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PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
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PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
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Due to a number of historical reasons, and simply because of a much
larger area and population, the Russian Federation presents a situation in
network resources considerably different from the other European CIS
countries. Many networks and service providers, now active in Russia as
well as outside, started their activities in a centralized way, so typical
for the development of technological infrastructures in the former USSR.
Two years passed after the previous comprehensive study concerning
network resources and communities in Russia (cf. Present State and Future
Development of Computer Networks in Russia and FSU Countries for Science
and Education", published by contract with UNESCO - , 1994). The situation
has much changed since, both in the scale of developments and in the
relative role of different entities in the field. The present "state of affairs"
report has its goal to locate the crucial focal points in the national
technological and human resources, most relevant for STACCIS activities.
Demos Co. was founded in February, 1989 as a software and network
company. The company started with the creation of a new multi-user
operating system DEMOS (Dialogue Unified Mobile Operating System),
which was very popular on mainframes and workstations in the USSR.
In early 90-s Demos was the first private Soviet company that
entered the world of Western networks, Internet in particular.
The company was using domestic communication channels and solved a large
number of engineering tasks.
Demos was a pioneer in networking in Russia, and was the founder
of the Relcom network, the largest ex-USSR network, now known as
the "Russian Internet." Today, Demos is a large scientific and technical
company, a major network provider for Russia and the CIS.
Demos services, expertise in technical issues, and reasonable
pricing make the network quite comfortable for large commercial and
governmental institutions, small companies, and even private persons.
The company maintains active cooperation with other networks and network
providers. It works not only with TCP/IP networks, but also with several
X.25 networks(like Infotel and MMTel networks), which are still very
popular in the former USSR.
Demos is also a system integrator and network solution provider.
Experts will help you to choose and to setup software, modems, and computers.
You can purchase everything you need on the spot. Moreover, Demos has
extensive expertise in complex networking solutions, and you can order a
project of the system you need. This will be a complete solution that
includes workstations, network connectivity, office and computer equipment,
and software. It offers high quality and reliable equipment of the industry
leaders: Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment Corp., Canon, Sun Microsystems,
Cisco Systems, APC, 3M, Kenwood, Icom, Standard, and Motorola.
Demos is Internet service provider for large foreign companies, such as
McDonald's, DHL, IBM, Novell, and Mercedes. We are also working with a number
of Russian customers, among them are Moscow Mayor's Office, Administration of
the President of Russia, Central Bank of the Russian Federation, ITAR-TASS
Information Agency. It offers full range of Internet services, including leased
line IP connectivity, SLIP/PPP accounts, email, WWW hosting service.
Demos Online is the primary service. It offers online Internet connection,
text-mode ONLINE is a menu based alphanumeric service. Dial-up IP is a PPP/SLIP
service that offers complete Internet connectivity. The following diagram shows
the main communication channels used by Demos, the main node of which is located
in the M9 international phone exchange.
Demos Information Services offer a wide range of information related to all
areas of human activities, from business to entertainment. It offers detailed
information from Russian commodity exchanges, information about hotel reservation
services, etc. If you are interested in investing in Russian private economy, you
may find useful information on details of auctions, timetables and conditions.
Demos newsgroups provide various market information, from consumer goods to financial
forecasts. Information can be accessed using mail and news servers, and via WWW style
hypertext interface.
