GÉANT Project Symposium 2023

A joint side meeting of network-related project work packages to discuss with the symposium participants topics related to network and network services planning, development, operations and maintenance would be an opportunity to continue discussions that are starting with Network Evolution Studies and the CTO workshop, and present project work results.

Do you need services from commercial suppliers in your project? You probably need some form of Procurement to get the services you need. Using examples from WP4 and IC1 you’re (further) introduced to procurement. After this session you know where to get support and you learned procurement can be fun.

Evaluation and planning meeting for WP8 task, service and workpackage leaders.

The aim of the session is to boost adoption of containerisation in the development process implemented in the Geant GitLab and Kubernetes. During the cross-workspackage discussion we will shortly introduce containerisation and try to identify blockers and specific user requirements based on chosen case-studies. The session is dedicated to development team members and especially to the SSE 2023 participants.

The eduGAIN service team will meet to check current achievements and issues and to discuss the road map for project year two.

Task Meeting to review Y1 and outlook to Y2.

By invitation only.

Closed task meeting of the External relationships team.

The purpose of this side meeting is to present the results of the WP6 time-frequency incubator. In GN5-2, GEANT is planning to invest in building time-frequency links between European NMIs to meet the vision of the CLONETS-DS. The incubator is currently working on a T/F business case and design.

Join us for a focused session on our project's new privacy policy. This meeting aims to provide comprehensive training on policy updates, ensuring all team members understand and adhere to these essential changes. Your understanding and compliance are vital to GEANT's project success and compliance.

This will demonstrate how eAcademy is being deployed successfully by Work Package 6, followed by Q&A. We aim to inspire and inform other Work Packages, Services and Product Owners to create to their own material for the benefit of Project contributors and the wider R&E community.

The Incubator task (WP5 T5) works on four different projects in the area of T&I. At the time of the Symposium, it is almost halftime for these projects and want to discuss the next steps with the team and our stakeholders. We would prefer a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, if possible.

The purpose of this side meeting is to discuss with all Devops Work Packages (WP4, WP5, WP6, WP7, WP8) what are the right KPIs for the GÉANT project. We consider that and we have heard many times during EC reviews that additional and continued focus should be applied towards the development of KPIs for each Work Package. Of course, there are good examples in the project of good structure and reporting but also there are KPIs not very meaningful. The GÉANT activities provide access to state-of-the-art infrastructures and high-quality services, and enable users to conduct "excellent research". In order for us to be able to measure quality and quantity of the results of these activities appropriate KPIs are required. Some activities are missing KPIs, and several of the GÉANT KPIs lack a meaningful baseline, measurability, committed target values and deadlines. For example, “total data volume transiting the network” may be measurable, but without further elaboration (a baseline, a committed growth rate) it hardly serves to assess success of the GÉANT activity. Also, specific communication activities to stimulate the use of services and KPIs to track user uptake at the level of the individual service often are not specifically targeted. he currently selected Impact & Communication’s KPIs could be improved. For example, counters for visitors to the web site do not give a correct idea of the volume of the audience reached, because same visitors visiting the site for example 5 times will be counted as 5 different visitors. In addition, in WP for communication, KPIs for the number of visitors to web sites are recommended to be changed from the percentage by which visitors grow to the percentage of visitors from all potential audiences or to be presented with absolute values. They should be divided by visitor’s profiles (e.g., through surveys on the web site, by IP addresses, cookies.). In addition to the above we need to pursue the impact assessment of GÉANT network carbon footprint savings through energy consumption monitoring and add a KPI related on energy consumption optimization/savings in the new GÉANT network. To that end, we would like to discuss how we can come up with the definition of more meaningful KPIs, including their baseline, measurability, target and deadlines. Moreover, the conditions created by the pandemic are skewing some metrics, so we need to discuss how we can normalize the data and considered such issues when using the data for planning.

synchronise development efforts on SOC, CTI and DDoS

face-to-face eduroam side meeting

Since its establishment in 2018, the SEE Directors Forum has been working on supporting the NRENs in the SEE region. With strong support from GEANT, that started in GN4-3 and strongly continues in GN5-1, the NRENs work along each-other to address the challenges and overcome the barriers and narrow the digital divide. Through regular meetings, open discussions, shared best practices from the region, but also from other, more developed European NRENs, the Directors of the emerging NRENs gather experience and transpose those best practices to improve the operations of their respective NRENs. Although the Forum kept the regular online meetings even during the COVID-19 period, the value of face to face meetings has been more appreciated and proven to be more productive.

This meeting is by invitation only.

WP2 and WP3 share both the positive and negatives of the last 12 months and plan for Year 2 of the project.

By invitation only.

