Contact Information

Program contact:
Christian Todorov
manlan@internet2.edu

For 24x7 technical support and operational questions, contact:
Global Research NOC at
Indiana University
Noc@manlan.iu.edu

Overview

Today, MAN LAN provides an open network exchange facility for a rich community of international and domestic research and education networks. By providing this critical connection point to the U.S. and abroad, MAN LAN enables researchers to partner and collaborate with their peers around the world.  MAN LAN is also an active participant in the Global Lambda Integrated Facility (GLIF). The GLIF community shares a common vision of building a new grid computing paradigm in which the central architectural element is optical networks, not computers, to support this decade’s most demanding e-science applications. The GLIF’s links are being made available for scheduled use by e-scientists and computer scientists involved with advanced data-intensive application, middleware, protocol and optical networking development.

In the future, as more global research networks begin to implement dynamic circuit networks like those being deployed on the Internet2 Network in the U.S., the MAN LAN team is working to deploy control plane technology into the exchange point to allow for the seamless set up of international dynamic circuits.  

Connections

MAN LAN provides both Layer 2 frame-based Ethernet connections as well as Layer 1 optical connections. IP peerings across the Ethernet facility are supported in addition to dedicated connections through the optical facility.

Cisco provides a 6513 Ethernet switch that supports frame-based services at bandwidths of 1 and 10 Gbps.  This device provides the Layer 2 environment that allows for peering among the connectors.  A variety of port options are supported for these two interface types.  A Cisco ONS 15454 is present and is able to accept OC48 and OC192 SONET and 10GE connections.

MAN LAN optical connections are supported primarily by Nortel equipment. Nortel provides both a Nortel Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 and a high-density Nortel cross-connect HDXc to support MAN LAN Layer 1 optical connections. The Nortel equipment facilitates the optical connection of networks within MAN LAN. The MAN LAN optical facilities allows for the connection of lambdas with other optical exchange points, including the NetherLight exchange point in Amsterdam managed by SURFnet.

The Internet2 Network connects to both the Ethernet and optical MAN LAN facilities. MAN LAN is the preferred means for peer networks to connect to the Internet2 Network in New York City and for direct peering between international & US R&E networks without Internet2 Network Conditions of Use restrictions.

The MAN LAN exchange point is an open exchange facility in that two connectors wishing to interconnect through the switch may always do so. Currently the connectors must send email to MAN LAN operations to configure such interconnections, but an automated procedure will be implemented when possible.

Please refer to Configuration & Connectors for further information.