| 1.1. Account setup | 20.00 USD |
| 1.2. Monthly charge, including 5 hours online | 20.00 USD/month |
| Connect time charges | |
| 1.3.1. Business hours (09:00 - 21:00) | 0.05 USD/min |
| 1.3.2. Offpeak hours (21:00 - 09:00) and weekends | 0.04 USD/min |
| 1.4. POP mailbox | 15.00 USD/month |
| Account setup | 300.00 USD |
| Monthly charge, no per minute charges | 700.00 USD/month |
| Bandwidth | Account setup | Monthly charge |
| 9.6 K | 200.00 USD | 250.00 USD |
| 57.6 K | 200.00 USD | 500.00 USD |
| 115.2 K | 200.00 USD | 850.00 USD |
| Bandwidth | Account setup | Monthly charge |
| 64 K | 1000.00 USD | 600.00 USD |
| 128 K | 1500.00 USD | 1020.00 USD |
| 256 K | 1500.00 USD | 1680.00 USD |
| 512 K | 1500.00 USD | 2700.00 USD |
| 3.1. Registration | 20.00 USD |
| 3.2. Basic monthly fee, including mailbox support and up to 1MB of email traffic within the RELCOM network | 15.00 USD/mo |
| 3.4. Foreign (out of RELCOM network) email traffic | 0.03 USD/Kb |
| 3.5. USENET, RELCOM newsgroups (via news server news@demos.su) | |
| 3.5.1. Subscription | 0.01 USD/Kb |
| 3.5.2. posting to commercial newsgroups (relcom.commerce.*) | 0.03 USD/Kb |
| 3.6. USENET, RELCOM newsgroups (via newsserv@kiae.su) | |
| 3.6.1. Subscription | 0.02 USD/Kb |
| 3.6.2. Posting to any groups newsserv@kiae.su | 0.04 USD/Kb |
| 3.7. E-Mail access to FTP/file servers | |
| 3.7.1. Demos mail server (ms@demos.su) | 0.01 USD/Kb |
| 3.7.4. Foreign FTP servers (according to 1.4) | 0.04 USD/Kb |
RELCOM
RELCOM was founded in 1990 by Computer Center of Kurchatov Atomic
Energy Institute, DEMOS+ Co. and JV Dialogue. In August 1990 it was
connected with EUnet which is a network administrated by the constituent
national members of EurOpen, the European Forum for Open Systems, formerly
European UNIX Users Group.
At the beginning RELCOM was an elite network for professionals from
the Soviet UNIX Users Group. In the first half of 1991 the very rapid growth
of the network was mainly due to the academic and research institutes with
the purpose of having a reliable e-mail connection with Western countries,
but already in spring 1991 the internal traffic in the network exceeded
international exchange.
Legal and economic changes in the Soviet Union gave the network
commercial users. RELCOM became an information exchange medium for joint
ventures and private companies. This lead to the connection of the State Bank,
the Ministries of Economics and of Finance, etc. The follow-up was the connection
into the network of news agencies such as Interfax, Economic News Agency, RIA,
Postfactum, Reuters, Financial Times, etc.
At the end of the 2nd quarter of 1993 RELCOM had regional nodes in
150 FSU cities. The number of RELCOM users exceeded 150,000 in 400 FSU cities,
including 4000 organizations. Regional nodes are connected by TCP/IP dedicated
links (up to 14,400 bps). Regular hosts are connected with regional nodes
by UUCP/UUPC dial-up telephone lines (up to 9600 bps). EUnet - RELCOM traffic
is about 50 Mb/day with one third for USENET information. Internal traffic is more
than 800 Mb/day.
Note that RELCOM itself is a network of independent nodes, not a formal,
centralized organization (User fees are paid to one's regional node to cover costs,
not to a single "network owner"). The owner of the biggest Moscow cluster is RELCOM Co.
Almost all regional, national and international networks in Russia now have gateways
to RELCOM.
Access to EUnet/Relcom in different cities is offerred by providers/owners of
the nodes of EUnet/Relcom, often operating independently but within agreements with
the Moscow Relcom node.
Nowadays, despite the presence of other Internet service providers in Russia
(e.g., Sprint-Russia, Sovam Teleport, RadioMSU, etc.), the profile of the Russian
Internet is largely defined by EUnet/Relcom, as having the most complex communication
infractucture of more than 120 regional nodes, a large percentage of high-speed
chaneels providing foreign connection, important part of the national information
sources in Russia and direct access to th eother networks in Russia and FSU countries.
Many projects being presently developed in Russia are oriented at Relcom and
tailored for this particular network. Among them are Business Network of Russia - a
joint project of Relcom and the Federal agency for government communication and
information and RELARN - non-profit association of academic users communities.
Association of scientific and educational organizations - computer networks
users - "RELARN" - is a voluntary noncommercial union of research centers and
institutes, higher schools ,colleges and other institutions, financed, as a rule,
from the State budget.
