RNP > RNP News > 2001 News

RNP participates in OptiGlobe's network access point

Since June 25th, RNP has been participating in OptiGlobe's network access point (NAP) in São Paulo, the OptIX-LA (OptiGlobe Internet eXchange - Latin American), whose communication capacity is of 34 Mbps.

The coordinador of RNP's Engineering and Operation Center, Alexandre Grojsgold, claimed that "the fact that OptIX-LA is now active surely represents another important step to strengthen an IP Brazilian network which is economically sustainable, accessible, stable and efficient."

The National Teaching and Research Network adopts a policy of support and participation in all the initiatives of free IP traffic exchange. The service of peering, as the traffic exchange between backbones is known, generates greater speed and efficiency in the communication with the global Internet. RNP makes peering with other networks, such as Embratel, Global One and Impsat. Besides participating in OptIX-LA, RNP is also present in Fapesp's NAP,in São Paulo.

OptiGlobe, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland (USA), is a Latin America's provider of mission-critical enterprise and Internet Data Center (IDC) services. Among OptiGlobe's over 170 clients, there are: Amélia, Cultura Inglesa, Globocabo, Globo.com, hpG, Patagon, Redecard, Solvo and Yahoo! Brazil.

The recommendations of the Steering Committee are being followed

The participation in network access points is a recommendation of the Internet's Steering Committee in Brazil (SC). The document "Recommendations to the Development and Operation of the Internet in Brazil"(" Recomendações para o Desenvolvimento e Operação da Internet no Brasil") calls our attention to the need to interconnect the Brazilian backbones so as to "make rational use of the resources in the net, optimizing the traffic exchange among the backbones." According to the SC, "the lack of this service can affect the response time associated to the transactions made through the net or even make them imposible whenever the user and the information provider are connected to different backbones."

The other recommendations made by the SC refer to the creation of security groups, the offer of NTP service, the consolidation of contracts with Acceptable Use Policy and maintenance of whois e rwhois information services.

RNP has a Security Incident Response Team (CAIS), which, besides defining the security policies and taking care of the incidents in RNP's backbone, spreads information about preventive action regarding network security. It also has a whois information service which follows the suggestions of the SC.

Since July 2000, RNP has had an NTP stratum 1 server installed in its Point of Presence in Brasília, offering its customers a precise time reference for the synchronization of their computers.Throughout the last year,RNP started implanting an NTP service hierarchy in order to distribute the processing load, offering a stabler and more reliable service to the final user.

Another recommendation of the SC refers to the establishment of a policy of acceptable use which allows the backbone operators "to adopt restrictive measures concerning the improper use of the network." RNP's Steering Committee approved a policy of acceptable use which permits managing the use of its backbone more effectively, identifying the priority users and the projects that are developed in the network. This document will still be made public to fit RNP2's client institutions.

[RNP, 07.06.2001]