Date: Wed Feb 17 11:43:24 EST 1993

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Date: Wed Feb 17 11:43:24 EST 1993
From: js@rcp.pe (Jose Soriano )
Subject: File 1--Reseau de Donnees Scientifique Peruvien: RCP


Bonjour, En ce moment, nous installons notre "link" international
par satellite de 64 kbps dans Panamsat. Aussi, nous sommes en
negociations avec la CEE pour etablir une connexion dediee vers
l'Europe.


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RED CIENTIFICA PERUANA
(Peruvian Scientific Network)
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INTRODUCTION

The market entry of minicomputers, adjusted to the needs and sizes
of the smallest research team, as well as the more recent spectacular
development of microcomputers have changed traditionally used research
work modes.

The abundance of ever quicker perishable information sources and
the increasing cost of the means to access them have evidenced the need
for interinstitutional cooperation and for the rationalization of
increasingly scarce resources, both in the national and international
environment.

Peruvian entities devoted to research and teaching, as well as
state and private universities, non governmental organizations, industry,
finance and commercial corporations are carrying on internal installation
of communication networks (LANS), sharing the use of these resources for
the purpose of more efficient results.

The above described development, begun some years ago, is still on
the run. The need to exploit expensive means (telecomunications with
major research centers, access to international databases, access to
focused resources) and the national and international reach of mutual
scientific and technological cooperation among teams of researchers
made the interconnection of these networks a must in both the national
and international scope. To achieve this, by late 1991 many national
organizations contributed to the establishment of RED CIENTIFICA PERUANA
(Peruvian Scientific Network).

Previous documents have described the history of this cooperative
national network and the services it renders its users. We will now
deal with its present technical structure and its growth plans for the
current two year period.



DESCRIPTION OF THE PERUVIAN SCIENTIFIC NETWORK


Organization
------------

RCP is a low cost national network that has achieved high
operational quality in short time, and so far links 132 institutions all
over the country. The main services it provides, described in further
detail are the following: electronic mail, access to distributed national
listservers, software installation, technician and user training.

It is organized as a non profit institution, and its body of members
includes one representative from each participant organization. The staff,
the Direction Committee and an Administrator are entitled by a General
Assembly, the highest authority in the association.

Under the coordination of the General Administrator reporting to the
Direction Committee, a small staff including engineersand trainees are in
charge of technical operation, node installation, administrator and user
training, as well as of permanent support to final users.

The Technical Committee, formed by representatives from member
organizations, is the consulting entity in charge of the national network
planning and development, as well as of the coordination of institutional
developments related to the national network's prospective architecture.


Financial resources
-------------------

As an autonomous cooperative institution, RCP counts on funds
provided by the its institutions in yearly contributions and monthly
payments, all of which sum up to form its operational budget. RCP also
aims at being granted donors' contributions and other kinds of physical
of financial collaboration from national and international cooperation
agencies.


Infrastructure
--------------

RCP is a dialup active node in the INTERNET organization, that
uses the store and forward system of NOVELL networks, Tokenring, DOS
PCs, VAX, SUN, DEC and other systems integrated in the national network,
running on UNIX operative system.

Its development is supported by the existing (or currently being
installed) national telecommunications infrastructure, both public and
private national and international telephone lines (CPT and ENTEL);
national x25 network (Perunet); special circuits or dedicated lines (CPT
and ENTEL); optic fiber network (RED DIGITAL ENTEL);cellular telephone
networks (CPT and Celular 2000). It is also supported by the transponder
in PANAMSAT I, belonging to the Ministry of Education as well as
different international carriers rendering service in Peru.

The main concentration node of the national network is accessed via
two lines within the commuted telephone line (RTC 19,200 kbps), a space
circuit x25 (Perunet 9,600 kbps) allowing for the simultaneous access of
16 users, a Netblazer router allowing for the (TCP/IP) network access
through a special circuit (dedicated line) or through a commuted
telephone line (RTC).

International communications are held several times per day through
international calls (IDD) generated by the m2xenix machine located in
Oregon, United States, where they enter the international backbone of
the National Science Foundation.



THE NATIONAL NETWORK (RCP)


General Information on the Project
----------------------------------

The organization and distribution of activities within the
national system and the scientific and technological cooperation call
for the constant exchange of information on the national, regional and
international scopes.

Electronic mail has allowed our researchers to get information
which not long ago was inaccessible by other means. It has also
contributed to the establishment of interinstitutional cooperation and
coordination links which were until now beyond imagination.