The RELARN Association was initiated in September of the year 1992, by a
joint decision of Ministry of Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, and Russian
Research Center "Kurchatov Institute". The Association was registered as a juridical
person in May 24 of 1993. The executive body of the Association is Russian Institute
for Public Networks (RIPN).
Activity of the Association is aimed to expansion of the information exchanges
and to rise their efficiency in the field of science and education.
For this purpose RELARN provided its members with financial and technical
support in noncommercial information exchange using computer networks technologies
and assisted interaction with research computer networks in Russia and abroad.
Lately, due to insufficient financing from the Ministry of Science - the
main funding agency for the association, RELARN has suspended its supporting
activities, which left many academic users face-to face with commercial service
providers. As the result, some of them have had to cut down the traffic
significantly or even to stop network information exchange completely.
The Ministry of science is undergoing a radical restructuring presently,
so the role of RELARN in the academic users community in the future remains very
unclear.
Sovam Teleport was formed in 1990 for the developing of the national
telecommunication infrastructure and data transfer on the base of advanced
telecommunications facilities and technologies.
Sovam Teleport founders were the leading communication companies.
IAS - Institute for Automated Systems (USSR) - one of the leaders in
telecommunications and informatics, well known by their first public packet
switch network in FSU and San Francisco/Moscow Teleport (USA) which was one of
the pioneering US telecommunication companies, developing partnership between
USSR and USA and the first independent operator. Since 1992 Cable & Wireless
become the third founder. Cable & Wireless, Plc (Great Britain) has its global
digital highway based on fiber optics. Sovam Teleport is dynamic and forward
looking company, which is a speaking example of multinational co-operation
in the telecommunication field. Now Sovam Teleport is the member of Global
Telesystems Group (GTS) and one of the leaders on the telecommunication market.
Serving Moscow-based customers since 1990, Sovam Teleport was the first
Frame Relay network operator in Russia. It now provides high speed, low cost
data communications services to thousands of customers in Russia and the NIS
including the latest addition: RUSSIA-ON-LINE - an Internet-based mass-user
service providing full range of modern network services in English and Russian
(Cyrillic)
Other services offered by Sovam Teleport:
SovamMAIL
Accessed from any personal computer using any communications program, this global
electronic mail provides fast and confidential exchange of messages and is also
linked with fax and teletype networks in addition to providing computer
conferencing capabilities.
SovamNET
Customized Frame Relay and X.25 networks which can be integrated into the global
telecommunications infrastructure.
SovamROUTE
Access to the Internet and its communication resources.
SovamBankNET
BankNet provides a secure local area network for interbank communications, access
to S.W.I.F.T., Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX), international financial
services, Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) and credit card processing networks.
The project of the Southern Moscow backbone (SMB) is aimed at creation of
the basic infrastructure of open access to Internet informaiton resources.
The heart of the project is a high speed fiber optic channel, interconnecting a
number of computer networks operated by the leading scientific and educational
bodies in Moscow. The project envisions also a connection point for high speed
access to the networks in St. Petersburg. The backbone is based upon TCP/IP and
DAS FDDI technology, ensuring high reliablity and high speed of the channel
(up to 100 Mbit/sec.)
As a technological solution, the SMB uses "Internet Exchange" technology,
based on interconnection of heterogenous networks by homogenous transparent
bridging.
Topology of the SMB
The main part of the SMB was copleted by the beginning of 1995. The
total length of the optic fiber lines is about 30 km. A separate gateway provides
for 128Kbps link to St. Petarsburg. As for the present moment, the users of the SMB
have connection to the following external channels:
1024 Kbps link MSU - DESY (Hamburg, Germany);
256 Kbps link IKI RAS - NSI USA (NASA Space Internet);
256 Kbps link MSU - RENATER (Paris, France);
64 Kbps link Zelinsky IOC - NASK (Poland).
Considering the important role of scientific institutions located in
St. Petersburg, a CISCO AGS+ router belonging to th emain academic network in
St. Petersburg was connected to on eof th eports of the SMB router CISCO-4000,
providing a permanent 128 Kbps connection. This channel was financed by an American
company ANDREW Corp. as a voluntary contribution.
