MKO ComNet Working Group Meeting Minutes

JAC

January 13, 1995

Present:

• Jonathan Chock (WMKO)
• Bob Link (CFHT)
• Bob McLaren (IfA)
• Kyoji Nariai (Subaru)
• Eric Pilger (IRTF)
• Mike Prater (VLBA)
• Maren Purves (CSO)
• Antony Schinckel (CSO)
• Henry Stillmack (JAC)
• Tjet Sun (IfA)

Absent:

• UH

Minutes

Network Status and Performance

General Status

No outages of the FDDI ring have been reported during the last period. Eric Pilger reported some problems on the Manoa-Hale Pohaku link. The problems may have been due to power outage problems at UH Manoa campus.

MKO Communications Infrastructure Improvement Plans

Bob McLaren reported that Gemini is planning to start the road relocation work in a couple of weeks. Gemini's representative will return to JAC next week (end of January). The communications infrastructure work, which is the second phase of the Gemini work, is expected in May/June 1995. Actual construction of Gemini cannot start until that phase is completed.

In connection with the Gemini infrastructure work, the IfA is proposing upgrading the communications cables from CFHT onwards in anticipation of future communications needs, e.g. Smithsonian Submillimeter Array (SMA). The cable expansion along the northern route was proposed after a plan to upgrade the conduit infrastructure along the southern route proved too expensive.

A draft of the proposal was discussed at the meeting. There was discussion about possible contingency plans for the MKOCN fiber resplicing in case the additional infrastructure work is adding too much delay to the start of the Gemini site construction work. After discussions with Gemini and HawTel personnel, a "final" version worked out.

There are a few outstanding questions on the draft plan, including

1. Possibility of reusing fiber from each facility to the handhole,
2. Congestion of the conduits leading into each facility,
3. Distance between the handhole and termination point within each facility.

Each facility will investigate the latter two questions and forward the information to IfA, in order for the IfA to come up with a cost estimate of new fiber pull compared to re-using the old fibers.

Weather Satellite Images

The issue of satellite weather images was revisited. Further attempts will be made to gather more frequent weather images from GOES-7. Currently we can receive only one processed image a day. The UH is looking into the possibility of a commercial service.

Next Meeting

Friday April 7, 10:00am at IfA (subject to change).