ICFA Report

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Appendix 9. Update on Research and Education

Networking in Brazil

Submitted by Michael Stanton (michael@rnp.br)

RNP

February, 2008

The Brazilian National Research and Education Network - RNP continued in 2007 to upgrade

the capacity of the communications networks used by the Education and Research institutions in

the country. This program is based on a multi-gigabit Ipê backbone network, connecting the

national and state capitals, with gigabit access provided by new metropolitan optical networks in

these capitals. Attention is also given to recent developments in international connectivity, and in

particular the support provided for collaborations in HEP.

The most recent general upgrade to the backbone infrastructure was made in 4Q2005, when the

Ipê network core was commissioned, with link capacities of 2.5 and 10 Gbps between 10 of the

27 PoPs (points of presence). Since that time, only relatively minor alterations have been made,

with bandwidth increases to Manaus (16 Mbps, now implemented by a terrestrial optical link, in

place of the former combination of a terrestrial radio link and a satellite link) and Belém (102

Mbps). The only remaining satellite links are now to Boa Vista and Macapá. Figure 29 shows the

present configuration of the Ipê network.

In general, it is the case that the backbone links are mostly over provisioned, as can be noted from

the dynamic weather map available at http://www.rnp.br/ceo/trafego/panorama.php. However,

increases in link bandwidth will continue, since backbone traffic is expected to increase, due to

the steady increase in access capacity brought about by the inauguration of new metropolitan

optical networks (see below). It should be noted that upgrades have already been contracted for

the links to Rio Branco and Porto Velho (6 Mbps), Palmas (34 Mbps), Cuiabá, Campo Grande,

Campina Grande, Natal, São Luís and Vitória (155 Mbps). However, at the time of writing, these

links have not yet been installed.

The upgrade of the access networks used by client institutions to connect to RNP's PoPs is well

underway. This project, called Redecomep (Community Networks for Research and Education),

consists in building optical metropolitan networks to provide access to the local RNP PoP using

Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) connections over dark fiber. To carry out the Redecomep project, RNP

is currently engaged in building out facilities-based optical metropolitan networks in all 27 cities

where a PoP is located. These networks link the different urban campi of research and education

institutions in the metro area. In many cases, city and state governments are cooperating in the

projects and participating in the connectivity benefits. By December 2007, metro networks were

already operational in the cities of Belém, Manaus, Vitória, Florianópolis and Brasília. In all

cases but one (São Paulo), an average of around 45 km of optical cable infrastructure is being

deployed. In São Paulo, the network is based on acquisition of IRUs for existing cable. By

4Q2007, it is expected that over 200 client institutions will have a GigE connection to one of

RNP's PoPs. These metro networks are owned and operated by the local research and education

communities in the cities where they are being built. Further information is available (in

Portuguese only) at http://www.redecomep.rnp.br/.