Proof of Concept Network Project

Proof of Concept Network Project

Final Report

Prepared By

Jennifer Dunbabin, Project Applications Coordinator/Manager

Proof of Concept Network Project Final Report January 2010 Page 36 of 51

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Purpose of Report 6

2 Project Rationale 6

2.1 Background 6

2.2 Vision 6

2.3 Supporting Policy 7

2.4 Design 7

2.4.1 Network 8

2.4.2 Applications Software 10

2.4.3 Applications Projects 10

2.4.4 Governance and Project Management 11

3 Project Implementation 12

3.1 Network Build 12

3.1.1 South Australia 14

3.2 Victoria 15

3.2.1 Australian Capital Territory 16

3.3 Applications Software 16

3.3.1 VET Virtual 17

3.3.2 Practitioners’ Large Mail Box 18

3.3.3 mine.edu.au/Mahara 20

3.4 Applications Projects 21

3.5 Governance and Project Management 23

4 Project Outcomes 24

4.1 Network 24

4.2 Applications Software 25

4.3 Applications Projects 26

5 For Future Reference 26

5.1 Network Build 27

5.2 Applications Software 29

5.2.1 Server Considerations 29

5.2.2 Client Considerations 30

5.2.3 Bandwidth Considerations 31

5.2.4 Bandwidth Calculations 32

5.3 Applications Projects 35

5.4 Governance and Project Management 36

6 Attachments 37

6.1 Project Workplan (14 November 2008) 37

6.2 Participating Partners and Teaching Institutions 48

6.3 VET Virtual Flyer 50

6.4 Practitioners’ Large Mailbox Flyer 51

Figures

Figure 1 - The initial Proof of Concept Network vision 9

Figure 2 The Network in December 2009 13

Figure 3 Project Communication Example 14

Acknowledgements

Other contributors to the report are:

Jamie Sunderland from AARNet Pty Ltd on the network design and build, and

Chris Richter from Ricoshae Pty Ltd on applications software and apllications.

1  Purpose of Report

The purpose of this report is to document the:

·  project rationale and intentions

·  project implementation and outcomes, and

·  lessons learnt.

2  Project Rationale

2.1  Background

During 2005 – 2007 the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, through the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, funded the Access to Bandwidth Project (A2B) to investigate and make recommendations on the provision of a national high capacity network for the sector. In the course of the Project a network design was recommended and trialled (see Figure 1). The design was that of using AARNet to provide a national backbone for state networks. This model was shown not to deliver the levels of connectivity or performance required. In addition, metered traffic meant that cost was a serious inhibitor to the type of uses envisaged for a VET network. As a result, the Proof of Concept Network Project was set up to test to an alternate model of provision of connectivity – the end-to-end type provided by AARNet for the higher education sector, by building fibre-optic tail circuits between the AARNet backbone and selected TAFEs.

2.2  Vision

The vision underpinning the Access to Bandwidth Projects and this Project was the need to provide VET sector with a very high capacity network with no constraints on usage. To serve VET needs it must operate as a national network.

The Australian Research and Education Network (AREN) was the model for the Project: a not-for-profit network established to provide high capacity, high performing network services to the research and tertiary education sectors and an affordable price.

The Commonwealth has invested significant amounts of money to develop this network along with the universities and research organisation. It is desirable and economically sound to re-use this infrastructure to provide this infrastructure to provide an expanded tertiary network to include the VET sector.

DEEWR identified an opportunity: it noted many TAFEs were proximate to the existing tertiary network and that for, in networking terms, a small amount of funds, the tertiary network could be expanded to include the majority of TAFEs.

It was hypothesised that a national network would:

·  enhance the capacity of TAFEs to meet the skills needs of the future

·  enable the widespread use of interactive e-learning materials and virtual classrooms

·  provide easy and speedy access to content collections no matter where they are located in Australia

·  facilitate mutual recognition, credit transfer and cross-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral portability

·  expand the number of course offerings for learners in regional, remote and Indigenous communities

·  reduced time-frames for completion of courses of study

·  facilitate microeconomic reform of TAFEs by allowing them access to markets across Australia

·  in the longer term, influence future funding directions to ensure effective use of public funds to reduce duplication of teaching effort and resources across the nation.

