://www.internet2.edu/pastshowcases.cfm

+ Member Spotlight: Rod Wilson
Rod Wilson drives Nortel's efforts to promote research collaboration and 
partnerships with the Internet2 community. As director within Nortel's 
Advanced Technology Research group, Rod is focused on identification and 
exploration of architectures and technologies that enable the next 
generation network. This work has resulted in collaboration with Internet2 
in a number of areas, including MANLAN, the Hybrid Optical Packet 
Infrastructure initiative (HOPI) and other initiatives. Rod and his team at 
Nortel have supported a number of national research and education network 
projects, helping members build new high performance optical 
infrastructures. Rod is one of several people at Nortel working to see the 
vision for a Global Lambda Integrated Facility (GLIF) become a reality.
http://www.internet2.edu/pastspotlights.cfm

Showcases and spotlights highlight exemplary milestones, events, 
collaborations, and people within the Internet2 community. Send suggestions 
about projects, people or news to <>.

<> Internet2 Employment Opportunities
+ Marketing and Communications Writer
The Marketing and Communications Writer is responsible for developing and 
executing communication and marketing plans that emphasize the value of 
Internet2 membership as well the mission of Internet2.
This position reports to the Executive Director of Member and Partner 
Relations and is located in the Ann Arbor, Michigan office. Travel at 
approximately four times per year is a required part of this position.

+ Administrative Assistant
Organized, professional individual is needed to provide administrative 
support for the operational needs associated with the Technology Direction 
and Development (TDD) Department at Internet2. This full-time position will 
report to the Sr. Staff Associate of TDD and will be located in the Ann 
Arbor, MI area. Periodic travel of 2-4 day duration several times a year is 
expected in this position.

Internet2 is a 501.C.3 not-for-profit organization and equal opportunity 
employer. Details of these positions and other openings can be found at:
http://www.internet2.edu/about/jobopportunities.html

<> New Internet2 Members

+ Corporate Members
- Northrop Grumman Information Technology
http://www.northropgrumman.com/

+ Affiliate Members
- The World Bank (with Collaboration Site Status)
http://www.worldbank.org/

<> Coming in January: New Location for Internet2 Ann Arbor Office
On 10 January 2005, Internet2's Ann Arbor office will relocate to the new 
Michigan Information Technology Center building. Both the central Internet2 
phone numbers and individual Internet2 staff phone numbers will remain the 
same. Please make a note of the new mailing address:

Internet2
1000 Oakbrook Drive, Suite 300
Ann Arbor MI, 48104

<> Future Internet2 Events
+ Spring 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting
2-4 May 2005
Arlington, VA
http://events.internet2.edu/2005/spring-mm/

<> Internet2 Workshops
+ Performance and Master Class Production Workshop
24-26 January 2005
Miami, FL
http://events.internet2.edu/2005/NWS/index.html

+ CAMP Med: Identity and Access Management for Medical Applications Workshop
9-11 February
Tempe, AZ
http://www.educause.edu/camp051

<> Internet2 Publications
+ Internet2 Teaching and Learning Infosheet
http://www.internet2.edu/resources/infosheetteaching.pdf

+ Case Study "Even Supercomputers Need Help: NDT in Action at SC04"
http://e2epi.internet2.edu/case-studies/SC04/index.html

<> Internet2 Related Events
+ Online Calendar
For a complete listing of events for and of interest to the Internet2 
community, see the online Internet2 Calendar. 
http://events.internet2.edu/calendar/main.php
To have your Internet2-related event listed on the calendar, please send a 
request to <>.

+ Megaconference VI
9 December
Virtual Event
http://www.megaconference.org/

+ e-Agenda International Summit
12-14 December
San Diego, CA
http://www.eagenda.cc/

+ PTC '05 Broadband Playground
16-19 January 2005
Honolulu, HI
http://www.ptc.org/PTC05/program/broadband.html

+ 19th APAN Meeting
24-28 January 2005
Bangkok, Thailand
http://apan.net/meetings/bangkok2005/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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