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Network for Engineering and Research in Oregon

NERO is a high-speed, regional network providing advanced tools and techniques in support of collaborative teaching and research. Among its exciting demonstration projects are: interactive multimedia applications, Web-based instruction, desktop videoconferencing, and remote access to unique resources (such as an astronomical observatory, a robotics laboratory, and the Hatfield Marine Science Center).

WHO AND WHAT NERO IS

NERO is a high-speed, multi-purpose data communications network designed to facilitate cooperation among the Oregon Joint Graduate Schools of Engineering, and other institutions in the Oregon State System of Higher Education. Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Portland State University, Oregon Center for Advanced Technology Education(OCATE), and Oregon Graduate Institute are members of the OJGSE.

Established in 1993, NERO chose ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) as the basic network technology for its wide area links. An ATM technology trial was undertaken in 1994 with U S WEST, Inc. and GTE, and consisted of an ATM WAN testbed connecting Portland, Beaverton, Corvallis, and Eugene at speeds up to 155 Mbps. Following the trial, both US WEST and GTE made public ATM services available in Oregon, and NERO was deployed in 1995. The following year, NERO's wide area network was upgraded to support research and production transport, routing, and Internet access for all its higher education sites.

Through the use of advanced digital network technologies - such as ATM and synchronous optical network (SONET) - NERO provides high-speed, high-bandwidth connections for transmitting data, audio, and video streams between its regional sites. Similar links to high-technology industrial partners are established for specific collaborations, one example being the current SONET interconnect between Oregon State University and Hewlett-Packard's Corvallis site. As network capacity is extended, outreach to small business partners, community colleges, and K-12 education sites will also be included.

Ultimately, NERO will deliver advanced services to the desktops of faculty and industry-based engineers, to facilitate their research collaborations as well as access to distributed computing resources and databases. It will also enable their participation in "non-site-specific" course offerings, including seminars, workshops, colloquial and advanced degree programs. In addition, Oregon-based students will be able to take network-based courses, collaborate with one another and with faculty, and have access to instructional resources at other locations within the state and nationwide.

WORK GOING ON AT NERO

NERO provides network operations and network-based services, network engineering, research and development, and outreach support. NERO engineering staff participate in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the ATM Forum and the North American Network Operators Group. Specific areas of research include: To date, NERO-supported faculty research projects have included research in networked parallel computing, networked multimedia and access to remote resources, collaborative computing and shared resources, network transport and switching technologies (IP, ATM, Packet SONET, etc.), and biomedical applications. In addition, a number of outreach projects have received support from NERO: As of mid-1997, NERO will be participating in NSF's very high-speed broadband network (vBNS) backbone research. Two NERO organizations, Oregon State Universityand University of Oregon, are among the 50 charter members of the Internet II initiative, aimed at improving network connectivity for higher education at the national level.

PARTNERSHIPS

Initial funding for NERO was provided by an award from NASA, with the goal of enhancing science and engineering education in Oregon across the board - from K-12 through graduate school and continuing education for high-technology industry employees. In addition to working with NASA on the design and research plan for network-based collaboration, NERO has supported NASA's education and technology initiatives at meetings and exhibitions such as Educom, NAACP's annual meeting, and a "21st century classroom" demonstration at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

NERO engages in a number of R&D activities with selected partners from the high-performance computing and communications industry, particularly Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, and US WEST Communications. Other industry partners that support the NERO effort include Hewlett-Packard, FORE Systems, Tektronix, Sun Microsystems, and GTE Communications.

NERO's partner in advanced software technology is NACSE, the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering. NACSE is a coalition of Pacific Northwest institutions and individuals who want to exploit Web technology so that it's easier for scientists and engineers to learn about - and use - high performance computing resources. Established in 1995 and capitalizing on the high-speed regional communications infrastructure provided by NERO, NACSE is part of the Metacenter Regional Alliances program sponsored by NSF. More information will be found at www.nacse.org.

LEARNING MORE ABOUT NERO

The best way to find out what's going on at NERO is to visit our Web pages at http://www.nero.net.

Comments and suggestions are welcomed. E-mail inquiries can be sent to info@nero.net.

Tad Reynales (Oregon State U) serves as the NERO project manager.

David Meyer (U of Oregon) is the principal network engineer.

NERO receives support from:

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This page was last built on Tue, Dec 30, 1997 at 3:04:37 PM
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