2.3  Supporting Policy

The vision of a high capacity, end-to-end, optic fibre network for the VET sector was supportive of and complementary to current Federal policies and initiatives such as:

·  the Bradley Report and subsequent Council of Australian Government decisions to develop more clearly a tertiary sector from both the higher education and VET sectors

·  build on the Australian Government’s $88 million investment in the high-speed research network for universities, the Australian Research and Education Network (AREN), by extending this network to the training sector

·  the Digital Education Revolution, and

·  the National Broadband Network.

The network would also provide the essential infrastructure to mitigate the looming shortage of teachers by providing a platform where scare knowledge could be shared Australia-wide.

2.4  Design

The Project’s aim was to:

·  demonstrate the benefits a high speed dedicated network can provide to vocational education and training, and

·  assist in developing effective strategies for cross-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral collaboration for any future national tertiary education network.

It was a proof of concept project to test the benefits of, and identify issues associated with, a cross-jurisdictional high speed fibre-optic network, that would deliver end-to-end connectivity to vocational education and training institutions.

The Project’s Workplan is attached (at 7.1).

2.4.1  Network

DEEWR requested a minimum core network capacity of one gigabit. AARNet’s proposed design was for a separate one gigabit wavelength to each connected institution, where possible. To ensure no cross-institutional contention on the backbone, it was scaled up to 10 gigabits. Links of these capacities are now standard across tertiary and research networks in Australia and overseas.

From a technical architecture perspective, the proof-of-concept network was designed to reflect the thinking of how the VEN may look. It was intended to be a parallel network sitting alongside the AARNet network utilising AARNet’s Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical transmission equipment with new equipment to provide the routing for the VET sector.

The Proof-of-Concept Network (POCN) would provide a dedicated backbone network for the VET institutions that would peer with the AARNet network enabling direct communications between the VET sector and the Higher Education and Research sectors. The Network was not planned to have Internet access via AARNet due to Whole of Government (WoG) internet purchasing arrangements. Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Victorian dual-sector institutions were existing AARNet customers and so had access to the Internet via AARNet.

Figure 1 - The initial Proof of Concept Network vision

The original Workplan anticipated that Stage 1 of the network would be complete on 17 October 2008. The Workplan that was agreed in November 2008 pushed each of the stages back by several months.

Stage 1 which was due for completion by end of 2008 comprised:

·  Canberra Institute of Technology

·  SABRENet TAFEs (10) in South Australia, and

·  in Victoria the dual sector TAFEs (Swinburne, RMIT, VU and Ballarat who were already connected), Gordon Institute and the Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture.

Stage 2 focussed on testing hypotheses, evaluating and adjusting and was scheduled to run December 2008 through November 2009.

Stage 3 involved additional sites in Victoria and should this not be successful, other sites might be considered either in Victoria, other states or private RTOs. This was to be completed by June 2009.

In Victoria the other TAFEs identified for connection were:

·  William Angliss

·  Wodonga

·  East Gippsland, and

· 

·  Further Tail builds were approved in March 2009 including

·  Kangan Batman

·  Gordon

·  Holmesglen

Already on-net in Victoria were the four dual sector institutions:

·  Swinburne University of Technology

·  RMIT

·  Victoria University, and

·  University of Ballarat.

2.4.2  Applications Software

A critical aspect of the Network business model is to provide applications on-net so that the traffic between users of the software platforms will travel only over the network. This has the benefit of traffic travelling on an uncontested, over-provisioned network, and that traffic, because is on-net being unmetered. In addition, applications that required high capacity connectivity to work were required.

VET Virtual was refined and redeveloped to meet the needs of the Access to Bandwidth (A2B) Project and as such is an ideal application to offer to the Network users.

Two other applications were developed during the course of the Project:

·  the Practitioners’ Large Mail Box, and

·  mine.edu, an e-portfolio application using Mahara.

