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Cloud Services and Activities
Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. (NIST SP800-145)
TERENA has been involved in Cloud activities since 2010. These activity area pages are intended to link the work that has been taking place in TF-MSP, STORAGE, NREN-Clouds and the ASPIRE foresight study.
Compendium
The TERENA Compendium of National Research and Education Networks in Europe is the first stop when looking for basic information about NRENs. Published since 2001, the Compendium provides unique information about the development of NRENs in key areas such as legal form, users, network, traffic and budget and staffing. The 2005-2008 editions were part of the GN2 project, providing basic analysis of developments over time and comparisons between groups of NRENs. From 2009, production of the Compendium is supported by the GN3 project.
Customer Relationship Management Systems and the NRENs
There has been growing interest in many NRENs in the development and use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. This topic is currently being discussed in the TERENA Task Force on the Management of Service Portfolios (TF-MSP).
Development Support
Assistance to the development of research and education networking in less-advanced regions aims at understanding the status of research and education networking in less developed regions in and around Europe and undertaking specific actions in support of the research networking organisations in the countries concerned.
The work is currently part of the GN3 project. From September 2004 until March 2009 it was part of the GN2 project.
DNS Security
The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is a standard for securing information in DNS. Recent publications exposing security problems with the DNS system have renewed the interest in securing DNS. This work item, from task force Mobility and Network Middleware, explores the roll-out models in the NREN community both from a technological and a policy point of view.
Secretarial support for this task force work item is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
EACU (European Adobe Connect Users & Webconferencing group)
The primary aim of this group is to collect the Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro users in the European Research and Education Networking (NREN) community and facilitate them to communicate, collaborate and share information on the Adobe Connect webconference setups, feature requests, bug reports, as well as the use cases and deployment status. Beside Adobe Connect, the group accommodates a general discussion forum on all kind of webconferencing platforms.
ECAM (European Committee for Academic Middleware)
The European Committee for Academic Middleware (ECAM) was established in September 2006 as a steering committee for both TERENA Task Forces (TF-EMC2 and TF-Mobility) operating in the middleware area.
eduroam
eduroam, which has been running since 2003, is the educational network roaming infrastructure that allows users from participating institutions to access a wireless LAN at other participating locations using their home institution's credentials. The eduroam infrastructure is based on 802.1X standard technology and RADIUS proxy servers backend.
TERENA Secretariat staff are part of eduroam's European confederation level Operational Team, which is funded by the GN3 project.
End-to-End Provisioning
Today, individual e-science applications can generate network flows measured in Gbps, enduring hours, days or even weeks, often between a well-defined set of nodes, and with tight constraints on quality of service. The needs of such applications are best met by 'traffic engineered' point-to-point circuits, rather than 'best effort' routed networks. That is why the provisioning of end-to-end (E2E) lightpaths (i.e. Gigabit Ethernet circuits or even lambdas) is becoming very important in the service portfolios of national research and education networks (NRENs).
EuroCAMP
The TERENA EuroCAMP (European Campus Architecture Middleware Planning) workshops started in 2005. The aim of EuroCAMP is to reach out to the European campuses and promote state-of-the-art middleware technologies.
GLIF
GLIF, the Global Lambda Integrated Facility, is an international virtual organisation that promotes the paradigm of lambda networking. GLIF provides lambdas internationally as an integrated facility to support data-intensive scientific research, and supports middleware development for lambda networking. GLIF was established in August 2003.
Network Architects Workshops
This is a set of workshops in which current and future tools and technologies can be discussed and compared, with a view to further developing the expanding networks.
Network Performing Arts Production Workshops
Network Performing Arts Production workshops facilitate outreach to new user communities in the arts and humanities areas, particularly by demonstrating the use of research networks in supporting real-time musical, dance and artistic performances. Besides building a community with specific requirements in terms of bandwidth, network reliability, jitter and latency, the workshops demonstrate the use of specific audio, video and lighting techniques, tools and applications to support teaching, auditions and remote performances. Finally, the workshops provide opportunities for collaboration among institutions across NRENs, GÉANT and intercontinental research networks.
NREN - Enhanced Communication Server (N-ECS) images
The Task Force on Enhanced Communication Services (TF-ECS) packaged together previously available open-source software components to create ‘NREN - Enhanced Communications Server’ (N-ECS) images. This package allows easy installation - either on a physical server or a virtual machine - of a fundamental back-end SIP (Sessions Initiation Protocol) server infrastructure for secure videoconferencing, which is preconfigured to allow a quick start. The 'TERENA SIP Handbook' describing the software and documenting the way to install it was also produced by the group. This is targeted at NREN administrators and university campus network administrators.
