TNC24: 10-14 June 2024 | Rennes, France
TNC24: Rennes, France | 10-14 June 2024
SESSIONS
Welcome to TNC24 from GÉANT CEO Erik Huizer, GÉANT Chair Gilles Massen and RENATER CEO and Local Hosts Boris Dintrans.
In his presentation, Paul Iske will introduce the Institute of Brilliant Failures to stress the importance of (joint) experiments and the need to accept risk and learn from experiences with projects that didn’t produce the results people were aiming for. In our R&D, failing is not only inevitable, but also an essential learning process. But are we allowed to fail? Do we experience and contribute to the required Psychological Safety that is required to take risk and accept different outcomes then expected? Where everyone agrees that we should learn from our failures, no one tells how to do this. The Institute of Brilliant Failures has developed a method and some tools to extract the lessons learned and make it possible to use them at another moment, at another place. By doing so, we are able to develop ‘Failure Intelligence’.
Presentation of the Annual GÉANT Community award for outstanding contributions to collaborative work and the development of services and technologies within the GÉANT Community.
This presentation explores the use of LoRaWAN technology in Uganda and its pivotal role in driving IoT innovations. It discusses the challenges faced by IoT adoption in Uganda due to reliance on GSM technology and highlights how LoRaWAN overcomes these obstacles. The presentation also offers an insight into the current challenges hindering widespread LoRaWAN deployment. The presentation showcases real-world applications and societal impact through diverse IoT projects, including weather forecasting, air quality monitoring, soil quality monitoring, and water usage management. It emphasizes the transformative potential of LoRaWAN, inspiring other communities to embrace this technology for IoT advancements.
The Croatian e-Schools Programme, spearheaded by CARNET, has been a transformative force in the Croatian education landscape over the past 9 years. Through innovative initiatives and technological integration, the e-Schools project has successfully ushered the nation's schools into the digital age. CARNET played a pivotal role in facilitating this transition by providing robust networking infrastructure, technical support, and educational resources. As a result, Croatian schools have experienced a remarkable shift towards becoming digitally mature institutions, fostering a dynamic and technologically enriched learning environment for both educators and students. CARNET ended the project as a completely different institution from the one that started it. Our ambition resulted in a complete reconstruction of CARNET’s capacities in order to successfully implement such a challenging project. Let us tell you what happened…
The initiative aims to enhance digital skills in Ecuador's higher education, guided by the DigiComEdu framework. It targets making education accessible regardless of location or background, leveraging technology to break traditional barriers. The project employs a collaborative model, focusing on training educators and emphasizing a structured, step-by-step approach with continuous feedback. It's centered around students, simplifying learning frameworks and integrating AI for tailored education. The program's design allows it to evolve with technological and market trends, maintaining its relevance. This approach marks a shift in global education, prioritizing accessibility, collaboration, and dynamic adaptation.
Unlock Digital Freedoms with us, exploring pathways to reclaim control in the digital age.
Learn from SURF, SUNET, and GÉANT about taming tech giants, revitalising open-source commitments, and crafting a future of freely flowing digital credentials.
How can our community steer big tech companies in the direction we need and want. In this talk we share the challenges and learnings from projects with companies like Google and Zoom. How can we work together and just make it happen. We will set you up for success with practical experiences on how to move forward by understanding the strength of our community and the dynamics in a big tech company.
The use and development of open-source software has been declining in many parts of the NREN community as our organisations have moved towards more corporate structures and a preference for procuring supported commercial products rather than building and supporting locally. This has also been impacted by an exodus of skilled developers within the research and education space. The last time a significant effort was spent on open-source developments within the NREN community programme led to excellent results in the shape of The Commons Conservancy – but since then there has been a lack of coordinated efforts. This talk will put forward some provactive new principles to address this lack of attention to open-source commitments.
Remember when a diploma was just a fancy piece of paper with a stamp? Fasten your seatbelts as we time-travel from the paper-laden past to a future where your wallet is not just for old receipts and forgotten loyalty cards. We'll look at the past, present and future: from the world of paper certificates, through today’s digital jungles where Google and Apple reign supreme, to a future where digital wallets are as essential as your morning coffee. Find out how we can swap vendor lock-in for innovation, autonomy, and, dare we say, digital freedom. Prepare to leave with a vision of a world where your digital credentials are as easy to share as funny cat memes.
Trust is the basis for all collaboration, including research collaboration. Prepare for a journey exploring efficient trust architectures, how trust is established in research utilising the most private we have - our genomic data - and what’s ahead for the GÉANT Core AAI. The audience will deepen their understanding of how trust is established now and in the future
The authentication and authorisation infrastructures (AAIs) used for research worldwide have for several years been modelled on the “AARC Blueprint Architecture” and the suite of accompanying guidelines. Developed by the “Authentication and Authorisation for Research Collaboration” (AARC) community, and fostered by the accompanying “engagement group for infrastructures” (AEGIS), the AARC BPA has been a key ingredient of the European Open Science Cloud, of many research and e-infrastructures in Europe and beyond, of the EuroHPC AAI and Erasmus+.
In this contribution, we will reflect on the AARC Blueprint Architecture and present areas that need enhancing, to address new AAI interoperability requirements, new identity paradigms and new use-case to support more effectively research infrastructures.
The Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI) project is enabling access to genomic, phenotypic and clinical data across Europe. It is doing so by establishing a federated, sustainable, and secure infrastructure to access the data. To bridge research across Europe, a federated approach for orchestrating the services has been chosen. Each of the participating countries is expected to deploy its national infrastructure, which will be then interconnected together to provide a cross-border environment. At its core, the GDI products are set up around the Life Science AAI and rely heavily on advancement of eduGAIN, EOSC AAI, AARC standards and other activities.
This session will make us wonder about the challenges to be able to build a global network where local, regional, national and continental network infrastructures form an easily accessed asset to set up end to end connectivity. While this strategic vision is based on assuming that capacity is no longer a problem, there are still some challenging areas that require innovation to deliver connectivity in order to be able to belong to this global research network. In this session we will have the opportunity to know more about two regions with a complex geography and lack of access to network infrastructure and how they are addressing this complexity.