Topology of SMB - SPb link
An important component of academic netwrok resources in Russia is presented
by the University Internet Program (UIP) The program was created by the Open
Society Institute (OSI) as a part of an ongoing effort to support the
intellectual community in Russia. Throughout history, the advance of freedom,
civil rights, democracy and prosperity, and the well-being of people and
institutions involved in creativity and learning have been deeply interdependent.
The dramatic reduction in resources available for educational, cultural, artistic
and scientific purposes has raised the possibility that the once powerful and
vibrant intellectual community of Russia may go into decline. Particularly
alarming is the fact that due to the lack of resources, the intellectual
community in Russia is being left out of the information revolution taking
place around the world. This is why a particular emphasis of UIP will be to
provide Russian universities with access to the Internet.
UIP has a budget of $100 million to be spent over five years. UIP will be
specifically focused on Russian regional universities. Its objective is to
provide the universities with resources to fulfill their role as independent
centers of learning, creativity and social activism in the local arena.
OSI will strongly encourage and facilitate networking among the program
participants as well as exchanges with universities abroad. The program
will be carried out in collaboration with the government of the Russian
Federation, which has pledged $30 million for Internet connectivity for
the centers over the next five years. The program is intended to foster
relationships between the universities and local communities.
Participation in the projects by secondary schools, institutions of art and
culture, independent media, and non- governmental organizations will also be
encouraged.
The University Internet Centers (UICs)
The UIC is envisioned as a campus-based entity with the objective of
providing the campus and off-campus communities with access to two types of
external resources: (a) financial and programmatic opportunities from the
network of foundations created and funded by George Soros as well as other
outside sources of funding, (b) information available globally on the Internet.
List of Universities:
The State Committee on Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Open
Society Institute have agreed to the following list of 32 University Internet
Centers. The first two centers, opened June 10, 1996, are Yaroslavl State
University (Yaroslavl) and Novosibirsk State University (Novosibirsk).
Subsequent openings are presently under discussion.,
| University | City | Anticipated Opening |
|---|---|---|
| Altai State University | Barnaul | 1996-97 |
| Amursky State University | Blagoveschensk | 1996-97 |
| Bashkir State University | Ufa | 1996-97 |
| Chuvash State University | Cheboksary | 1996-97 |
| Dagestan State University | Makhachkala | 1996-97 |
| Dalnevostochny (Far East) State University | Vladivostok | 1996-97 |
| Irkutsk State University | Irkutsk | 1996-97 |
| Kabardino-Balkarian State University | Nalchik | 1996-97 |
| Kaliningrad State University | Kaliningrad | 1996-97 |
| Kazan State University | Kazan | 1996-97 |
| Kemerovo State University | Kemerovo | 1996-97 |
| Krasnoyarsk State University | Krasnoyarsk | 1996-97 |
| Kuban State University | Krasnodar | 1996-97 |
| Mordovian State University | Saransk | 1996-97 |
| Nizhnegorodsky State University | Nizhny Novgorod | 1996-97 |
| Novgorod State University | Novgorod | 1996-97 |
| Novosibrisk State University (NSU Site) | Novosibrisk | June 10, 1996 |
| Omsk State University | Omsk | 1996-97 |
| Perm State University | Perm | 1996-97 |
| Petrozavodsk State University | Petrozavodsk | 1996-97 |
| Rostov State University | Rostov-on-Don | 1996-97 |
| Samara State University | Samara | 1996-97 |
| Saratov State University | Saratov | 1996-97 |
| Tomsk State University | Tomsk | 1996-97 |
| Tula State University | Tula | 1996-97 |
| Tver State University | Tver | 1996-97 |
| Udmurt State University | Izhevsk | 1996-97 |
| Ural State University | Ekaterinburg | 1996-97 |
| Volgograd State University | Volgograd | 1996-97 |
| Voronezh State University | Voronezh | 1996-97 |
| Yakutsk State University | Yakutsk | 1996-97 |
| Yaroslavl State University(YarDLC) | Yaroslavl | June 10, 1996 |
UIC-Affiliated Programs and Projects:
OSI's intent is to encourage individual initiatives from below and ensure
that projects are actually needed by the local community. To this end,
the choice of specific projects for funding will be conducted in a
bottom-up fashion whereby prospective Project Coordinators (PCs) will
offer initiative proposals that may be supported by OSI or apply for
participation in OSI projects. Presently OSI program areas encompass
secondary school education, independent media, ecology, arts and culture,
among others. The applications for UIC programs and projects will be
accepted both from the university and from off-campus authors.