NRENs and Grids Workshops
The purpose of the NRENs and Grids workshops is to bring together members of the NREN community with members of Grid projects in order to understand the common issues for these communities and to seek agreements and recommendations. TERENA has been running the NRENs and Grids workshops since May 2005.
NRENum.net Service
NRENum.net provides countries, where the Golden ENUM Tree (e164.arpa) is not available, with the possibility to publish ENUM data. The NRENum.net tree is queried by the participating partners in case no ENUM data is found in the Golden Tree. Those countries that have already access to the Golden Tree cannot get a delegation in NRENum.net.
NRENum.net is an effort of National Research and Education Networks (NREN). More information about NRENum.net can be found in the wiki charter. Currently over ten counties participate in NRENum.net.
REFEDS: Research and Education Federations
REFEDS' mission is to be the voice that articulates the mutual needs of research and education identity federations worldwide. It aims to represent the requirements of research and education in the ever-growing space of access and identity management.
REFEDS addresses to need of existing and emerging e-identity federations
operating in the field of education and research in Europe, Australia, America and Asia to collaborate on inter-federation issues.
SCHAC (SCHema for ACademia)
The SChema for Academia, SCHAC, is the result of the work carried out in the area of attributes coordination to address inter-institutional data exchange, recognised by the TF-EMC2 group as a real need.
TACAR
Since 2003, TACAR (TERENA Academic CA Repository) offers a trustworthy solution to the problem of downloading root CA certificates. The problem that TACAR addresses is the use of Public Key Infrastructures (PKI) and how to get the appropriate root CA certificates needed by browsers in a practical and cost-effective manner. A possible solution that can be applied within the TERENA community is the provision of a trusted repository which contains verified root CA certificates.
TERENA Certificate Service (TCS)
The TERENA Certificate Service (TCS) allows a variety of digital certificates to be offered to research and education institutions served by participating National Research and Education Networks (NRENs). TCS takes advantage of a bulk purchasing arrangement whereby NRENs may issue unlimited numbers of certificates for a flat fee. Certificates may be obtained through NRENs that are TCS Participants and are provided by Comodo CA Limited, one of the largest worldwide Certification Authorities.
TERENA Networking Conference
The TERENA Networking Conference has developed into the place to meet for NREN managers, senior technical staff, industry representatives, policy and decision makers and researchers. Through keynote speeches by renowned specialists and many parallel sessions, the Conference presents an overview of all the latest developments in research networking, both in the technical field and in the areas of application and management. A selection of the best papers is published every year on the web and an archive of presentations is available as well.
TF-CPR: Task Force on Communications and Public Relations
The task force on Communications and Public Relations, TF-CPR, promotes collaboration between research and education networking organisations in Europe in the areas of communications, marketing and public relations, through activities at the level of Communications / PR Officers / Marketing Managers.
TF-CPR is the name of a task force previously known as the Task Force on Public Relations and Information Dissemination, TF-PR, which was first established under the auspices of TERENA on 1 October 2003. In September 2009, the name changed to TF-CPR, the Task Force on Communications and Public Relations, which participants agreed better reflects the broader nature of their activities. TF-CPR is operating with a renewed 2-year mandate, which started on 1 October 2011.
TF-CSIRT
Computer security incidents require fast and effective responses from the organisations concerned. Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) are therefore responsible for receiving and reviewing incident reports, and responding to them as appropriate. TF-CSIRT is a task force that promotes collaboration and coordination between CSIRTs in Europe and neigbouring regions, whilst liaising with relevant organisations at the global level and in other regions.
TF-EMC2
TF-EMC2, the TERENA Task Force on European Middleware Coordination and Collaboration, started its mandate in September 2004. Over the years TF-EMC2 has given birth to several activities, such as SCHAC, REFEDs, TACAR and so on. All these activities are still coordinated within the task force, although they have an autonomous life.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-Media: Task Force on Applied Media in Teaching and Learning
Today, all public and private institutions are faced with the expectations of non technical users which have been created by the World Wide Web - the largest media network known to man. Internet services, roaming solutions, and the plethora of multi-media systems, tools, and applications are now openly, and often freely, available to all. Trying to come to terms with this rapidly developing paradigm is proving a challenge in a globalized world of National interests. These efforts, particularly in teaching and learning, will never converge, to offer users in public institutions the common collaboration platforms they demand, without unbiased guidance and open coordination.
