RNP > RNP News > 2005 News

6th RNP Workshop filled auditorium in Fortaleza

RNP discusses support to R&D and e-Sciences in Brazil

Around 250 people, from all over the country, filled the auditorium of the Marina Park Hotel, in Fortaleza (CE), on May 09 and 10, to participate in the 6th RNP Workshop (WRNP), which took place together with the 23rd Brazilian Symposium on Computer Networks (SBCR). Whoever could not attend, was able to accompany the lectures on the Internet, with live transmission.

RNP director of Innovation Michael Stanton opened the event, commenting briefly on the workshop program and some projects of the organization. Following this, the workgroups (WG´s) of the RNP in the areas of measurements, voice over IP (VoIP) and multicast began the first round of lectures. In the afternoon, the WG´s on public keys, P2P and pervasive grid computing were presented. One lecture that called attention was by professor Paulo Aguiar, coordinator of the VoIP WG, given over videoconference from Rio de Janeiro, since Aguiar could not be present at the WRNP. The WG´s were also able to show their projects in a demonstration room, in operation during the whole workshop.

The panel Support for R&D in networks in Brazil – opportunities, strategies, vision of the future brought together the researcher Sandro Rossi (CPqD, Project Giga) and professors Tereza Cristina Carvalho (USP, Tidia) and Guido Lemos (UFPB, Lavid), who regretted the lack of continuity of projects in Brazil. “If we wish to reach international standards, we need to articulate R&D and capability with short, medium and long term objectives”, Guido assessed. With much participation, the audience raised the issue of the need for the involvement of large companies in projects of R&D so that there is less dependence on public resources. Tereza commented, however, that to gain credibility with the companies, it is necessary that Brazilian universities develop successful projects first.

Optical and wireless networks and Clara

Ney Castro, for the RNP, and Sandro Rossi, for the CPqD, gave lectures about the Giga Project, an experimental optical network administered by the two institutions. Giga is part of the National Optical Initiative, focused on proposals to study, become familiar with and implement optical networks in the country, and has helped the RNP to acquire know-how in this area, as Michael Stanton later explained. Bringing the first day of the workshop to a close, professor Carlos Frederico Cavalcanti presented the experiment of project Ouro Preto, Wi-Max city, which is implanting, in the city of the state of Minas Gerais, a wireless network based on the Intel Wi-Max technology.

In the first lecture on the 10th, the director of Operations of the RNP, Alexandre Grojsgold, spoke about the process of renovation of the national academic network which will go on to use optical technology in its connections. In the second semester of 2005, four points of presence will be operating at 10 Gbps and six, at 2.5 Gbps.

The same technology will be applied to the Education and Research Community Networks (Redecomep), the theme of the presentation given by José Luiz Ribeiro Filho, national coordinator of the initiative, who returned to the subject on May 11, in a meeting directed to partners and interested parties. (See further information about the new RNP network and about Redecomep on page 6.)

Ériko Porto, coordinator of the center of engineering of Clara (Latin-American Cooperation on Advanced Networks), gave a report on the present situation of the Latin American network and mentioned the project of a direct connection to the advanced network of the United States, Internet2.

The academic networks and the progress of Science

The importance of the advanced networks for Science was demonstrated by the researchers Pierre Kaufmann (Mackenzie University), Paulo Mascarenhas Bisch (UFRJ), Bernard Marie Marechal (UFRJ) and Vanderely Canhos (Center of Reference in Environmental Information), invited by the RNP to make up the panel Requirements of advanced networks for the e-Sciences.

Nelson Simões, general director of the RNP, listed some applications that are considered essential, such as those linked to long distance education and health. To Simões, the academic network is undergoing a new evolutionary cycle and, in order for Brazil to continue advancing in the area of networks, it is necessary to educate professionals trained in the new paradigms of the Internet.

Network infrastructure in Europe, digital inclusion by means of health services on interactive digital TV and a pilot telemedicine network in pediatric oncology, were some of the themes considered that involve projects in partnership with the RNP. Closing the 6th WRNP and preceding the 23rd SBRC, the project Planet Lab was presented - a computational platform distributed and constructed to evaluate and access network services on a planetary scale.

The VoIP WG, the Information Technology Service of the RNP (STI) and the point of presence of the RNP in Ceará set up the IP telephone service of the RNP, fone@RNP, so that, during the workshop, the guests of the Marina Park could telephone to Amazonas, Ceará, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina and São Paulo via VoIP network, without paying for a long distance call. In these states there are institutions participating in fone@RNP. Others are adhering to the service, extending its reach to the other regions of the country. (See information about fone@RNP at http://www.rnp.br/voip/.)

The 6th RNP Workshop was organized by the Escola Superior de Redes, a RNP business unit intended to the training of information and communication technology professionals, and sponsored by corporations Juniper Network, Extreme, Intel, Padtec, Global Crossing, Embratel and Foundry.

[RNP, 05.10.2005]