The southernmost area of Chile has high potential for global scientific research, especially in climate change, subantarctic and ecological issues. Furthermore, it is the gateway to the International Antarctic Programs of more than 20 countries and is projected as a hub for satellite ground stations. However, this region lacked connection with GREN. REUNA with the Ministry of Science of Chile and the regional government, have initiated the Patagonia project, which will install two points of presence, integrating the austral region into the global R&E community through REUNA, RedCLARA, GEANT and BELLA and opening the door to the future connectivity to Antarctica.
We should not worry (too much) about network capacity for the next decade. Can R&E networking deliver a true global concept, in support of global research and education? From technology to governance, let’s focus on challenges and potential directions for global networking.
The presentation will showcase the effectiveness and capability of innovating around the conventional LTE as a last mile technology which has enabled RENU to overcome connectivity
difficulties in underprivileged, unconnected and underserved areas. The presentation will showcase the success story of 12 health centers located at the heart of Lake Victoria on Kalangala
Island. The presentation will further highlight how the fast and reliable NREN connectivity has improved Uganda's overall growth in research and healthcare.
Once upon a time, our optical networks existed primarily to send and receive IP data packets. While it is still the case in many networks and while more and more data packets are travelling all around the world, the landscape is changing, in some networks faster than in others.
In this session, we will hear about emerging ways how our optical network infrastructure can be used for quantum technologies, transfer of time and frequency services, and with the use of fibre sensing - what is happening under the sea.
Starting in 2025, GÉANT aims to establish a set of cross-border fibre links to crate a European infrastructure for the distribution of time and frequency. The implementation is planned to be completed within the GN5-2 funding cycle. These new fibre links will complement existing national time-frequency links, ultimately forming the basis of a comprehensive Europe-wide infrastructure. This presentation will explore how this emerging fibre network will facilitate novel scientific research initiatives in Europe. The new time and frequency network will help the NMIs perform experiments that will allow the SI second to be redefined based on optical atomic clocks.
There are a new set of sensing technologies built upon existing NREN infrastructures which are starting to appear as significant to society. These can be used to provide insights into the world around us. Adding these technologies evolves the traditional role of an NREN as a research enabling infrastructure, changing it into a research instrument as well. This talk helps to explore some of these innovative technologies and ways of working, investigating the opportunities for NRENs. Let’s gather to explore this new wave of development, to be curios and create something together.
Quantum communications have come a long way, from a scientific concept to small-scale experiments and more recently metropolitan-scale demonstrations. Quantum communications is envisioned to enable breakthroughs in quantum computing, quantum sensing, metrology, and other areas. However, scalability has now emerged as a major challenge, especially along the dimensions of number and heterogeneity of nodes, distance between nodes, diversity of applications, and number of users. This talk will provide a brief overview of the InterQnet project, which has two overarching goals: 1) practical realization of a heterogeneous quantum network; and 2) systems study of architectural choices for scalable quantum networks.
This track dives into the world of educational technology, exploring the transformative impact of digital credentials on the European educational landscape, the orchestrated deployment of virtual labs for immersive learning experiences, and the innovative integration of Jupyter Notebooks with SUNET Drive for enhanced research and teaching. Join us to discover how these advancements are reshaping learning, validation, and collaboration in the classroom and beyond.
Digital credentials can transform the way we recognize and validate learning by offering a secure, tamper-proof, and verifiable record of skills and accomplishments. Digital credentials can be used to enhance lifelong learning, promote employability, foster mobility, and increase transparency. The Open Badges and Comprehensive Learner Record standards are helping to ensure that digital credentials are meaningful and widely recognized, while The DC4EU project is working to establish a European framework for issuing, storing, and managing digital credentials.
NMaaS is a GÉANT production service offered to the NREN and R&E community for the past 5 years. It runs on top of the nmaas platform open source software. This talk will showcase the recently developed nmaas platform features supporting the novel virtual laboratory use-case aimed at the education sector. New functionalities facilitate organising large-scale hands-on exercises in both formal and informal education context. We will also report on the experience gained through piloting Virtual Labs in real-world courses conducted at a European university and how the academic staff and the students were able to benefit from it.
Running computational tasks on research data has become an important part of scientific research, not only in the natural sciences, but also in the humanities and arts. A popular solution for this is Jupyter Notebooks, in increasingly intensive use by research communities. This talk will describe how Jupyter Notebooks are being integrated into SUNET Drive, the File Sync and Share solution hosted by SUNET based on Nextcloud, using free and open source software accessible to anyone whishing to integrate Jupyter Notebooks with Nextcloud or similar EFSS solutions, which includes many of the European National Research and Education Networks.
Network automation plays a key role in improving operational efficiency and minimizing manual errors. However, it goes beyond mere efficiency or consistency; it becomes indispensable for rapidly adapting to changing network demands and facilitating seamless digital transformation. In this session, we are going go one step beyond from network automation, with an introduction to the reasons to use service orchestration, a practical example on the usage of a single source of truth together with GP4L, and an innovative strategy for evaluating infrastructure, spotlighting digital twins with a specialized focus on optical networks
Network Automation and Service Orchestration are two of the most exciting topics in the field of advanced networking—Like many popular technologies, there is a lot of confusion around the definition of these two terms, and they are often used interchangeably to describe processes that are different yet complementary. During this presentation, ESnet engineers will explore the key differences between these two deeply linked concepts and describe the use cases for each, providing attendees with inspiration for how to go beyond building individual network automations and towards network orchestration.
Driven by the need for consistent operations amid a growing user base, GP4L leverages network automation and orchestration for smoother operations from both admin and user perspectives. Using a single source of truth approach, workflows are defined to execute standard operations procedures. An event-driven approach ensures consistency and updates across all network management devices. Integration with reservation tools enables users to access resources seamlessly. This case study exemplifies orchestrating multiple network management components, offering insights for handling common challenges in automation and orchestration. The implementation, using the NMaaS system, encourages wider adoption and collaborative problem-solving within the community.