National Research and Education Networks (NREN) members are in a good position to survey and analyse - in some cases develop, enhance and maintain – the special requirements of academic and research communities' changing multimedia needs. These needs are reconfiguring around the concept of co-production as opposed to the old broadcast (produce and deliver) model. For the worlds of education and research, which are always global, the way in which media is aggregated and disseminated between inter-institutional (disciplinary-centric) groups is proving particularly challenging.
The Task Force on Applied Media in Teaching and Learning builds on the mature relationship between NRENs and HEIs in Europe. It is established under the auspices of the TERENA Technical Programme to collect and share ideas, knowledge and experiences on how to support media applied to pedagogical (e-learning) as well as to research/scientific purposes.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-Mobility and Network Middleware
The development and deployment of mobile technologies and the usage of network middleware to support interoperable roaming services, are becoming key activities among NRENs and academic research institutions.
The TERENA task force on Mobility, which started in 2002, promotes the adoption of such technologies. In September 2008, a change in focus resulted in the renaming of the task force to TF-Mobility and Network Middleware (TF-MNM).
In September 2010, a new terms of reference were approved which strengthened the mobility areas of the task force, investigating ubiquitous mobility through 3G/LTE/4G services in addition to WiFi and the impact of Location Aware Services. The integration of network middleware to support identity federations and 2-factor authentication were also additions to the focus of the task force.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-MSP Management of Service Portfolios
The purpose of the task force TF-MSP is to promote collaboration between research and education networking organisations in Europe in the area of management of service portfolios.
TF-NOC
Today's NOC (Network Operation Centre) functions are essential, costly, and critical in respect of NRENs' main business, as well as of regional, metropolitan and campus network providers and infrastructure development projects. However, there is extreme diversity in terms of NOC organisation, structure, and roles across various domains. It is also hard to find information about common practices related to day-to-day NOC operations. This has created a situation where NOCs usually cope with similar issues, but in very different ways (i.e., various tools, procedures, workflows, etc.).
The Task Force on Network Operation Centres (TF-NOC) brings together NOC managers, engineers, developers, operators, controllers and project managers interested in NOC functions in order to share experiences and knowledge as well as to investigate the possibility of creating best common practices.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-Storage
The storage task force (TF-Storage) is to provide a forum for exchanging and promoting ideas, experience and knowledge, as well as fostering collaborations among National Research and Education Networks and academic and research institutions on the topic of:
a) data centre technologies, storage protocols and platforms (e.g., FCoE, iRODS, dCache, etc.)
b) data management and service delivery models (e.g., SAN/NAS, cloud storage, peer-to-peer storage, etc.), and
c) storage applications and services (e.g., FileSender, Unhosted.org, Vrijheid.net, etc.) that make raw data storage more attractive to end-users.
TF-Storage continues the discussion on opportunities and areas for collaboration on data storage services which began with two meetings back in 2007, with the first two-year mandate between 2008-2010, and with the second two-year mandate between 2010-2012.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
Training (GÉANT)
TERENA was involved in co-organising a number of training events under the GN2/NA8 (training) activity, and latterly the GÉANT (GN3) project, including but not limited to federated access training, network monitoring and eduroam administration training.
TRANSITS
TRANSITS provides affordable, high-quality training to both new and experienced Computer Security and Incident Response Team (CSIRT) personnel, as well as individuals with a bona-fide interest in establishing a CSIRT. TERENA runs regular training courses within Europe on a cost recovery basis, with financial support from ENISA. The course materials may also be licensed to those wishing to organise their own TRANSITS training courses.
Trusted Introducer
In Europe joint CSIRT activities are undertaken within a cooperative body called TF-CSIRT. To cooperate efficiently and swiftly when security incidents occur, a certain level of mutual trust is needed between CSIRTs. An important pre-requisite for mutual trust is shared and accurate operational knowledge about one another. The TI accreditation service is meant to do just that: facilitate trust by formally accrediting CSIRTs that are ready to take that step.
Vo Architectural Middleware Planning
The goal of the workshops is to foster the deployment of identity management and collaboration tools within the research community. The organizers of the workshop therefore invite the IT architects of key international research groups (aka VO’s), along with leaders in international federation development. The intent is to directly engage both communities into helping the VO’s in effectively leveraging the emergent interfederation infrastructure, resulting in more effective research organizations.