Lomonosov Moscow State University is considered to be one of the
most important scientific and educational centers in Russia. At present
there are more than 8600 professors, lecturers and research associates
working at MSU. Among them are 125 academicians (including several Nobel
Prize winners). More than 26 thousand undergraduate students study at
Moscow State University, and about 5 thousand are working on their Ph.D.
projects. Moscow University has more than 100 laboratories, computer
center, botanical gardens, Museum of Antropology, Museum of Zoology,
Museum of Soil Science, Museum of Rare Books and a number of specialized
recearch and teaching centers (biotechnological, laser, ecological
and others). In the rating-list of Europe's leading quality educational
institutions (Gourman Report, National Education Standards, USA) Moscow
State University occupies the second place.
The goal of this high speed computer network is to provide access
for Russian scientific, research and educational institutes to worldwide
information resources of the Internet. The project started on December
14, 1993, with installation of the satellite ground station "Kalinka"
and beginning of test operating of the satellite channel 256Kbps between
Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI) MSU, Moscow, Russia and DESY, Hamburg,
Germany. At that time in Moscow the Radio-MSU network there were only
two domestic links using digital computing. The project "Pilot Project
to Connect Scientific Institutes in the Moscow region with DESY, CERN
and WIN" was funded by the German Ministry of Research and Technology.
DESY and DFN (the German Research Network) were tasked with the
implementation, with Nuclear Physics Institute of MSU acting as
subcontractor in Russia. The system is based on a TCP/IP protocol
stack. At the moment Radio-MSU network consists of the following lines:
1. DESY, Hamburg, Germany, using combined data link consisting of
satellite channel 1Mbps and terrestrial channel 128Kbps
(routing divides traffic to the short packets for terrestrial
channel (telnet, ping, ...) with round-trip about 90ms, and the
long packets for satellite channel (ftp, ... ) with round-trip
about 540ms);
2. Southern Moscow FDDI Backbone 10 Mbps using the Catalist router and
the Cisco 4000 router in MSU Tower;
3. Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Moscow), 2 Mbps,
microwave line
4. Lebedev Physical Institute (Troitsk, Moscow region), 2 Mbps,
microwave line
5. Institute for High Energy Physics (Serpukhov, Moscow region), 2 Mbps,
microwave line
6. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Moscow), 2 Mbps, microwave line
Satellite links
1. Yerevan Physics Institute (Yerevan, Armenia), 64 Kbps, satellite link
2. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Gatchina), 64 Kbps, satellite link
3. Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (Novosibirsk), 128 Kbps, satellite link
4. National Centre of Particle and High Enegy Physics attached to Byelorussian
State University (Minsk, Byelorussia), 64 Kbps, satellite link
Long distance
1. Scientific Information Agency SANDY (Nijny Novgorod), 24.0 Kbps, dial-up
ISKRA line
Moscow
1. International Center for Scientific and Technical Information, 19.2 Kbps,
dial-up ISKRA line
2. Moscow Engineering and Physical Institute, 19.2 Kbps, dial-up ISKRA line
3. Nuclear Safety Institute, 19.2 Kbps, dial-up ISKRA line
4. Research Surgery Centrum, 28.8 Kbps, leased line
5. Scientific Research Center of Informatics, 128 Kbps, leased line
Moscow State University
1. Belozersky Institute of physico-chemical biology, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
2. Chemistry Department, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
3. Geography Department, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
4. Computer Science Department, 10 Mbps, fiber optic ethernet
5. Institute of Mechanics, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
6. Scientific and Research Computer Center, 128 Kbps, dedicated line
7. Skobeltsyn Nuclear Physics Institute (administration building), 10 Mbps,
fiber-optic ethernet
8. Sternberg Astronomical Institute, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
9. Philosophy Department, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
10. Synchrotron building, 10 Mbps, fiber optic ethernet
11. Main building of MSU, 10 Mbps, fiber optic ethernet
12. NPI Nonlinear Optics Lab, Moscow State University, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
13. Faculty of Law, Moscow State University, 115 Kbps, dedicated line
RUNNet is the Russian Federal University Network that aims at creating common
information space of Russian science and education and its integration into
the world information community. RUNNet creation was launched by State
Committee for Higher Education of Russian Federation in 1994. Today
the network development, operation and maintenance are supervised
by Federal Center for Computer University Networks under the contract
from State Committee for Higher Education.
