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What follows below is
a draft of a "Mission, Goals, Objectives, and
Milestones" document approved in principle by those participating
in the initial NTNC organizational meetings. The specific plan is to
embed portions of this, as appropriate, in various documents that the
NTNC develops and approves more formally, e.g., the "Membership Memo
of Understanding." When a part is embedded in another document, it is
assumed that it will be edited as required to fit with the form and
editorial style of the larger document. So, this draft should be
viewed as a model for how NTNC will state its mission, goals,
objectives, and milestones. The reader should look at final, official documents
for specific language.
Draft
Misson, Goals , Objectives, and Initial Milestones
January 6, 2004
MISSION
The Northern Tier Networking Consortium seeks
to develop and sustain advanced networking capabilities in order to support
the educational, research, and economic vitality of the Northern Tier
region.
GOALS
To provide a premier research network that connects the Northern Tier
states, from current endpoints in Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA, and ensures
that every Internet2 member in the Northern Tier has the ability to establish
a multi-Lambda connection to a national or international aggregation
point.
To maximize peering and interconnection opportunities with other research
networks and comparable networking consortia.
To provide a network which can serve as a foundation for economic development
as well as academic and educational development.
To leverage intellectual, political and financial resources across the
region to expand relationships with state and national leaders, attract
greater federal interest, maximize opportunities for grant and contract
support, and create greater leverage with vendors.
To establish one or more connections to Canadian national networks through
the NTNC
OBJECTIVES
Use the NTNC network(s) should be governed by flexible use use
policies (e.g., be AUP free).
The NTNC network(s) should connect at a minimum all Northern Tier I2
sites along a backbone following (roughly) Interstate 94/90.
Wherever possible the NTNC backbone(s) should consist of
fiber assets with individual sites connecting at site appropriate assets.
In construction of the NTNC network(s), the designers should explore
the option of building a mid-region locus of optical networking in Northern
Tier (e.g. Mpls), opportunities to establish “mesh connectivity” between
sites via redundant east/west links and specific north/south connections,
and use of regional “touch points” to facilitate network
creation.
NTNC members should seek to catalyze individual state activity is support
of the NTNC mission and goals, by developing coordinated communication
and marketing plans and seeking to integrate Northern Tier goals
and objectives into state and local network goals.
NTNC should develop relationships with regional, national and international
network organizations, particularly the Pacific Northwest Gigapop and
CIC for an appropriate NLR relationship.
INITIAL MILESTONES
Create a sustaining organization that can maintain a focus on advanced
networking and the development of regional cyberinfrastructure.
- Define association with Internet2 [offer from I-2, letter accepting
offer – in progress]
- Develop “bootstrap” membership structure [MOA – in
progress]
- Develop formal membership structure [MOU – next major task]
- Identify areas of mutual interest, specific activities on which to
focus, and specific time targets
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