Modern optical backbone networks often employ partially disaggregated architecture, separating Optical Line Systems (OLS) from transponders to enable swift adoption of high-speed optical interfaces. Integration of small-form-factor pluggable coherent optics into routers further enhances network capabilities. However, planning and deploying optical circuits face challenges due to the disaggregated architecure, now mitigated by lab testing and field trials. This presentation proposes a digital twin (DT) solution for infrastructure evaluation, particularly using GNPy as a QoT-e. Implementing a DT in a lab environment mirroring GARR’s optical network is explored to aid NRENs in adopting advanced technologies efficiently.
Collaboration is a vital part of any community and this is especially true for the GÉANT and global R&E communities. While the results of collaboration are important, just as it's vital to continue to collaborate, we must always be looking toward the future. This session will include a series of presentations covering searching for innovative ideas, case studies to inspire and some specific calls to collaborate and improve things for us all. We all work best when we work together and collaboration is not just needed in the future, it's needed to ensure we have one!
In recent years, the role of NRENs has been rapidly changing, with an increase in the needs and demands of institutions and their users, especially in light of the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. A new reality in the need for access from anywhere, with the use of tools, products and services that enable the best use of educational content and research development was leveraged, facing the challenge of socioeconomic differences and democratization of access. This presentation proposes to highlight some actions and projects developed by RNP in proposing innovative business models, that bring new opportunities and services to the benefit of educational and research institutions, as well as greater democratization and equity for access to a significant connectivity. In this context, two initiatives implemented by RNP are presented, with innovative business models that enable new opportunities, and their respective results already achieved: North Connected and Internet Brazil.
The Innovation Programme is meant to drive innovation for the GÉANT Community by the community. In this session, we create an environment of intimate dialogue to invite the audience to reflect and ponder on what has worked and what hasn’t, why and why not, and how we can all be part of its future.
The Sympa mailing list manager turns 27 this year – pretty old for a free software. During 20 years its developement was handled by the French research and education community. Over the course of this period, which saw Sympa raise to international recognition, we met success as well as failure while managing the project.
Now that we are working on Sympa successor, we try not to reproduce what we did wrong and improve what we did right. And as community is the key to success, we share all these with you, hoping to make you part of our next community.
This presentation advocates for the implementation of sustainable practices in addressing climate change, emphasizing the responsibility of collaborative networking for the efficient collection and representation of data to enhance existing methodologies through technological intelligence. CEDIA proposes to use protocols such as GHG PROTOCOL or ISO 14064, including not only the adaptation of measurement methodologies and the integration of IoT sensors and AI algorithms, but also the promotion of global awareness and the creation of a sustainable culture that can be extended to NRENs and higher education organizations.
Invitation Only - please note this is a private side meeting for NREN CEOs only. Invites will have been sent directly to indiviudals who can attend this event.
"Space. The final frontier." - what once belonged to futuristic imaginary is now the standard operating territory of NRENs, as this session exemplifies. Our speakers arrive from quite distant locations on the surface of the planet, but they all share the great expanse as their workspace. Either to provide connectivity or to advance science on weather, climate or other matters, they all rely on satellites, and are ready to share their experiences and present their infrastructures.
The term 'Rendezvous' evokes images of a purposeful gathering, which for the Indigenous Inuit of Canada's Arctic Region in Nunavut translates into the harmonious meeting of traditional knowledge and contemporary technology. Our Presentation will delve into the heart of Nunavut, where LEO technology is being used to weave a new digital narrative. This narrative is central to TNC's ethos of facilitating global research and education through advanced networking technologies. By exploring the story of Nunavut Arctic College’s LEO technology integration, we will reveal how digital decolonization can catalyze community empowerment and affirm the control over Inuit data and knowledge sovereignty.
Copernicus is the European Earth observation program, Europe's eyes on Earth. It provides various services that help researchers, scientists, governments, the private sector and academia to cope with climate risks.
In this talk, I will share RedCLARA's experience in building an Earth observation strategy that has allowed the Copernicus Academy to build capacities and skills around Earth observation issues for Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe through training, pilots and innovation activities (a strategic Ideathon and a successful Hackathon that involved 300 key participants from Europe and Latin America) that showcase the experience of each region and promote bicontinental collaborative work to identify common challenges and create solutions.
A great work that will show the use, applicability and impact that BELLA infrastructure allows for both regions.
Explore EUMETSAT's vital mission in monitoring weather and climate from space, and how this significantly impacts our daily lives. EUMETSAT plays a pivotal role in gathering essential data for accurate weather forecasting, and the climate record. GEANT and NRENs enable the swift exchange of information critical for forecasting, enhancing our ability to predict and respond to weather events. By understanding the synergy between EUMETSAT, GEANT, and the NRENs, we unravel the intricate web that supports weather data collection and numerical weather prediction, ultimately safeguarding communities and economies worldwide
Leading experts in the field of AI will be discussing how they will be approaching AI to support R&E
With the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT, many RENs are exploring the value of integrating LLMs into their service offerings and operations. In this session, “Networks that Speak your Language”, we show how your networking teams can easily benefit from the use of a LLM to boost operational efficiency by using simple natural language interactions that help improve the human operator experience. You’ll learn how this AI assistant can help your teams through several practical examples such as query documentation, check device and network state, troubleshoot issues and create accurate configurations.
Quantum computing will revolutionize how we process information, offering unprecedented efficiency in data analysis, optimization and simulations. Its impact spans various domains, including materials science, communications, and pharmaceuticals. However, the complexity and cost of building quantum computers have historically restricted access to a select few. The QCloud project harnesses the power of quantum computing through the cloud and enables a broader base of researchers and institutions to contribute to quantum advancements.
Looking forward, the intersection of quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI) presents a tremendous opportunity for innovation. The synergy between these technologies has the potential to transform sectors such as cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, healthcare/pharma, and finance, unlocking new solutions and paving the way for a more interconnected future filled with opportunities for innovation and progress.