Network backbone provides connectivity for main economical regions
of Russia: Central, Northern-Western, Volga, Northern-Caucuses, Ural,
Siberian, Kamchatka.
Federal nodes (FN) located in the main university centers of the
country and connected via satellite channels constitute the backbone.
Overall number of FNs in the region varies from one to three depending on
the density of potential users. Regional infrastructure determines
connectivity of corresponding FN: it is connected with regional nodes (RN)
and additionally with regional networks. Thus both FNs and RNs act as
RUNNet's Points of Presence.
Two FNs located in Moscow and St. Petersburg and named core federal
nodes (CFN) are cardinal for the backbone. Almost all backbone administration
and channel control take place there. Each CFN connects part of other FNs
thus forming two-star RUNNet topology (see map). International traffic goes
through the nearest CFN either to NORDUnet or to Ebone. CFNs also act as the
gateways to other Russian networks. According to traffic load and in case of
a CFN malfunction it is possible to adapt topology dynamically by switching
satellite channels. This scheme improves reliability of RUNNet backbone
and optimizes load of channels.
FNs perform all tasks related to the backbone functionality. Also FNs
provide services for users maintaining information common for the whole
region. From the traffic point of view FNs prevent external channel overload
by mirroring most often requested information. FNs are the centers of
regional network development. Most of user connections are made through FNs.
Each FN serves its sub region connecting regional networks, local universities,
educational and other institutions.
Network Channels
RUNNet channel subsystem is based on different types of physical channel:
satellite, fiber optics, radio, telephone leased and dial-up lines.
At present only satellite technology is the most suitable one for
the backbone which requires high speed links covering Russia extent.
RUNNet uses its own satellite network based on Russian geostatic satellite
RADUGA 70. At the FNs transceiver ground stations have been installed.
At the current stage of the development RUNNet exchange data through duplex
channels at 64 - 256 Kbit/s. FN equipment (ground stations and modem
hardware) allows to increase speed up to 8 Mbit/s. Backbone connection to
the Internet is carried out through Moscow and St. Petersburg Federal Nodes:
256 Kbit/s to NORDUnet (St. Petersburg - Helsinki) and 256 Kbit/s to Ebone
(Moscow - Paris).
RUNNet provides Internet connectivity to universities, research,
academic and other institutions which activity lies in the areas of
education, science and culture or of interest for Russian scientific and
educational community. Connection to RUNNet gives its customers full spectrum
of the Internet online services: terminal access to remote sites (telnet),
file transfer (FTP), access to UseNet newsgroups, access to information
systems and databases (Gopher, WWW, WAIS, etc.), etc. E-mail service is also
provided. Along with the above standard portfolio RUNNet develops its own
information services:
RUNNet has peering agreements with all major national service providers.
In many regions peering with domestic networks has been established at RUNNet
Federal Nodes. In Moscow RUNNet participates in Moscow Internet eXchange at
M9 with Relcom, Demos, RoSprint, RUHEP/Radio-MSU, RELARN, RSSI, FREEnet.
Similar activitiers aimed at creation of Internet eXchange point have been
started in St.Petersburg. Five national and regional networks (Relcom, RELARN,
RUNNet, RUSnet/NW, ROKSON). already signed the agreement and the equipment is
planned to be installed by the end of September 1996. RUNNet has Collaboration
Agreement with NORDUnet in the areas including traffic exchange, support for
interconnection infrastructure, international connectivity, and operational
coordination.
