RedCLARA Technical Management
RedCLARA is operated by CLARA, under the direction of CLARA-TEC, the organisation’s Technical Committee. CLARA-TEC aims to keep the network at the forefront of IP network advanced services by coordinating the activities of two further groups with direct operational responsibilities for RedCLARA.
- The CLARA Network Engineering Group, which has responsibility for introducing new services and links, is based in Brazil.
- The CLARA Network Operations Centre is based in Mexico, and is responsible for the operation of RedCLARA and its interconnection to GÉANT.
In addition to this co-ordinating function, CLARA-TEC acts as an information and communications channel between the other groups on technical and political matters, and between the technical groups and CLARA’s member organisations. The Technical Committee also has a key role in developing technical sessions and regular meetings of CLARA staff.
All NOC and NEG activity, as well as the bi-annual CLARA technical meetings, is funded by the ALICE project.
CLARA Network Engineering Group
CLARA-NEG is headquartered within the RNP (Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa) facilities. In conjunction with the CLARA NOC, CLARA-NEG is responsible for the routine maintenance activities required to ensure the proper functioning of the network, as well as issue reporting procedures, failure recovery procedures, and handling of issues that have been escalated from the NOC.
CLARA-NEG is also responsible for all network engineering, including the definition of the IP addressing and routing plan, and formulation of the policies to be adopted for the advanced IP services backbone.
CLARA Network Operations Centre (NOC)
The CLARA NOC, provided by the Mexican NREN CUDI, performs the day-to-day operation of RedCLARA services. The NOC is responsible for the administration, control, monitoring and operation of all physical and logical infrastructures that comprise the backbone of the RedCLARA network. Its job is to ensure high availability, high performance levels and advanced operation of the network and its interconnections.
The NOC serves as a central point of coordination for the operational activities of the network, and co-ordinates the allocation of network issues for resolution.
Access Port Managers
Within the LA-NRENs, one person, known as the Access Port Manager (APM) is designated for liaison with the CLARA NOC. The APMs are the main administrative interface between the LA-NRENs and the CLARA NOC. A backup APM is also appointed, to cover in the event of absence of the primary APM. Monthly service reports are sent from the CLARA NOC to the APMs, who comment on the operational service as appropriate.
DANTE's Role
As well as being the managing partner in the ALICE project, DANTE provides technical support to RedCLARA, in the form of technical advice, information transfer on best practices in network management and services, sharing technical documentation with RedCLARA, and giving recommendations on potential courses of action. DANTE and the EU NREN partners also participate in CLARA's technical working groups.