We have become accustomed to the continuous and rapid development of network technologies. New signaling protocols are constantly being developed, faster interfaces are available and more powerful devices are becoming available. In this dynamic environment, aspects of control plane stability and security, data transmission efficiency and adaptation of new technologies are very important. During this session we will hear about issues related to the analysis and diagnostics of the key Internet protocol BGP , the use of an open source router in 5G technology and methods to increase the efficiency of large data transmission
This work targets the implementation of the 5G UPF in RARE, leveraging general-purpose hardware to avoid the need for a commercial all-in-one device. The main function of the UPF in 5G networks is to route user traffic between the RAN and other external networks. This approach provides two main benefits: a) increments the performance of the UPF packet processing function by offloading it to the data plane, and b) the user traffic is fully controlled by the customer. Our UPF implements PFCP for the communication with the SMF in the control plane, and performs GTP encapsulation/decapsulation to forward user data.
This presentation will present a comprehensive platform that provides a detailed overview of BGP routing and analysis which not only reveals the entire landscape of BGP routing but also showcases incidents associated with route hijacks, identifies both victims and attackers, and presents a range of statistics, including hijack data, routing paths, and various other features. The primary objective of the platform is to enhance the responsiveness of network operators by offering event severity assessment, automated event warnings, and event replay functionalities. In addition, the platform offers a suite of tools designed to assist network operators in monitoring their networks.
NOTED (Network Optimized Transfer of Experimental Data) is an intelligent network controller that aims to improve the throughput of large data transfers in FTS (File Transfers Services), the service used to exchange data transfers between WLCG (Worldwide LHC Computing Grid) sites, to better exploit the available network resources. It has been shown successful results during SC22 and SC23 where, NOTED was dynamically reconfiguring the network topology by using an SDN (Software-defined Network) provider. Recently, NOTED has been integrated with the CERN NMS (Network Monitoring System) to identify which WLCG sites are congesting the network, both in LHCOPN and LHCONE networks
How can we navigate the complexities of innovation responsibly? This session offers practical insights into ethical AI use, enhancing EdTech through collaboration, and addressing legal challenges in higher education research and development.
SURF and Npuls collaborate to explore the crucial role of Educational Technology (EdTech) in Dutch higher and vocational education. They address challenges including mismatched demand and supply, inefficient lifecycle management, and overreliance on (major) suppliers. Through initiatives like the EdTech Pilothub, they promote innovative collaboration models, streamline procurement processes, and enhance EdTech visibility. Projects such as the EdTech Marketplace and Startup In Residence (SiR) EdTech program facilitate partnerships between institutions and startups, fostering co-creation of solutions. Initiatives like the Value Compass and Collaborative Trust Framework promote discussions on values and trust, ensuring procurement aligns with public values. SURF's efforts ensure procurement adheres to established ethical standards, fostering an inclusive digital learning environment in the Netherlands.
The new technologies embedded in R&D+i projects of higher education institutions can pose a risk of infringing upon the rights of third parties if not framed within a comprehensive concept of responsible innovation that addresses the legal challenges of its development. To this end, it is proposed to integrate due diligence processes for identifying and evaluating specific legal risks in R&D+i projects, particularly focusing on personal data protection and intellectual property rights, contributing to a broader understanding of responsible innovation that fully encompasses the legal dimension and promotes a proactive and responsible role of researchers.
How do you ‘do’ ethics? In this presentation at the TNC we will explore 'Responsible AI', focusing on practical experiences and strategies for integrating ethical and responsible AI within SURF and member institutions. It will discuss the application of ethical AI maturity models and other methods for ensuring AI’s trustworthiness, covering transparency, fairness, and accountability. The presentation aims to share real-world case studies and insights from SURF. Sharing our learnings by ‘doing’ responsible AI, hopefully initiate a conversation with fellow NRENs on the ethical complexities of AI and encourage future work on ‘responsible tech’.
This session focusses on the implementation of security principles and actions with concrete experiences in the field. One presentation will expose how the 4 MANRS actions have been successfully implemented in practice to increase secure routing in the context of a large R&E network. A second presentation will expose some of the limitations of the zero-trust security concept in practice. The last presentation will present the experience of an NREN hosting Tor exit relays
Insecure routing is one of the most common paths for malicious threats to networks. To improve the security of the global routing system, MANRS initiative has been created and is currently promoted by Internet Society. This presentation focus on how RedCLARA NEG (Network Engineering Group) has implemented the 4 MANRS actions and how we have achieved and maintained a score of 100% for them. In addition to that, we will present RedCLARA infrastructure and the evolution throughout the last 5 years. We will also present the systems currently in use to support NEG activities and backbone monitoring.
Zero-trust security is a concept that has gained widespread popularity in recent years as a security approach that aims to improve security by eliminating trust in users, devices, and networks. Zero-trust includes continuously requiring user identity verification, limiting access and assuming that attackers have breached an organization’s networks. However, in practice, it has been found that the zero-trust security approach has caveats.
The Tor network, known for providing privacy and censorship circumvention to millions of daily users, is made up of volunteer relay operators around the world. A growing number of these relays are hosted at or run by European NRENs and universities. This session by Tor Project and Switch will compare Tor's education, community, and research goals to the NREN mission. We will use Switch's experience hosting Tor exit
relays as a case study to talk about lessons learned and raise policy decisions that NRENs and universities should consider.
Local, regional, or global scale - networks are part of the way we work. Because our networks are integral to our everyday life, measuring, analyzing, and improving what they do and how they work is a crucial part of their lifecycle. In this session we will investigate just how that is done on real networks with real results
This talk will introduce the MetrANOVA, a community consortium formed in late 2023 by ESnet, GÉANT, Indiana University, Internet2, and Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) to develop tools, tactics, and techniques for network measurement. As a natural, trusted, and open consortium, we would like to share our roadmap and invite interested parties to engage with the consortium.
This talk will give the result of a longitudinal analysis of 6-years of data resulting from the problems and questions that were submitted to the Engagement and Performance Operations Center (EPOC) project for Roadside Assistance and Consulting. EPOC is a US National Science Foundation supported Center to support data sharing for research and education.