As the leading organization of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the
field of investigations of Outer Space, Solar System planets and other
objects of the Universe, Space Research Institute (IKI) is primary in charge
of long-range planning and elaboration of space research programs of which a
considerable part is performed within the framework of international space
research cooperation. Some on-going projects developed by IKI are:
MARS-96. The main goal of Solar System studies in Russia for next
10-15 years is Mars and the Mars96 project. In November 1996 it is planned to
launch a spacecraft. The scientific objectives of this mission are to
investigate the evolution and contemporary physics of Mars, and to make, using
various methods, a wide range of comprehensive studies of those physical and
chemical processes which took place in the past and which continue there now.
The payload of the Mars96 orbiter includes 23 scientific instruments
to study the Martian surface, the inner structure of the planet, its atmosphere,
and its plasma envelope, as well as instruments for astrophysical studies.
INTERBALL is the solar-terrestrial programme aimed to study various
plasma processes in the Earth magnetosphere by the system of spacecraft
consisting of two pairs (atellite-subsatellite) above the polar aurora and in
the magnetospheric tail respectively. The project INTERBALL is a part of of
the Programme coordinated by the Inter-Agency Consultative Group (IACG)
for Space Science consisting of representatives of ESA, NASA, RKA and
Japan Institute of Space and Aeronautics Sciences. According to this
Programme a system of ten core spacecraft of the listed above agencies
will be spatially distributed (in 1995-1996) between the L1 and L2
Sun-Earth libration points to study solar-terrestrial relationship.
Solar Terrestrial Data Archive (STDA) was created in IKI in order to:
Russian Space Science Internet (RSSI) program has been established
in April,1993 by joint decision of Russian co-chairmen of Working Groups
on Space Research and NASA Science Internet (NSI) concerning to cooperation
in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. The main
aim of this project is to provide communications to Russian space science
community.
RSSI representative is the Space Research Institute of the Russian
Academy of Sciences (Moscow), which provides the links to the other Russian
space research organizations. RSSI is connected to the NSI network operated
by Ames Research Center and to the Moscow Fiber Optic Backbone founded by
International Science Foundation and interconnecting main Russian research
and educational networks. RSSI is interconnected with :
At the initial phase of the project it was suggested that the
overal coordination of the project activities in Russia is assumed by the
Permanent Committee on Networking Strategy (PCNETS) The PCNETS was founded
and started various activities in promotion of Internet usage and
professional awareness in 1994.
In 1995 Russian Permanent Committee for Network Strategies (PCNETS)
and the Center of Geophysical Computer Data Studies of Russian Academy of
Sciences (CGDS RAS) applied for the support to several international and
national organisations in order to start the INTERNET training project.
So, with the support of UNESCO, UNIDO, The British Council, NASA Science
Internet (NSI), Russian Space Science Internet (RSSI) and Moscow State
University (MSU), the first pilot course "INTERNET and other computer
networks in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union for
scientific research and industrial information" took place in Moscow
May 22-27, 1995. As a follow-up of this pilot activity the documentation
centre for networking and telecomputing was established with the support
of the British Council. The success of this course made it possible to
obtain the necessary funding for more courses planned for 1996. The first
two in the row took place in Moscow in May 1996.
First course, organized in the co-operation with UNIDO. The first
course named "INTERNET and other computer networks and telematic
applications for business" took place in Moscow 20-24 May 1996. It was
organized in co-operation with UNESCO and UNIDO, with the support of other
organizations among which were the British Council and EDNES.
The participants included representatives from SMEs of all former Soviet
republics.
As in the pilot course, the programme consisted of three parts.
The first part included general description of history and state-of-the-art
of computer and information technologies in the developed countries and in
Russia. The second part was formed by lectures on major network services,
searching tools, legal and management issues, security issues and company-
-wide networks (INTRANET), organization and support of own information
site. The major principles and examples of usage of computer networks and
telematic applications for business information dissemination, retrieval, for
trading and advertisement, of cyber-payment systems were described. In the
third part, at the practical sessions, the trainees were able to try everything
that was discussed at the lectures. The twelve hours of supervised practical
sessions involved sessions where trainees studied network operational systems,
mainly UNIX, major network services, including electronic mail, mailing lists
management software, USENET, GOPHER, FTP, WWW, etc. Moreover, those practical
sessions covered HTML authoring and INTERNET information resources. After the
practical sessions, the trainees could browse computer networks and services
on their own in the free time provided, still taking full advantage of the
tutors' advice and assistance, when required.
