Minutes of Working Group Meeting

CSO Base Facility, Hilo

June 7, 2001

Present:

• Laurie Bass (Gemini)
• Mac Cooper (SMA)
• Tony Denault (IRTF)
• Miranda Hawarden-Ogata (IfA)
• Jim Kennedy (Gemini)
• Ryusuke Ogasawara (Subaru)
• Ruisheng Peng (CSO)
• Henry Stilmack (JAC)
• Kanoa Willington (CFHT)

Absent:

• 88"
• Keck
• VLBA

Minutes

Current Network Status

• There is one problem to report:

  On May 16th, a software upgrade of Sonnet equipment at Verizon introduced a configuration inconsistancy that caused over 30 DS3s to go down; among these, was the MKO DS3 from Manoa to Hilo. The link was down for about an hour.

• Thanks to SMA, the VIS is finally connected to HP through fibers. Mac Cooper found some old equipment in his lab that did the trick.

Wireless Network

Pui Hin reported that she has received more opposition to wireless equipment on the summit. Following are the remarks from Richard Wainscoat of the UH Telescope:
"Here are my thoughts on the issue of use of radio transmitters for computer networks and other purposes at the summit.

"I think we should respect the submm/radio telescopes' objections to these radio transmitters. I know that if any optical telescope turns their lights on during the night, the other telescopes are very quick to call them to ask them to shut their dome and stop polluting the nighttime sky with light. I think we should follow the same guidelines for radio emission.

"I also understand that interference to instruments from radio tranmissions is notoriously difficult to a) confirm (because of sporadic transmissions) and b) eliminate. This kind of interference can affect the optical/IR telescopes as well as the submm telescopes - for example, RFI could enter the signal chain of a CCD readout. This does happen at Haleakala (although the radiated power is higher there, and the frequencies are lower than some that are being discussed).

"Additionally, I think that any permanent use of radio transmitters at the telescope facilities will significantly weaken our position with respect to requests to install repeaters and other transmitters at the summit. For example, if we say that we can tolerate 30mW at a distance of 5 meters, then why can't we tolerate 3W at 50 meters, or 300W at 500 meters distance?"

At the March meeting, CSO and SMA were asked to suggest some guidelines including a list of equipment that should not be used around the summit. However, the group recognised that there are existing guidelines in the Master Plan. It would seem silly to establish new guidelines without new information.

Mac Cooper of SMA informed us that SMA will be conducting some tests originating from NRAO. The group is very interested in the result of this study and concluded that no change should be made to the current policy until we have new information. At which time, a report will be drafted and if appropriate, recommendation to the directors for any change.

Pui Hin has copies of the pertinent pages of the Master Plan for anyone who needs them.

Hilo Based Network Support

The position was readvertised and closed on May 30th. Suitable applicants will be interviewed.

PACCOM T1 and backup frame relay

There was a mess regarding the PACCOM billing. Several observatories were billed even though no service was provided. The explanation from the PACCOM group was that the regular adminstrator Steve Grab who has been doing the billing is no longer with the project. The new administrator simply followed whatever was done in the past.

Concerning the moving of the UH end of the frame relay from a T1 to a DS3, Pui Hin commented on the upside and the downside. The upside is that we will have better chance for a full T1 frame relay backup. At present, UH has a T1 frame relay and is over-subscribed. The downside is that the new DS3 will be going into the same router as the the MKO DS3. So the backup is not going to work if the problem is with the router.

Pui Hin will reschedule the testing of the backup link, originally scheduled for June 5th, as soon as the link is moved and the OSPF connection tested.

FY 01/02 Budget

Pui Hin presented the proposed FY2001/02 budget with the following comments:
• Salaries and Wages have gone down since Don Mickey has been on leave of absence since October of 2000 and is no longer with the project. Salary for a half-time person stationed in Hilo is funded by the Gemini network grants. In the past year, this position has been filled by a student helper, but a half-time employee should be in place in July. There is enough money to pay for the position for at least through June of next year. After that, an assessment needs to be made on how much work there is for the second person. The expense will be added back to the budget.

• Equipment and Wages includes money to buy an extra network interface if an agreement can be made to use the ITS OC3 link between UH Hilo and Manoa. (More on this later)

• Telephone includes charges for the T1 frame relay. For the past several months, the charges were covered by the money budgeted for Don Mickey's salary.

Other Business:

Welcome to Jim Kennedy of Gemini who attended the quarterly network meeting for the first time.
• Jim brought up the topics of Internet access for the MK Observatories, summit and base facilities, when the network grants expire. He has talked to several of the directors and there are strong interests in seeing the costs distributed according to usage.

  Pui Hin commented that there are a couple of scenarios:

  • As suggested by Jim, the observatories share the cost of the DS3s according to usage. The costs of the two DS3 are $15k per month.

  • Make an agreement with UH to use the soon-to-be-ready UH OC3 link (155 mbps) between Manoa and Hilo. Pui Hin thinks there will be plenty of bandwidth available for at least a few years and has already been talking to UH Hilo as well as David Lassner. Pulling of fibers between UH Hilo and the IfA is on-going. Pui Hin will try to secure more committment and report back to the committee at the next meeting.

    Pui Hin further remarked that we could decide on whether to prorate the costs depending on what the costs turns out to be.

• Kanoa Willington of the CFHT asked if anyone in the group has a NTP server. CFHT has installed it's NTP server serveral months ago and would like to see if we can have a pool of servers to back up each other. Tony Denault of the IRTF told us that the IRTF has acquired the equipment and would be interested in joining the pool.

Next Meeting

September 6, 2001, 10:00 a.m., at JAC