In 2024, many of the submarine cable systems constructed in the end of the ‘90s are coming to the end of their lifespan (25 years). A new supply of systems is now coming to replace them and – as part of this process – the global connectivity landscape is changing. New hubs are forming, technologies are evolving, and a new type of ownership, over-the-top telcos (OTTs), is rapidly replacing the classic telcos. OTTs are set to dominate the landscape, with virtually no new (consortium) systems being built without some level of OTT involvement. With an eye towards GN5-2, GÉANT will work on further strengthening connectivity to the edges of its pan-European network and continue the intercontinental activities of GN5-IC1.
Questions such as whether the current positioning and capabilities of Open Exchanges are adequate in light of new cable builds, plans and traffic patterns; whether technologies and contractual terms of the current links we rely upon are adequate; or, what the best mechanism for traffic Engineering at the global level is, will also be examined.
This session investigates what NREN future holds for us and how we can go about it. We will unpack it from different dimensions: how to ensure we have leaders that are fit for the future challenges, reflect on how to build a universe where research and education knowledge can flourish and finally hear from the GN5-1 Foresight Study task on the trends, challenges and strategical paths identified for the European NREN community beyond 2030. The presentations will certainly leave you pondering.
This session will provide expert insight into the evolving worldwide leadership and culture trends. Specifically, the session will focus on the critical areas that our global REN community must proactively address in order to have a secure and successful future. More than an information download, you will leave this session both informed about the critical emerging trends, and most importantly, equipped with a path to maximise the growth and success of your people and culture. The presentation will also introduce you to the exclusive and specifically designed REN Global Leadership Development Programme.
This talk is an examination of key socio-technical standards and frameworks for security and service management through the metaphor of an old-school adventure quest. It will look at how they help us, why none of them have all the answers, where the limits are and how complementary and contradictory they are.
The main focus will be on:
• ISO27001
• ITIL4
• DevOps and SRE
It will cover advantages and disadvantages including accessibility and openness.
The GÉANT Foresight Study is outlining the possible shape of our community approaching 2030. Based on the past experience, expertise of community members, analysis of trends and challenges, study presents a few potential scenarios for the evolution of the case for NRENs in 2030. We will dedicate some time to address the approach and methodology we took, while concentrating more on the results of the study: main identified challenges, and potential scenarios. The presentation and the study are by no means a prescriptive work – it should serve the as the basis for consideration for the long-term strategic planning and discussions.
Get ready to soar through the skies of innovation as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of Trust & Identity. In this session, we'll be exploring new horizons and see how NRENs are shaping the future 'on the fly'.
In a collaborative effort between RESTENA and DFN, a new EAP method has been developed, that leverages FIDO security tokens like YubiKeys or even device built-in tokens like Windows Hello for eduroam login. Say goodbye to passwords and insecure certificate verification parameters. The new EAP method can be used with a simple "click on the SSID and
enter one string". The presentation will give an overview of the
protocol design, a status update on the specification process and discuss ways this can be integrated into institution networks for an easier eduroam configuration - both on the user's and the
administrator's side.
Discover the evolution of guest user access management in institutions. We discuss the challenges guest access brings to security and privacy. At SURF we are implementing a solution that merges role-based access management (RBAC) with real-time guest account provisioning through the SCIM protocol and SURF’s federation infrastructure. We will explore the implementation possibilities in both hub&spoke and mesh federations. This presentation caters to NRENs and institutional stakeholders involved in managing guest access or identity and access management. Gain insights and best practices that help improve your access management landscape and safeguard your institution's security and privacy.
OpenID Federation is a new identity federation specification targeting the industry standards OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, also being used as a trust framework for many wallet
initiatives. In this presentation we will give an overview of the
OpenID Federation standard and how we're implementing it in eduGAIN. Find out how NRENs, federation operators and service administrators can join us along the trip towards this new technological standard and trust framework for federated authentication
Lightning Talks are 5 minute presentations focusing on one key point. This can be an idea, successful project, a cautionary story, collaboration invitation, quick tip or demonstration. This session is an opportunity for ideas to get the attention they deserve.
The rules for this session are easy: five minutes and only five minutes to get your message heard by the audience.
Technologies developed for R&E institutions can also be used and adapted so that more people in society can benefit from them, thereby strengthening the societal role of the NREN community.
Belnet, the Belgian NREN, has adapted the FileSender service so that it can benefit the various departments of the federal government, which was convinced by its innovative functionalities and its guarantee of exchanging sensitive data in complete security.
New Zealand’s national cyber security agencies provide trusted lists of threat intelligence that are specifically curated for New Zealand organisations. These dynamic lists of threat indicators are formed using local knowledge and other international threat intelligence and are updated in close to real time. REANNZ take these threat feeds, block them at the edge of the network, and provide telemetry back to the agencies and our customers.
This lighting talk will explain how we have implemented threat blocking within our network to protect all our customers.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA) at universities has changed dramatically over the last couple years as campuses responded to the pandemic, MFA phishing bypass attacks, and the changing environment. The Internet2 NET+ Duo program sponsored a 2023 MFA Community survey with 225 unique responses with responses from Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom. Responding universities protect the learning of over 3 million students. This presentation will discuss the results from the survey and how MFA is evolving to provide ideas for other universities to improve MFA.
Every research and education network operator is dealt with its unique intricacies that are influenced by both in-country policies, and regional or global transnational cooperation strategies; but, all are confronted with the issue of sustainability. Factors such as policies, funding, research & innovation goals, socio-economic benefits and impact determine the existence and survival of NRENs. This lightning talk will focus on the experience of the Philippine REN and its continuing challenges in sustaining its operation as a government-run network.
How, and at which speed is climate change impacting the oceans? Real-time monitoring of ecosystems and invasive species can give insights into future scenarios and help with proactive measures. However, the task of monitoring marine wildlife is arduous and complex, demanding custom approaches by scientific teams. Our seas’ incredible diversity makes the establishment of underwater monitoring systems a recurring and adaptive process. With the aid of real-time analytics and automatic model adjustments, it’s possible to understand and implement immediate actions in the marine ecosystem. This novel approach blends edge computing with cloud processing, not only simplifying the implementation of monitoring systems, but also promoting enduring conservation efforts, as it continually refines and updates edge models with fresh ecological insights.