"In this parallel session we would like to discuss how we can better use the project resources (mainly people) from GÉANT and the NRENs. Find out if there any issues, so we can identify a plan for future improvement. We will present data that shows the total FTE per GNx project and the proportion between GÉANT and members provided. Then further split by WP, present any trends, and then present the difference between committed and delivered resources. In each GÉANT project there is a significant underspend but also lack of resources in specific areas (e.g., Trust & Identity, Security). We would like to get new ideas from the Project symposium participants about how we can engage more NRENs, even small NRENs, how we can engage people that they are active in their NRENs domestically but not in the GÉANT project. Also, how we can train new (young) people from universities and institutes, discuss possibly some mentorship schemes, or apprenticeships if these are possible solutions to the issues. We expect also to discuss the balance of the resources provided by GÉANT and by NRENs, if it is a right balance, how this balance has changed over the years and discuss whether the fact that we have only a few NRENs very actively involved in the project and many NRENs not significantly involved or not involved at all is an issue. As staff turnover is a key challenge within the project, we need to evaluate and possibly adjust strategies related to mentorship, wellness, feedback on performance, incentives, training and development for professional growth, recognition, and rewards, change management, onboarding, and orientation, amongst others. As one solution to the staff turnover problem has been proposed, whether GÉANT and NRENs should consider offering certifications and the creation of a marketplace that brings in the NREN-developed training and acquires external training services at scale. Whether it should be a strategic goal to establish ""GÉANT training certificate” as an important career development milestone particularly for Early Career Researchers in Europe. Such certification can potentially be done at a relatively low cost via a set of self-assessment exercises. Is that a solution? Finally, we can discuss whether, due to the market situation and the difficulty to acquire and retain the competent
resources, we should put more effort into the Future Talent Programme and the T&I Incubator Mentorship (TIM) programme. These are excellent initiatives to which more resources could be dedicated and even be extended to other areas."

How can we best engage and enroll services for NRENs? How do we best promote and do pilots?

How can we optimize the use of all materials that are produced in T2 (training, Awareness, exercises)

In-person meeting time is worth its weight in gold for our distributed project work. The Symposium is a huge opportunity for personal engagement and coordination. We therefore apply for a side meeting for the WP4 Above-the-Net activity team, to gain the benefits of personally meeting as many as possible, to align our group for coming work, and to have practical work time for the big tasks coming in early 2024.

GÉANT Learning & Development (GLAD) is here for YOU! We work with all Work Packages, equipping teams with new knowledge and skills, encouraging continual professional development and enabling you to share your expertise with the Research & Education community. We are keen to innovate and find new ways to generate relevant and engaging opportunities for you to learn and grow. Taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity to talk face-to-face, we would like to hear your ideas and suggestions, so we can continue our fruitful collaboration with GN5-1 Project contributors. Who is this session for? This highly-interactive session is intended for active Project contributors at all levels - with a particular focus on those who co-ordinate teams or who have specialist knowledge to share. From Work Package and Task Leaders, Product / Services Managers and Subject Matter Experts, to those with a passion for learning and great ideas! What will you learn? The three-part session will include the following: 1) Learning at your fingertips… We are often asked how people can learn “on the job”. Here we will showcase the rich range of learning opportunities at your fingertips, from live, instructor-led training on new technologies, security and presentation skills, through to eLearning on network automation and Product Lifecycle Management, there is something for everyone. 2) NEW for 2024! We are excited to launch the GÉANT Mentoring Programme in 2024! As part of GÉANT’s commitment to enhancing gender equality, this programme will be designed to equip women with the network, resources and opportunities to grow their careers in technology. As the programme finds its feet, we hope to roll it out to a wider audience, equipping people of all ages with the tools, skills and confidence to develop their careers. *There will (we hope) be a parallel session devoted solely to discussing the GÉANT Mentoring Programme. Here we will give a high-level overview only. 3) YOUR ideas… This is your platform! We will devote plenty of time to generating ideas and capturing your suggestions about how we could make learning work best for you. This could include anything from using new platforms and technologies to co-creating new initiatives or improving existing services. What would you like to see more or less of? What one thing could make the greatest difference to you and your colleagues? Come and tell us! We will also invite you to consider what learning might help you achieve your objectives in 2024. From previous years’ experience, we know that the earlier you request GLAD’s support, the more chance that your objectives can be achieved in the timeline you hope for, as it gives us more time to consult and create meaningful solutions, or promote your training event so that it reaches the right audience. Your feedback will help us formulate plans for 2024 and beyond to GN5-2. Please join us! Come and play a role in shaping learning for the future.

Keynote: GÉANT projects: past, present and future by Erik Huizer, GÉANT

Keynote: Horizon of possibilities by Peter Szegedi, Programme Officer - EU Policies, European Commission

Keynote: Introduction to GN5 Framework Programme and Current Projects by Matthew Scott, Chief Programme Officer, GÉANT

Connecting researchers and services: the NeIC Puhuri project as an enabler of scientific discovery

The NeIC Puhuri project facilitate the access and provisioning of HPC and Quantum computing resources. The Puhuri resource management service was developed to allow users from academia to access and manage resources e.g. LUMI, through a single portal. For this Puhuri uses the GEANT authentication and authorization infrastructure MyAccessID allowing secure identification through local academic organizations or national authentication services.

