Jacob_Palme_QZ@QZCOM.MAILNET (07/08/84)
Notes from the: Workshop on Academic/Research Network Collaboration =================================================== This workshop was held in Lesigny, France, on July 3-4 1984. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss cooperation between Acacemic/Research Mail networks in Europe and North America. Present at the meeting were participants from most Western European countries, from Canada, and, from the U.S.A., representatives from CSNET, MAILNET and BITNET. The European scene ------------------ The European representatives talked about plans for Academic/Research mail networks in their countries. Mail networks are already in operation in the U.K. and the U.S. with some connections to places in Canada, and European countries. Many of the European countries presented plans for national mail networks. Germany will establish a network called DFN, Deutsche Forschungsnetz, Sweden a network called SUNET, Finland a network called FUNET, Norway a network called UNINETT, the U.K. already have JANET in operation etc. There seemed to be common agreement at the meeting to use the MHS (X.400) standards for interconnection. Most of the national networks plan to use MHS internally, DFN, SUNET and FUNET will probably use MHS, while UNINETT is planning to use GILT. DFN and SUNET want to enhance MHS with those facilities which GILT has, but not MHS, put on top of the MHS protocols. The European Esprit project is planning a network which will in the beginning be an extension of the UUCP network, but will later use international standards. Esprit is also using COM as a central conference system for information exchange. The British Alvey project is presently testing the alternatives of using their own mailbox system, or using the COM or BLEND systems. It was generally felt that the MHS protocols would be most suitable for the interconnection of academic/research mail networks in the different European countries. The EARN network ---------------- An important network may be the EARN network, which will use the BITNET protocols and be connected to BITNET in the U.S. BITNET protocols are mainly implemented on IBM mainframes, but some non- IBM equipment can also connect to BITNET. IBM has promised to subsidize EARN by paying for leased lines between the European hosts and one line to the U.S. for the first four years. EARN would of course be a very valuable contribution to the interconnection of Academic Computer centres in Europe. The future of EARN is however not very safe, since CEPT, the organization for European PTT-s, has stopped EARN and put requirements which EARN may not be able to meet. The Euoropean PTT-s want EARN to use X.25 protocols instead of the IBM protocols used in BITNET, they want EARN to use public networks instead of leased lines, they would allow EARN to use leased lines for a temporary period but only if volume-dependent tariffs are imposed, these tariffs may become so high that EARN becomes unreasonable to use. Software for the connection of EARN to JANET will be developed at the Rutherford laboratories in the U.K. Software for connection to DFN will be implemented in Karlsruhe in Germany, and software for interconnection to CSNET is available in the U.S. at Wisconsin university. National Science Network ------------------------ In the U.S.A. there may be a new network called National Science Network. The basis of this network is that there are non-confirmed plans to establish 10 supercomputer centers to be available for U.S. researchers. A network is then needed to connect all those universities which do not have such centers themselves to the centers. The National Science Network, if established, will try to use existing networks like MAILNET, CSNET, BITNET, ARPANET, at least in the beginning. The network may be an important opening to get computer mail available for use by other people at universities than computer people. People involved in this project are Farber, Fuchs, Kahn, Kuo, Landweber, John Connely, Larry Lee, Rick Adrian. Canada ------ Canada has already implemented software for the MHS protocols on VAX/UNIX, VAX/VMS and IBM computers. Groups formed ------------- The meeting decided to form three working groups for studying specific issues. These three groups will be: For each group, there will be available a mailing list in the U.S. and a COM conference at QZ in Stockholm for those in Europe who cannot be reached directly via mail networks. Serious experts in these areas who are not a member of the groups will probably be able to participate if they contact the moderator of the group they want to join, even if they are not on the list of group participants below. MHS subsetting group -------------------- This group is to define a subset of the MHS standard (by selection of which optional services to provide and not provide) to use for the first international interconnections of mail systems based on the MHS standards. Members of the group are: John Demco, Canada (moderator) Dave Farber, Horn, Ansart, Steve Kille, Carcia, Palme and someone from Duesseldorf University Gateway services and specifications ----------------------------------- This group will study which services are to be provided by gateways between national academic networks, not only for mail but maybe also for other applications like file transfer. Members of the group are: Jennings (moderator), Landweberg, Bringsrud, Kirstein, Fuchs, Hutton, Demco, Fluckiger, Horn. Charging policies ----------------- This group will study policies for charging for the costs of mail networks. Members are: Kirstein, Fuchs, Palme, Landweber, Oberst, Rotert, Craigie, Pegelg, Medina. Name server group ----------------- This group will study how name servers in the various countries can be connected together. Members of this group are Oberst, Peleg, O'brion, Bilting, Bryant and Postel.
Ingemar_Falkehag@QZCOM.MAILNET (07/09/84)
Were any of the southern European countries represented (e.g. Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal)? At a meeting two month ago in Greece organized by the Greek Systems Society the need for such networks was expressed in relation to the above countries. They are waiting for the EC mailsystem to be developed (European Community, that is). I am just on my way back to Greece and will relate your very interesting report. I will also relate it to the Computer Networking Committee of the Society for General Systems Research of which I am a member. Do you know of any mail or computer conferencing system in Spanish? Interciencia ought to be very interested in the developments. Two networks for biotechnology scientists are being initiated in Latin America and a workshop in Spain on systems thinking and development will give emphasis on communication.
Jacob_Palme_QZ@QZCOM.MAILNET (07/09/84)
Yes, Manuel Medina fr}m E.T.S.E. Telecommuncio in Barcelona and Andrinano Endrizzi from the European Commission Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, were present. Both of them represent very advanced knowledge and research in the computer networks area. The telecommunications university in Barcelona are developing advanced networking systems based on multiprocessor Z80-based system, thus producing good systems using low cost equipment. Spain is planning to install conferencing systems at several universities, maybe PortaCOM on VAX-11/VMS computers. They will certainly want to interconnect this to the international networks.