Every click, swipe and scroll leaves an impact on the environment. As we rely more on the Internet in many sectors and for many applications, the carbon footprint of the internet is rising, and it is unclear if we can achieve the net zero goals by 2050. Introducing carbon awareness to computer networks is one promising solution, yet with many challenges. In a simulation-based framework, a new carbon-aware traffic engineering algorithm was implemented and tested on real network topologies including GEANT. An easy 15% carbon savings was achieved without changes to the infrastructure and without additional costs.
Many official documents remain difficult for ordinary recipients to understand, hindering effective communication. Utilizing advancements in text-to-text AI, this talk describes a tool called "Simple Writing" that automatically transforms sophisticated documents into simpler versions. The AI model, trained on domain-specific data, generates a simplified text without losing crucial details or altering the original context. By implementing this tool, governments and other entities can improve the accessibility and comprehension of official documents, fostering better citizen engagement. It can also help school and university authorities communicate clearly with students and assist researchers and IT specialists in delivering clear technical and usage documentation
I am presenting an idea of alerting poor data quality issues to the analyst based on the analysis type and data quality issues. The alerting is supposed to help organizations not waste resources on data processing and data quality, but also make informed decisions based on the analysis of the poor quality data.
With the internet's ever-growing nature, the importance of cyber security is heavily emphasised in the modern network environment. Much is done to prevent and mitigate DDoS attacks, social engineering, and malware. Unfortunately, when it comes to the most essential protocol to any company looking to connect to the internet, about half of the time, security is overlooked. When any entity can advertise their ownership of any IP address, many types of malicious attacks from data sniffing to misdirection, to complete black holing of data can occur. By accident, or through malicious intent, the advertisement of incorrect routing information has been the cause of some of the internet's biggest outages and data leaks. It is a well-known fact that BGP is by nature unsecure. So why, then, do only 53% of companies that use the BGP protocol to peer with others and connect the internet try to secure it properly?
This lightning talk will tell you all you need to know about planning, tendering and implementing the new Funet Cyber Security Operations Center as a service, that CSC started to offer for Finnish Funet NREN community 11/2023.
Job security is not what it used to be. The truism that "it's not just what you know, but who you know" applies more than ever. This talk sheds light on the vital yet daunting task of building a human network, especially for us geeky introverts. The goal is to provide practical strategies for identifying your dream job, finding where your future colleagues congregate online, and engaging with them in a way that feels authentic to you. One of the first steps is lurking, but this grows from there. Let's get you prepared and comfortable with career instability.
Having joined HEAnet in late 2023 as Research Engagement Officer, I initiated a horizon scan to explore how other NRENs are supporting research and researchers, with a particular emphasis on Open Research practices. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of the key findings from this horizon scan and illustrate how they intersect with the ongoing initiatives at HEAnet, aligning closely with the objectives of the National Open Research Forum (NORF) in Ireland. Additionally, this session will extend an invitation to individuals interested in promoting FAIR Data and Open Research at a national level to collaborate.
Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in the tech industry, comprising only a fraction of the workforce. This gap is not just a matter of diversity; it's a missed opportunity for innovation and growth. It's crucial to recognize that diverse teams lead to better outcomes. Companies with a more balanced gender representation tend to be more innovative and profitable. However, women face numerous challenges in entering and thriving in the IT sector. This presentation will delve into the achievements and insights gleaned from the Women in IT Networking at SC (WINS) program. WINS endeavors to sponsor 5-8 proficient female professionals in the early- to mid-stages of their careers to volunteer for SCinet, the group responsible for designing and building the world's fastest temporary network at the annual International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis, also known as SC. Over its nearly decade-long tenure, the program has remained adaptive to the evolving demands of the contemporary workforce. It has done this through financial support, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. At TNC24, WINS is proud to unveil its global outreach initiative and invites applications from international candidates eager to participate in this groundbreaking endeavor.
In our interconnected world, where collaboration and knowledge sharing within the research and education (R&E) space are required at a global scale, the R&E networks have helped to build a system of networks to ensure resilient and efficient connectivity. The backbone systems, such as the Asia-Europe Ring (AER), Asia-Pacific Oceanic Network (APOnet), Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) collaboration, etc, show how each provides multiple points of resiliency for the specific regions, and how each system could improve by working together.
With these systems in place, it ensures researchers, educators, and students are able to drive scientific progress on a global level.
VUCA!
The ‘Wake up!’ of the business world! VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. These are the challenges faced by management and their workforce every day in the modern business landscape. NRENs are no exception. So, Switch started a transformation to address these challenges. Where did Switch start its transformation? In meetings.
Lightning Talks are 5 minute presentations focusing on one key point. This can be an idea, successful project, a cautionary story, collaboration invitation, quick tip or demonstration. This session is an opportunity for ideas to get the attention they deserve.
The rules for this session are easy: five minutes and only five minutes to get your message heard by the audience.
Will/should we as NRENs take on additional contractual and financial risks if we can, by doing so, provide additional value and lower the risks for R&E institutes? How do we “sell” this to our members? Or are we risk averse, and do we let each institutes take these risks?
In this lightning talk I will use recent examples within SURF demonstrating this is more complex than you might think.
Most organisations in our community have been created between 20 and 30 years ago as bottom-up community driven activities. However, they also mainly rely on ministerial/governmental top-down funding. At a time when funding for digital is simultaneously "everywhere" but "increasingly competitive" - how do organisations in our community achieve top-down recognition by the funding bodies? How do we as community organisations manage the middle, where our validation is from the bottom up and our funding is top-down? What sort of communications and considerations are needed to balance ourselves in this environment?
