Using RedCLARA's GÉANT2 connection, RNP and i2cat took the Brazilian Golden Nica Winners to the prestigious Artfutura event in Barcelona
Press Release
Using RedCLARA's GÉANT2 connection, RNP and i2CAT Foundation took the Brazilian Golden Nica Winners to the prestigious Artfutura event in Barcelona
In order to ensure the best quality of videoconference service Brazilian engineers from networks in GÉANT (Europe), RedCLARA (Latin America), RNP (Brazil) and i2cat and RedIRIS (Spain) have worked hard on establishing a virtual private network point-to-point link (between Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona), by making use of MPLS, a commutation technology created to provide virtual circuits in IP networks (MPLS VPNs). It is important to highlight that this is the first time that this technology is used in coordination between RedCLARA and the different networks (domains) indicated.
(Press Release: CLARA, RNP; 25 October 2007)
ArtFutura, the main event on digital culture and creativity in Spain, will be held between 25-28 October and the programme for 26 October features a Panel called “The Next Network: Imagining INTERNET 3.0”. It is precisely in this activity where three of the founders of the Overmundo website (awarded this year with a Golden Nica, an award which is regarded as the Oscar for the Internet, and given within the context of Prix Ars Electrónica – Ciber-Art International Competency) will remotely participate: Ronaldo Lemos, José Marcelo Zacchi and Hermano Viana.
There is a great deal of a very delicate networking involved to get Lemos, Zacchi and Viana, who are going to be at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), to sit at the Panel’s discussion table – which will be located in the ArtFutura building in Barcelona – in order to exchange views with Spaniards like Artur Serra from i2CAT, Enrique Dans, Juan Freire and Hugo Zaragoza from Yahoo Research.
The crucial issue is to succeed in providing those present in Barcelona with the best quality in the reception of the videoconference from Brazil. This will be done thanks to the Digital Video Transport System – DVTS. To do this, engineers from RNP, RedCLARA, GÉANT and RedIRIS have been working for days on establishing the VPN MPLS.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network is a network technology which allows for an extension of the local network on a public uncontrolled network (such as the various international networks involved). This makes data (or information packs) exchange possible directly between the institutions connected, and ensures the necessary transparency and quality of service.
How do these four networks operate to implement the VPN? The RedCLARA and GÉANT backbones are reconfigured to operate in inter domain multiprotocol mode (which allows equipment from the different networks to change signalling in order to establish tunnels that will encapsulate, and therefore protect, the data to be transferred via the transatlantic link, in this case: audio and video). Once this step has been achieved, the VPN or Virtual Private Network is established. Then, the link between RNP – which is connected to RedCLARA- and RedIRIS -connected to GÉANT and to RedCLARA’s access node to the pan European network- is established. This will make it possible to take Lemos, Zacchi and Viana to Barcelona by means of a videoconference –with a transfer rate of 30 Mbps- so that they can effectively participate in the aforementioned Panel. All this transport is carried out in layer 2 from the end-points, that is to say, the packs generated in local networks from the institutions are sent from one end to the other (from Brazil to Spain and vice versa) just as they are and in a transparent way. It is as if data were in the same local network, hence the use of the term MPLS L2-VPN: Layer 2 Virtual Private Network established with the use of MPLS technology.
It must be acknowledged that the end points of this particular circuit are going to be located at the access point of the Giga network of PUC–Rio and in Catalonia (autonomous community of Spain – capital: Barcelona), in i2Cat, institution that aims to aim is to promote research and innovation in advanced Internet technology (www.i2cat.cat).
The achievement of the MPLS VPN service by engineers from the networks involved is not only a great contribution to ArtFutura and particularly to the debate on the future Internet. It is also a landmark in the three years of RedCLARA’s existence, as it is the first time it provides this service and does it through the Atlantic.
But the participation of RNP, and therefore the use RedCLARA’s link with GÉANT will not be restricted to the 1-hour Panel (scheduled for 18:00 Madrid time: GMT+2) as it will be extended to two other subsequent activities: the presentations by Steven Jonson, digital culture analyst (USA), and Dan Huebner, Head of the Second Life Community (USA). These two conferences will get to Brazil via the high-quality video flow made possible by MPLS VPN.
And the show will go on on Saturday 27: the Barcelonans will dance. That’s for sure, since the same link will be used to bring Funk music played by DJs in Rio de Janeiro to Barcelona. To do this RNP will make use of the same transatlantic circuit by applying high-definition MPEG-2 transfer and the Videolan software, all these at a 30 Mbps rate.
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End of the Press Release
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Annex information
About RedCLARA (Latin America):
RedCLARA is the advanced Latin American network. On 1 September 2004 it started providing direct connectivity at 155 Mbps in a ring topology, thus linking national research and education networks from Latin American countries by means of the CLARA nodes established in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Panama and Mexico, and connecting them to GÉANT at 622 Mpbs via a link between Sao Paulo, Brazil and Madrid, Spain. In april 2007, and in order to take full advantage of resources available en other sources, RedCLARA added a node in Miami (USA) to the five pre-existing nodes, thus modifying its topology as shown on the map.
www.redclara.cl
About GÉANT (Europe):
GÉANT is the advanced pan European network, which is already in its second version: GÉANT2, reaching near 3,500 research and education institutions in 32 European countries, by means of its direct connection with 28 National Research and Education Networks, and offering high-speed international connectivity to other regions of the world. GÉANT provides the highest of capacities and offers the greatest geographical coverage of networks of its kind worldwide.
www.geant.net
About RNP (Brazil):
The National Education and Research Network (Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa – RNP) is the Brazilian infrastructure of advanced network for collaboration and communication in the fields of teaching and research. Besides connecting all federal institutions of higher education and research, this infrastructure provides a testbed for the experimental development of new applications and network services for the benefit of its users.
www.rnp.br
About RedIRIS (Spain):
RedIRIS is Spain’s national academic and research network. It has around 250 member institutions, mainly Universities and Public Research Organisations, for whom RedIRIS provides networking and advanced communications services. These services are also given in collaboration with other academic networks and international forums.
www.rediris.es
Press Contacts:
CLARA: María José López Pourailly: mjlopez@reuna.cl
RNP: Marcus Vinicius Rodríguez Mannarino: vinicius@rnp.br