Keynote speaker: Anders Sjöström, NeIC-Puhuri project manager LUNARC Lund University

The Higgs Boson, GÉANT and the NREN community

Media coverage of the discovery of the Higgs Boson at CERN in 2012 concentrated on the discovery’s importance for the standard model of particle physics and the length of the quest—nearly 50 years from prediction to discovery. Much less attention was paid to the key role played by networks and the networking community. This talk aims to remedy that oversight as well as helping you to explain the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism to your family and friends.

Keynote speaker: Tony Cass, Leader, Communication Systems Group, CERN

1. Network Developments Update

In this session latest updates will be provided on all the activities and results from the Network Development Work package (WP6). Topics included but not limited to are listed on the WP6 wiki: https://wiki.geant.org/display/netdev. It will also include some time for discussion to use the opportunity to gather feedback and inputs from the audience.

Speakers: Pavle Vuletić, UoB/AMRES

1. GÉANT Network Evolution and Collaboration

In this session, we will present our approach to GÉANT network evolution and how work package 7 works with NRENs to develop a roadmap for the future. Our primary focus will be on the process of continuous engagement with the NRENs, who play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our network infrastructure and services. Additionally, we will draw upon the insights from a recent Network Chief Technology Officer (CTO) workshop.
We will discuss how this process and collaboration could be further improved.

Speakers: Bram Peeters, GÉANT & Mian Usman, GÉANT

1. GÈANT Automation Platform

GÈANT is building a network automation and orchestration platform based entirely on open-source software and the central elements are the Workflow Orchestrator, developed by Surf and Esnet, and Ansible, an automation engine largely in use in the R&E environment.

The system will support the migration of the GÈANT network to the new generation of IP/MPLS layer.

Speaker: Simone Spinelli, GÉANT

A forward looking T&I track where we want to present and discuss plans for exploring, piloting and/or implementing new tech and/or strategies into the T&I service portfolio.

1. Core AAI Platform: The road ahead

This presentation explores the next steps for the Core AAI Platform, a key component built on top of the eduGAIN Trust Fabric, essential for providing scalable AAI services in research and education. We’ll examine enhanced features such as identity vetting, multi-factor authentication, and multi-protocol identity flows across administrative realms. Importantly, we will highlight the critical role of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) within the Core AAI Platform in delivering robust and secure services.

Speaker: Christos Kanellopoulos, GÉANT

1. A new identity federation standard

Identity Federations have been around for almost 20 years now and yet we do not have an official specification that describes all the inner workings. OpenID Federation is an holistic attempt in that direction, initially targeting the OpenID Connect protocol. The eduGAIN Service, with the support of the community, is setting up a Proof Of Concept in order to evaluate the new standard and eventually create a new official Technology Profile that will extend the current service.

Speaker: Davide Vaghetti, GARR

1. Decentralized identity, credentials and wallets

A new identity and credential ecosystem is begin crafted as we speak. Developments like the EU Digital Identity framework and the Large Scale Pilots shape this new ecosystem. In this session we will show how the GÉANT community may be affected by this new ecosystem, explain some of its core use cases, opportunities and challenges. Examples from work done in the Trust and Identity incubator will show how we are trying to prepare for these new technologies.

Speakers: Niels van Dijk, SURF & Christoph Graf, SWITCH

1. Introduction to service management in the GÉANT Project

This will be a two-part session, the first will be an introduction to the GÉANT PLM process and how this can form a basic service management structure with its associated checklists. The second part will be an interactive Q&A with the GALD team to collect future service management training requirements.

Speaker: Richard Lui, GÉANT

1. Extending the GÉANT Security Baseline to Products and Services

This session re-introduces the Security Baseline created by GN4-3, and in GN5-1 extended to products and services. We target service and product owners to assess the state of security management of their respective tool. The results draw an overview of the security management for the product and involved organisations. We’ll also discuss how WP8T0 can help you implementing this Baseline.

Speaker: Michel Gerdes, DFN

1. From Trust To Compliance: What is the impact on your service?

Research and education has a long history of collaborating. From the start of networking, this has been based on trust, mostly personal trust. Trust is not enough anymore. We need to prove we are trustworthy. Not only because the scale and complexity has increased by such magnitude that we do not know all parties and persons involved, and there is also an increasing pressure of rules and regulations. What does this mean for your organisation and what is the impact in your service?