This lightning talk offers a brief narrative of the Zino network monitor's success story, and its ongoing modernization: Its feature set, how it has been used successfully for monitoring research networks **for more than 25 years by Uninett, NORDUnet and SUNET**, and the ongoing collaborative endeavor by *NORDUnet* to reimplement Zino's state monitor component to ensure it remains a compelling choice in the future, *even for NRENs outside the Nordics*.
While the journey of NRENs is often centred on reaching maturity, little attention is given to the pitfalls of regression and what causes it. The presentation will delve into why maintaining the status quo might not be enough to sustain maturity and growth and it will highlight the conditions under which an NREN is likely to experience regression and decline. The presentation will also highlight the value addition of functions such as Business Development, Risk Management, and Internal Audit, through which an NREN can regain relevance and continue to grow
Nowadays, user tracking is pervasive in the Internet. Most websites try to identify their users and gather as much information as possible from them in order to customize their experience and maximice company's revenues. However, the collected information has been found to be used for many other purposes such as price discrimination, financial assessment, phishing or even identity theft. In this presentation we introduce eprivo.eu, a new online service based on a set of state-of-the-art new web tracking detection and classification methodologies, where anybody can scan a particular website and look for the web tracking methods running in the background used to collect our personal information
In an era defined by rapid technological development, it’s crucial to reflect on the evolution of universities. The integration of 5G technology within university campuses holds a profound opportunity to reshape the educational experience. This lightning talk aims to explore the transformative potential of 5G, where boundaries blur, and innovation thrives. Drawing insights from leading Finnish universities leveraging the 5G test network, the talk will delve into three key areas: the benefits of 5G, its use cases, and fostering collaboration for success. This presentation further aims to offer a visualization of the concept of "University 4.0", showcasing how 5G seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructure to create dynamic and collaborative educational experiences.
In our network engineering study, we utilize the GNS3 simulation tool to replicate real-world scenarios and optimize network performance. Our approach includes intensive traffic simulations to fine-tune operations and identify potential improvements. We propose an Advisory Service leveraging GNS3 and cloud solutions to provide tailored recommendations for seamless equipment integration. This service empowers NRENs to stay ahead of evolving demands and ensure seamless operations.
This lightning talk will draw parallels between cybersecurity and climate change communication, highlighting the topics shared complexity and the importance of innovative communication strategies to inspire action. Reflecting on past struggles in communicating climate change, the talk will emphasise the approach of evidence-based message framing to convey clear and compelling narratives. Using examples from awareness campaigns, it will highlight the benefits of this approach in shaping perceptions and motivating action. The aim is to highlight an approach to communicating cybersecurity that could be applied to security awareness initiatives in the GÉANT community.
This presentation will provide an overview of the EUDAT data management services and how collaboration with NREN can be beneficial to further support Open Science in Europe.
One critical success factor of large-scale IT infrastructure deployment is rigorous and automated testing. Strategic test automation where tests are continuously adapted and executed based on requirements complements traditional IT monitoring solutions, and provides a viable strategy for testing in an industrial-grade DevOps project.
We will guide the audience through a whole test automation pipeline, from systems design to integration engineering, to fully automated testing using virtual desktop environments.
This summer, Sean Cummings and Chris Cummings developed a proof of concept SIIT-DC NAT64 translator using the ESnet SmartNIC framework and DPDK. In this lightning talk, I'll explore the advantages of this framework for rapidly developing high-performance hardware network functions. I'll provide an overview of the ESnet SmartNIC framework and discuss how we utilized P4 and DPDK to achieve 100G line-rate IPv6 SIIT-DC translation on an FPGA.
It is not often we see a government department deviate from a state entity mandated by law to oversee their ICT affairs, due to dissatisfaction from alleged low quality of service, at least not in South Africa. This talk takes the audience through a short anecdote of what happens when an instrumental government department finally approaches an NREN to "solve" their ICT systems problems.
New eduMEET with new architecture, scalability and independence.
Ready for an interactive, dynamic and substantive LT presentation with audience
participation?
An interesting and technically challenging combination of a traditional presentation and a live demonstration will draw those in the audience into being part of the presentation!
In 2024, InCommon is hosting its third annual Cyber Security Cooperation Exercise for federation member organizations, focused on using the REFEDS Sirtfi framework. Past years have highlighted that some organizations’ security teams are unaware of Sirtfi or have not updated their internal procedures to fully institutionalize federation cooperation when security incidents involve external federation partners. This exercise is open to eduGAIN and REFEDS members, with opportunities to get federation operators involved. Last year, we saw participation from New Zealand and Australian R&E trust federations. The call for participation will go out in September, inviting federation member organizations to participate in November’s distributed tabletop exercise. This call for participation goes to both the InCommon mailing list and the REFEDS mailing list. This lightning talk will be a five minute presentation with highlights of the exercise purpose and why such practice is important, some lessons learned from the past two years, and pitching that participation is not limited to InCommon but open to members across eduGAIN who participate in the REFEDS Sirtfi trust framework.
In out lightning talk, we explore the enigma that is quantum entanglement, both in science and philosophy. In an era where data security is paramount, we unravel the practical tool that is quantum cryptography and its role in transforming secure communication in critical sectors like banking and defense.
We will also delve into the philosophical implication of quantum entanglement and how this mysterious phenomenon challenges our understanding of the universe. Quantum physics, at the end of the day, is not just a field for scientists, but a topic for philosophical inquiry.
Can a lightning talk about the production of the conference opening program be technical? What if the initial performance is packed with interesting technologies that are worth discovering, showing and explaining? For example - a ticking atomic clock, or drones that not only fly, but also create sound? Or the artificial intelligence that we harnessed to cooperate? In a word - a mix of old and new, advanced technologies with retro solutions, and above all - a practical "behind the scenes" art & science show on TNC.
In a time of growing global challenges, this session will analyse the current and future Geopolitical trends that could influence our combined infrastructures, services, and more importantly, relationships, across the world. With speakers contributing from the European Union, the United Kingdom, UbuntuNet Alliance, and Japan, the aim of this session is to unpack and discover not just the key policy initiatives and bilateral relations that will define dynamics between different regional blocks, but also assess how these could become manifested in our shared perceptions and working relationships between them.
