ILAN-2 NETWORK:
A. THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
Background
IUCC's telecommunications infrastructure was created in 1984 with a pre-Internet 9.6kb/sec international line to the European EARN network. In 1990, the first international Internet line from Israel to the USA began operating, at a rate of 64kb/sec.
For a period of three years (1994-1996), IUCC operated a central node for Internet connections for hi-tech companies in Israel, as well as for various telecommunications providers (prior to the existence of the Israeli Internet Society central node known as the IIX. In 1997, the responsibility for the Israeli Internet eXchange (IIX) was transferred to the Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL), and in 1999 IUCC was connected to the Internet-2 network in the USA and to the European research network GEANT.
The IUCC telecommunications network currently serves some 20,000 academic faculty members, approximately 100,000 students at 8 universities and thousands of additional students in regional and teachers' colleges.
B. ILAN-2 NETWORK
1. Domestic Telecommunications
The Israeli university telecommunications infrastructure within Israel is based on a unique, dual-star, eight-node network. Interconnecting these two POPs (one located at Tel Aviv University and the other at a neutral colocation site called Med-1) is a dark fiber link operating at 10Gb/sec. Each of the eight Israeli universities connects to both of these POPS via Gigabit Ethernet links. Currently, those links are currently provided by Bezeq, Cellcom and Partner. Automatic failover of those links is handled by the OSPF routing protocol.
2. International Telecommunications
The IUCC network is connected to abroad via an STM-16 (2.5Gb/sec) link, which runs from our Med-1 site in Petach Tikve and terminates in Frankfurt. This link connects IUCC to the Geant-2 network in Europe and through them to the American research network - Internet2. A 400 Mb/s channel connects IUCC to the commodity Internet. In addition, we have a 600Mb/sec backup circuit provided by Bezeqint, which enters operation only when our main STM-16 link fails.
3. The telecommunications network
Schematic Structure (soon to be updated)
Geant2 topology diagram
Global Connectivity
4. Telecommunications services
Commodity Internet services
The IUCC/Machba provides commodity internet services to over 120,000 users, university faculty, researchers and students who are connected to the network. IUCC connects to the Israel Internet Exchange (IIX) via a 400Mb/sec link.
Internet Research Services
IUCC provides telecommunications services between Israel’s academic and research institutes and the international research networks operating in the USA, Europe and additional areas around the world. IUCC was the first organization in Israel to provide IPv6 services (since May 2003).
For additional information on these networks, see: http://www.internet2.edu and http://www.geant.net
Services
- Eduroam - IUCC is part of the European Academic roaming network, known as Eduroam.
- News Services - IUCC operates a central Usenet news service on behalf of all the universities with about 39,000 newsgroups.
- Network Time Protocol Service The NTP (Network Time Protocol) server, fed from an atomic clock and accessible to all of the universities, is operated by The Hebrew University.
LISTSERV
The staff at the Technion’s Computation Center operates a central LISTSERV system, serving the universities’ academic and administrative/technical staff.
CERT
IUCC operates a Computer Emergency Response Team. The site can be found here:
http://cert.iucc.ac.il
N.O.C.
The IUCC Network Operations Center is performed on two levels: the first is through an external contracted company (Barak), who inspects lines and equipment 24/7/365. If any faults are identified, the second level NOC is informed and the repairs are carried out by the telecommunications experts from the various universities, on a rotating duty basis.
http://noc.ilan.net.il
5. Network Users
Aside from the eight universities that constitute Machba’s founding core, various colleges, research institutions and other bodies active in R&D are connected to the network:
- Colleges: Ashkelon Academic College, Holon Institute of Technology, ORT Braude College
- Research institution: IBM Scientific Research Center, Israel Institute of Biological Research, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Volcani Agricultural Research Institute
- Medical organizations: Israel Center for Medical Simulation, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Soroka Medical Center, Beersheva, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer
The Ilan-2 network site: http://www.ilan-2.net.il
Staff:
- Hank Nussbacher, IUCC Communications Consultant
NOC Members:
- Simon Shickman, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Yehavi Bourvine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Yaron Zabary, Tel Aviv University
- Ariel Biener, Tel Aviv University
- Rafi Sadowsky, Open University
- Dr. Dani Arbel, Technion
Support Units of the IUCC/Machba
- MALMAD - Center for Digital Information Services
- MEITAL - Center for Learning Technologies
IAG - The Israel Academic Grid