Speaker: Alf Moens, GÉANT

1. Security Mentorship Programme: Leveraging online courses to address skill shortage

Within the field of IT Security there is a large shortage of competent people. We therefore feel that we need to train people in R&E in IT security.Within GN5-1 WP8 Task 2 “Awareness” we intend to create a roadmap that will combine hands-on experience within the R&E community, expert guidance through mentoring and self-study of free online courses.

Speaker: Tim Waters, GÉANT

1. Software Governance in GN5-1: recent advancements to enable effective software development in GN

This presentation will highlight the advancements of Software Governance in GN5-1, with a particular attention on open software development in GN. The presentation topics will include among others GitLab CE features, open profiles in the Software Catalogue and software review services for management of risks associated with the infringement of IPR and security vulnerabilities

Speaker: Marcin Wolski, PSNC

1. To certify (learning) or not to certify… (And if so, how?)

We are exploring whether to certify some GÉANT learning programmes. In this interactive session we will discuss the principles and practicalities of certification, and explore how technology like eduBADGES could enable this. Come and share your views: when is certification useful? What types of certification are available? Which courses are most suitable for certification? What constraints should be considered?

Speaker: Sarah Hughes, GÉANT

“Domaine des Grands Chais“ is a former wine
estate that was a model of modernity at the time
of the Industrial Revolution. Surrounded by nearly
200 hectares of vines, its 15,000 m² of buildings
are built around an impressive courtyard.
“Domaine des Grands Chais“ is located 8 km from
Le Corum, the Palais des Congrès de Montpellier,
and the major hotels of Montpellier.
Let’s meet at 18:30-18:45 at the Le Corum Level
0 Berlioz gate, from where shuttle buses to
“Domaine des Grands Chais” will leave at 18:45.
After dinner, shuttle buses between the dinner
venue and the Le Corum will be available
between 21:45 and 22:45

These lightning talks focus on important topics, ideas or messages that the presenters feel the audience will appreciate or need to hear. Come prepared for an electic mix of information from across the whole of the GÉANT project.
Data Spaces – what do you need to know? (Annabel Grant, GÉANT)
What is the point of Marketing? (Karl Meyer, GÉANT)
Gender Equality Unplugged: Principles for Progress (Nicole Harris, GÉANT)
Standing on the shoulders of Argus (Ilona Podliashanyk, Sikt)
Establishing a License for Your GÉANT Software (Branko Marović, AMRES)
eduMEET 4.0: New Features, New Independence (Bartek Idzikowski, PSNC)
Your eAcademy (Dom Mayerl, GÉANT)
Best Practices for Software Development (Bartosz Walter, PSNC)
Breaking the boundaries of procurement (Garvan McFeeley, HEAnet)
Cloud in action (David Heyns, GÉANT)
University Virtual Labs on NMaaS (Vojdan Kjorveziroski, UKIM/MARNET)
Using chatbot for user support (Maciej Labedzki, PSNC)

This session is aimed at everyone who has contributed to software development in GN (SW. engineers, developers, team leaders, product owners or task leaders) and all participants are encouraged to take part in the discussion on Software Governance in GN5-1. The discussion topics will be around quality badges, in relation to two selected areas: 1) establishing a software licence 2) adoption of Common Best Practices.

The world is changing and we are in the midst of it. In this session we examine relevant geopolitical developments in greater details and discuss how these are impacting the project. Is it impacting us? Are we aware of our changing world or are we naive? How does the increased focus on sustainability impact how we work together?

This session is organised jointly by WP6 and WP7 to present and discuss with the audience current activities and future plans related to network infrastructure and services planning, development, operations and maintenance. Starting with a summary of the discussions and conclusions of the Network Evolutions Study Workshops and the CTO workshop, it will look ahead into the second year of the GN5-1 project and beyond.

Innovating is at the heart of the GEANT project. Be it in incubators or as part of service delivery, we collaborate as a community to jointly develop and deliver novel and innovative services and products to our users.

This session focusses on how we can maximize the innovation potential of the GEANT project: What ways do we have to bring new ideas into the project? How do we grow from an idea to a new service? How do we engage the community, both NRENs and end users, to get their ideas and input, but also to disseminate our work? Are we missing tools or capabilities that would enable us to innovate even more effectively?
We kindly invite participants from all branches of the project to join in a session to learn, share and discuss the opportunities and challenges we have when innovating in the GEANT project.

In this interactive session we will discuss in round table groups a number of pain points identified across 4 different Work packages in the areas of user engagement, outreach, service delivery, new service models and requirement gathering. The aim is to develop specific recommendations and make tangible improvements so that together we can overcome some shared pain points.

This dedicated work package leaders’ meeting focuses on refining the Project data management plan. During the meeting open science experts will provide insights on data with research potential. This session aims improving our data management for the Project.

This open meeting will focus not only on technical aspects but also on general ones, as further development, needed features, pan-European collaboration as well as management and funding plans (TCC + GN5-2).