We welcome a panel of experts from different backgrounds and with different viewpoints on the current geopolitical landscape to discuss and debate how we can work together for the good of R&E.
Join us for an informative network session on "Try, Test & Measure,” featuring three talks. Explore Brazil's pioneering journey with OpenRAN and the establishment of a nationwide testbed. Discover the collaborative effort between GEANT and ESnet in creating an interoperable DTN Testing Facility for international science projects. And delve into the implementation of EOSC Monitoring, Messaging, and Accounting using ARGO services, fostering interoperability within the research community.
Join us as we dive deep into the OpenRAN@Brasil Program and its challenges, especially regarding the building of the nationwide open RAN testbed - a powerful resource for industry, government, and academia to experiment and innovate. We'll share our almost three-year journey exploring cutting-edge technologies, unveil pathways to contribute to the program and unlock opportunities for partnerships with national and international testbeds. Additionally, we will present the evolution of the research performed by the working groups regarding innovative applications and solutions for open RAN and our experience building open calls for working groups and startups.
International research projects quite often need to transfer large amounts of data across long distances. To assess and improve data transfer between different sites, dedicated computer systems, with specific hi-end hardware components and dedicated transfer tools called Data Transfer Nodes (DTN) are used. This presentation introduces an interoperable Data Transfer Testing Facility established through a collaborative initiative between GEANT, and ESnet, the US Energy Sciences Network. The collaborative project focuses on the establishment of an interoperable collection of DTNs positioned strategically in crucial sites in Europe and the United States, for the global research and education communities
The EOSC Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda calls for a System of Systems with a strong interoperability framework. In order to address this EOSC Monitoring, Messaging and Accounting were designed to offer a number of integration options for providers and researchers to gain benefit from them. With this presentation the audience will get a glimpse of the capabilities and functionality of ARGO services as they are used in EOSC. They will also get acquainted with their corresponding integration options.
Join us for an insightful session on network automation! Learn how our community members have designed and deployed network orchestration setups. We will have talks on the tools used to achieve network service orchestration. Discover parallel journeys of ESnet and Internet2, showcasing their similar yet unique automation paths. Closing the session with a presentation on migrating an entire network, making use of automation and orchestration.
HEAnet's ambition is to fully automate all operational tasks of our business. But this is a journey, it takes time, and it is tough. Imagine you are sitting at the top of a mountain, but you need to meet your friends who are waiting for you in a cosy restaurant at the bottom. Much like our automation journey you have many options to take. Which one is fastest, which one is safest, or which one ensures you will actually get there ! Our talk will give you an overview of the decisions and paths that HEAnet took on our automation Journey and provide you with the best advice on taking your next steps.
ESnet and Internet2 embarked on similar network automation journeys as part of both of their recent network upgrades. Those efforts used some of the same technologies (like Cisco Network Services Orchestrator); those solutions were used in different ways but the end results were similar - fairly complete automation of network configuration and support for network service provisioning. This talk will highlight those comparable efforts, where the two organizations independently designed similar workflows, where those workflows diverged, and how we ended up with similar results. We hope this talk will encourage others to embark on similar automation journeys and find ways to collaborate with others working on similar efforts.
The presentation will be focused on the use of GAP - GÉANT Automation Platform - for the migration of the GÉANT IP/MPLS network to a new vendor. There will be an update for the community on the status of the migration with some occasional deep dive into the strategies and mechanics used to demonstrate how orchestration and automation support the process and make it more reliable and predictable.
Security Operation Centers (SOCs) have been a hot topic for some time now. In this session, we will hear how three NRENs are taking different approaches to help their members. Hear how RNP (Brasil) has a holistic vision for their SOC, how Restena (Luxemburg) has developed tooling to help organisations to grow their own SOC capabilities and how CESNET (Czech Republic) is helping the hospitals in their membership base with their hSOC. Come to be inspired, stay to keep a tally how many times we can say 'SOC' in one session.
TLuCySe4RE is a new project that aims to provide an innovative
state-of-the-art security framework for the R&E sector. Within this framework open-source or EU-funded solutions for building a SOC and many more relating services will be investigated and deployed. LuCySe4RE aims to strengthen capabilities to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats by building a SOC-like structure at low cost, supporting SOC and CSIRT teams in their day-to-day tasks of countering new threats and responding to incidents. The more, the project aims to provide a solution for R&E organisations with limited resources.
Cybersecurity has a primordial role in a digital world. Everything is connected, the technological evolution is exponential, and the human element continuously increases the cyberattack surface. The complexity of cybersecurity requires a strategy that must consider a set of capabilities that starts with identification and visibility, summed up with the protection, the detection, the response, the recovery, and the governance. In this cybersecurity strategy, SOC is crucial, especially because the protection efforts are not always enough, and cyber incidents tend to be a common part of organizations’ life, requiring a more effective integrated approach that must include response capabilities.
Since 2019, the Czech Republic has been hit by many cyberattacks on the ICT infrastructure of healthcare facilities. Some of them have crippled their operations for up to several weeks and caused extensive damage (approximately 16,000,000 €).
Healthcare facilities alone are not able to fully ensure cyber resilience. CESNET has come up with the hSOC (hospital Security Operation Centre) activity, in which it has offered to collaborate in ensuring the cybersecurity of hospitals.
The presentation will present both technical and organizational solutions that could be applicable in other EU countries and could help in enhancing the cybersecurity of critical entities.
Do you ever have trouble staying focused? Bored with some of the work you need to perform? Feeling too tired to drive home after work? Lack some inspiration to start a new project? The solution to all these questions is NOT a ChatGPT…but your brain. Reading one’s mind was a human dream documented as early as 300 BC. Now, thousands of years later, we are finally about to make this technology an everyday reality. This talk will give an outline on how we can create new way of interfacing with the computers around us for the betterment of humanity.
Hoekenrode 3
1102 BR Amsterdam
The Netherlands
City House, 126-130 Hills Rd,
Cambridge CB2 1PQ
United Kingdom