Russian trainers were staff members of CGDS, RSSI and MSU who have been using
and building computer networks and informational services for several years
and who have experience in training as well as in computer technologies.
In addition, there were invited tutors from Great Britain (EASYNET) and
France (RENATER).
Second course. The second course named "INTERNET and other computer
networks and telematic applications for science and education" took place
in Moscow May 27-31, 1996. It was organized by UNESCO, with the support of
other organizations among which were the British Council and EDNES.
The participants were members of Russian and Ukrainian scientific and educational
communities.
The programme of this course was of the same three-parts-structure.
Lectures described network services and telematic applications in science
and education, scientific informational resources and services. The special
emphasis was given to the problems which are specific to the scientific and
educational communities, e.g., real-time data transfer, transfer of huge volumes
of data, remote computation, etc. There were also special lectures on scientific
electronic publishing and on education over the computer networks. Similar to
the first course at the practical sessions the trainees could access the network
services by themselves and get answers on all practical questions from the
supervising tutors.
Technical organization. The lectures were given at the specialized network
computer class in Moscow State University. The practical sessions were conducted
at the premises of Geophysical Center of Russian Academy of Sciences. Both,
lectures and practical sessions, included live demonstrations and actual examples
obtained via INTERNET in real time. The large-screen projection equipment that
allowed implementation of this lecture model, was supplied by the British Council
and by Moscow State University. Moscow State University is one of the major nodes
of Moscow fibber-optic backbone and Russian University Network (RUNNET).
It is connected to the European network EBONE by 256K ground link.
At the practical sessions trainees were using a local area network of PC,
two or three trainees per screen, to allow for efficient exchange of freshly gained
skills among the trainees. Geophysical Center is connected to Moscow State University
and therefore to Moscow fibber-optic backbone by 144K ground link. For some practical
sessions the proxy server at the headquarters of Russian Space Science Internet was
used, through the courtesy of the RSSI management.
| Responsibility | Name | Position | Contact information |
|---|---|---|---|
| National focal point | Prof. Alexei Gvishiani | Chairman, PCNETS, Vice-president, EDNES | 3, Molodezhnaya st. Moscow 117283 Russia Tel/Fax: (7-095) 133 43 39 Email gvi@wdcb.rssi.ru |
| Domain liaison (environment) | Dr. Ravil Nazirov | Deputy Director, Institute of space research, Member of PCNETS, representative, Russian Space Science Internet |
84/32 Profsoyuznaya St. Moscow 117810 RUSSIA Tel. (7-095) 333-20-23 (7-095) 333-50-89 Fax: (7-095) 333-20-89 Email:nazirov@esoc1.iki.rssi.ru |
| Domain liaison (communication technologies) | Mr. Mikhail Sinyukov | "Orbitel" communication company |
6, 2nd Spasonalivkovski per Tel.: (7-095) 238 79 53 Fax: (7-095) 230 19 31 |
| Domain liaison (education) | Dr. Valery Vasenin | Assistant Prorector, telecommunication, Moscow State University, Member of PCNETS, representative, RUNNet, MSUNet |
Leninskie Gory, MGU, Main building, #1210 Moscow, RUSSIA Tel: (7-095) 939 20 78, Fax: (7-095) 939 00 64 Email: vasenin@nss.msu.ru |
| Domain liaison (scientific research) | Dr. Mikhail Zhizhin | Head of telematics lab Joint Institute of Physics of the Earth Russian Academy of Sciences |
10, B. Gruzinskaya Tel.: (7-095) 254 89 15 Fax: (7-095) 133 4339 Email jjn@wdcb.rssi.ru |
| Domain liaison (electronic publications) | Dr. Vitaly Nechitailenko | Head of department, Geophysical Center RAS, Chief administrator, International Directory Network |
3, Molodezhnaya st. Moscow 117283 Russia Tel: (7-095) 930 56 49 Fax: (7-095) 133 43 39 Email vitaly@wdcb.rssi.ru |