Menu

Operating Innovative Networks (OIN) Workshop Series

OIN Workshop

ESnet was a founding partner, along with Indiana University and Internet2 , in the creation and execution of the Operating Innovative Networks (OIN) workshop series, funded by the National Science Foundation. These events equipped university and laboratory network engineers with the hands-on knowledge they need to build the next-gen campus data-intensive scientists need to succeed.

The OIN program has delivered 23 workshops, distributed around the United States, to over 750 attendees during its four year lifespan. The workshops focused on emerging technology and modern research networks. Topics included:

These concepts were paired with lessons and experience in the use of cutting edge Software Defined Networking (SDN), with an emphasis on OpenFlow, and ways that campuses could adopt advanced services.

The workshops comprised two days of presentation material and in-depth hands-on exercises. Hands-on experience with technology was a hallmark of the OIN project. Attendees were given access to a remote tool set to facilitate this approach. Specific exercise activities were designed for the sake of the workshop, and most simulated known problems that exist within real scientific environments. A typical educational pattern was to learn about the use of the tools via lecture, experiment with the tools through practice, and then use the tools to solve a series of progressively harder simulated events. By the end of the event, attendees had better understandings of the requirements for supporting scientific use of the network, and tools and strategies that can be used to mitigate problems users may encounter.