2.4.3  Applications Projects

There were two strands to the POCN Project: building the network and using it. The applications projects were to be the vehicle for testing network applications, structured to demonstrate the capacity for such a network to improve education and training outcomes. The POCN was to be completed to Stage 2 by late 2008, leaving a whole teaching year for any applications projects to run. Applications projects had to be centred around teaching delivery that could only occur with high capacity connectivity. The following guidelines were provided. Applications ideally should:

·  be something that is not presently available, or is currently available but not realising its maximum potential due to less-than-adequate bandwidth

·  not merely replicate an application that is already available

·  be an exemplar of the benefits of high-speed connectivity

·  have an identifiable educational outcome

·  cross jurisdictional borders (at least 2 applications)

·  demonstrate cross jurisdictional collaboration (at least 1 application)

·  involve more than 1 institute (at least 2 applications)

·  involve video conferencing (at least 1 application)

·  demonstrate a bandwidth-hungry application (at least 1 application)

·  be distinctly different in technique and form (not just 3 examples of videoconferencing)

·  involve a variety of learning disciplines

·  involve at least one traditional trade

·  apply across the tertiary sector or whole-of-education sectors (at least 1 application), and

·  be able to be implemented without undue impost of time or other resources by institutions (essential).

2.4.4  Governance and Project Management

The parties involved and their roles are outlined below:

·  Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) (sponsor, project leader, collaborative partner)

·  AARNet Pty Ltd (network provider, collaborative partner)

·  Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) (collaborative partner)

·  SABRENet Limited (collaborative partner)

·  Government of South Australia’s Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST) (collaborative partner), and

·  State Government of Victoria’s Victorian Skills Commission (VSC) (manager of financial relationship with AARNet Pty Ltd, collaborative partner).

Governance and division of responsibilities

The collaborative model employed for this project was one that required considerable goodwill and accommodation of the needs and interests of other parties and enormous enthusiasm to implement a worthwhile proof of concept. However, as the sponsor of the project, DEEWR had to approve all activities undertaken as part of the project and had the ultimate decision-making power in relation to how funding will be allocated and when project activities will be ceased.

VSC was responsible for the management of the financial relationship with AARNet Pty Ltd, on behalf of all parties to the project.

CIT, DFEEST and VSC were responsible for engaging with TAFE practitioners in their respective jurisdictions to identify champions who will lead their state’s activities in relation to the running of applications that trial potential uses of the network.

SABRENet Limited, DFEEST and AARNet Pty Ltd were responsible for developing an effective and efficient method of connecting the SABRENet TAFEs to the AARNet backbone.

AARNet were responsible for establishing, managing and operating the infrastructure that will support the network.

All parties were responsible for ensuring effective working relationships that provide the best environment in which to test the concept of a fibre-optic TAFE network.

3  Project Implementation

During the implementation period the National Broadband Network was announced on 7April 2009 followed by the Vocational Education Broadband Network (VEN) on 22 April 2009. These announcements changed the policy environment for the POCN Project and added demands on resources in DEEWR that were already overstretched managing the POCN Project.

3.1  Network Build

When the first Workplan was prepared it was understood to be feasible that Stage 2 of the network build would be completed by the end of December 2008. This was not achieved due, in large part, the extensive negotiation required leading up to the signing of the agreement between DEEWR, VSC and AARNet. Formal agreement was reached in November 2008. In addition, the method of contracting and administrative structures led to long lead times in the signing of the agreement between DFEEST and AARNet. The Project Manager at the time had to spend substantial amounts of time negotiating with the parties. The remainder of this section deals with the implementation activity and issues that occurred once the initial negotiation and contracting phase was complete.

The remainder of this section deals with the implementation activity and issues that occurred once the initial negotiation and contracting phase was complete.

A fibre-optical backbone has been established between Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra with associated routers that allow for a private inter-TAFE network with dedicated bandwidth to carry TAFE traffic separately to the rest of the AARNet traffic. This link is a single wavelength and single router connection in each State for the Proof-of-concept network. The separate network allows flexibility and an extended set of services that are not available on the Standard AARNet network, such as differentiating connectivity between TAFEs, Universities and Internet access. When the first Workplan was prepared it was understood to be feasible that Stage 2 of the network build would be completed by the end of December 2008. This was not achieved due, in large part, the extensive negotiation required leading up to the signing of the agreement between DEEWR, VSC and AARNet. Formal agreement was reached in November 2008. In addition, the method of contracting and administrative structures led to long lead times in the signing of the agreement between DFEEST and AARNet. The Project Manager at the time had to spend substantial amounts of time negotiating with the parties. The remainder of this section deals with the implementation activity and issues that occurred once the initial negotiation and contracting phase was complete.