The current installation of referential data banks distributed all
over the network, accessible via electronic mail (listservers), the
establishment of thematic subnets (the health and the epidemiologic
alert networks), the operation of more than 20 interest groups
susbscribed in similar international lists all this generates a constant
increase in the dataflow through the country and also internationally.

The new needs lead us to the simultaneous development of a network
architecture to allow for means of communication in different scopes:
national (IP links), regional (IP links with our neighbors, especially
Andean ones, and through them with the rest of LAC) and international
(IP dedicated link with NSF).


National Architecture
---------------------

The dynamic development of this infrastructure is projected in two
non-exclusive stages, the development of which can be partially or
completely simultaneous.

The first stage is currently being developed in the location of
Lima, Peruvian's capital city, which gathers the majority of educational
and research institutions. It projects the interconnection of 10
concentrator nodes (by locations and / or interest areas), linked by
special circuits (64 or more kbit/s dedicated lines in the digital cable).
First preliminary tests projected for 1992-1993.

The second stage prioritizes the development of departmental nodes
that geographically concentrate the traffic and allow for a reduction in
the telecommunications costs of province located institutions. The
establishment of special circuits is also aimed at with the main RCP node,
located in Lima (x25 dedicated lines: 19,200 kbps, 64 kbit/s optic
fiber; or others: 9,200 kbps). First preliminary tests projected for
1993-1994.

RCP, based on its various national components, will enable the
interactive access of final users to the resources available in the
several institutions that form the network. Linkage of the same (IP) in
the local networks existing in each campus will imply an efficient
structure that will allow for their future evolution.

Provincial nodes located in the country borders can ensure low cost
link with neighbor countries, thus opening ways to enhance regional
cooperation and the exploitment of mutually shared resources. First
preliminary tests projected for 1993-1994.

The above mentioned link will clearly allow for an improvement of
research related communications and for a real development of regional
science and technology. It thus represents the communications means that
will be decisive in future industry, finance and trade.

This national and regional development is necessarily supported by
the establishment of a high quality linkage with the NSF international
backbone in the United States. For this purpose, we intend to establish
two 64 Kbit satellite channels, supported by the contract between Peru's
Ministry of Education and Alpha Lyracom, which provides PAS I and PAS II
(Panamsat) with a transponder. This does not exclude the possibility of
using international carriers (Sprint and MCI, available in the local
market).

All the described development is a part of the original RCP project,
elaborated in May, 1991 and later on improved through consecutive
proposals and documents published by RCP along 1991 and 1992.


Necessary Equipment for Project Implementation
----------------------------------------------

In order to implement the project in all its stages, the purchase
of equipment and the acquisition of national and international
telecommunications infrastructure is a must. This refers to both RCP
infrastructure and the concentrator nodes of national scope.

In most cases, RCP member institutions are financially able to
afford these needs on their own. For other cases, cooperative solutions
will be found, based on interinstitutional collaboration aiming at the
purchase of necessary equipment. In most cases, RCP's task focuses on
searching the best international prices for all the network member
institutions, on the reception and entry of the equipment; but also
consists essentially in providing orientation as for equipment
characteristics, aiming at a better individual and common use of it.



GENERAL OBJECTIVES


1. To provide the Peruvian academic community with better services in
national communications, such as a better link with the
international backbone of academic networks;

2. To develop a coherent national INTERNET network;

3. To increase inter-institutional cooperation in the national,
regional and international scope;

4. To reduce the national research system's communication costs, and to
allow for a future reduction of regional costs over the basis of
cooperation;

5. To start an IP regional backbone that links Peru, Ecuador, Colombia,
Bolivia, Chile; and, through the latter, Argentina, Uruguay and
Brazil.


SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To provide RCP, the Peruvian National Network, with equipment
for the installation and implementation of a national IP network and
an international link;

2. To provide RCP, the Peruvian National Network, and the regional
networks with the equipment necessary to install and implement links
with neighbor countries' networks;

3. To provide RCP, the Peruvian National Network, with the resources
necessary to establish a lasting IP link with the international
backbone (one cost time, or for a reasonable period of time);

4. To train human resources on the national and regional levels for
using new equipments and technologies. National and regional level
training and divulgation of new technologies.


Jose Soriano
Peruvian Scientific Network Administrator
--
un abrazo
Jose
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Jose Soriano - Red Cientifica Peruana - e-mail : js@rcp.pe
Av. del Ejercito 1870 - San Isidro - Lima - Peru
TE: ( 51 -14) 46 - 16 -95 / 36 89 89 anexo 527 / fax: 36 01 40
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