EARN REPRESENTATIVES: Alain Auroux, EARN Headquarters (AA) Paul Bryant, United Kingdom (PB) Birgitta Carlson, Sweden (BC) Joe Chester, EARN Headquarters (JC) Jean-Loic Delhaye, France (JD) Michael Hebgen, West Germany (MH) Jean-Claude Ippolito, France (JI) Dennis Jennings, Ireland (DJ) David Lord, CERN (DL) Stefano Trumpy, Italy (ST)
References to page numbers relate to the Executive papers in the briefing document and supplemental papers for this meeting. Items to be included in the agenda of the next EARN EXEC meeting and actions are listed in the appendices and only there.
A clarification of the EARN membership is required in the case of other networks like JANET or DFN, the EARN EXEC will first get their own view before going into negotiation with other networks and/or organisations.
- see Appendix B
Country Status 1988: - see Appendix B
Sponsorship: Dennis Jennings reported from a meeting with DEC which is interested in migration to OSI and to support it by a joined project and limited contribution to the incremental line costs. The EARN EXEC agreed on continuation and discussion with other companies like BULL, SIEMENS etc.
Accounts/Auditor: Jean-Claude Ippolito received 250.000 ECU from IBM and has started paying the EARN office. The budget proposal (Page 16 of briefing document of EXEC meeting on July 15, 1987) should include the following headings in addition:
Transnational Payments (supplement): A message will be send to the EARN BOD that EARN intends to present a letter of invoice with letter contracts for at least the contribution for the Transatlantic Link including 10 percent contingency for currency shifts. The EARN BOD will be asked for objections and who will be the organisation paying the bill.
Dublin: Joe Chester gave a status and activity report.
Paris: Alain Auroux is setting up an office and preparing the next EARN EXEC and BOD meeting in Paris.
BOD/EXEC actions: Dennis Jennings has written a letter to the EC Vice President K.H. Narjes regarding the "green book", the divergencies of charges and concerns about usage based tariffs. Up to now EARN has not received a response from the German PTT minister but the recently published report from a German government commission about PTT liberalization gives some hope.
Germany update: After a report from Michael Hebgen the EARN EXEC agreed on the following general strategy to avoid volume charging:
Belgium: The strategy of avoiding pass-thru traffic applies to Belgium too. Dennis Jennings will discuss with Jean Nuyens a "holding" letter to the Belgium PTT.
Montpellier: The 56 KB link to CUNY is running, the links to Israel and Italy are on order; the order from Greece and Turkey is outstanding.
RAL/CERN link: - shifted to agenda of next meeting
Links to Germany: Following the strategy 64 KB link(s) to Montpellier and/or CERN are considered. The plan depends on a bandwidth improvement between CERN and Montpellier, if CERN can hold a 64 KB SNA link and the overall change of topology, which a subgroup coordinated by Alain Auroux will discuss separately.
Luxembourg: - see Appendix B
Traffic measurement: - see Appendix B
Perugia report: Paul Bryant reported the results of the Perugia meeting. No major changes to the proposal had been made but the options had been narrowed. In particular the 'square infrastructure' was accepted and the use of NJE/SNA/X.25 recommended. This allows detailed planning of the initial transition stages. It was recommended that EARN should 'support' the X.25 infrastructure and NJE/SNA/X.25 only. The use of other protocols would not be prevented but any gateways or relays needed and any problems encountered would be the responsibility of those using them. It was agreed to publish the Perugia document, its supplement, and meeting report in NETSERV and invite wider comment. The Executive raised no objections to the technical direction transition was taking.
X.400: Paul Bryant reported on the status of the X.400 project. This had reached the stage where the system had proved to be a good implementation of X.400 and further evaluation was not needed. The current system is inappropriate for wide use due to the reliance on the Series one front ends. A version using the 37xx equipment and the IBM ISO products exists. It would be useful to give this system a short evaluation and to use it widely in EARN once the X.25 infrastructure is in place. This would require a new agreement with IBM. It was agreed to negotiate with IBM for the wide use of the new version of the X.400 system preceded by a short evaluation.
EARN Equipment: For the IBM given EARN equipment the individual countries are responsible - see also Appendix B
Next Technical Meeting: The next technical meeting will be "old fashioned" cover the overall topic "Operation and Management of the network in 1988".
New Countries: The UK reserve the right to prevent traffic between the UK and COCOM proscribed countries.
Luxembourg will be added when country application is received. Dennis Jennings forwarded concerns and reservations about the connection of the people republic of China to BITNET - see also Appendix B.
Appropriate institutions in Lebanon, Malta and Chile will be asked to formally apply for EARN membership.
Associate Membership: - see Appendix B Associate membership fee: - see Appendix B
Associate members communicating with non-EARN universities: - see Appendix B
CEPT: Stefano Trumpy and Dennis Jennings will continue to try to get a bilateral meeting EARN and CEPT end of October, a following broader migration meeting with RARE and EC is welcome.
RARE: Dennis Jennings gave a short report mentioning that funding is available from RARE for taking part in the working groups.
CEC: no actual information.
EUNET: The EARN EXEC approved to proceed discussion to enhance both networks and prospects for both networks.
HEPNET: Paul Bryant will check the UK HEPNET position and mail it to the EARN EXEC.
SPAN: Joe Chester gave a presentation on EARN. An EARN/SPAN meeting is planned in the future.
Paul Bryant mentioned that it is not clear what people will be addressed by this meeting, technical people or users or site representatives (for a general meeting) - see also Appendix B.
Dennis Jennings reported that BITNET is merging with CSNET; EARN should take part in that process and press for some discussion.
- see Appendix A
The EARN EXEC is asked for final comments on the proposed EARN brochure within one week and to send articles to the Dublin office for the EARN Annual Report.
Michael Hebgen. asked for clarification of the term "commercial use". With help from David Lord he will make a proposal for the "Code of Conduct".
Confidentiality: Working papers are confidential prior to a meeting and until the Executive Committee decides otherwise.
Operating procedures: - see Appendix A and B
- see Appendix A
- see Appendix A
Action list Budget proposal Clarification of membership rules Connection Rutherford - Montpellier X.400 EARN-RARE liaison EARN Programmes Operating Procedures University of the World Development Strategy
Distribution of the EXEC minutes to the EARN BOD (MH) Distribution of the BOD minutes to the EARN BOD for comments (MH) Message to the EARN BOD requesting country status 1988 (AA) Preparation of PR packages for general information, presentation for sponsorship and associate membership (JC)
Presentation of an audited statement, a statement actual up to the EARN BOD meeting and a budget proposal (JI) Rough financial figures for Migration (PB)
Message to the EARN BOD regarding transnational payments (AA) Figures and proposal for transnational payment (AA) Tariffs for all international EARN links (AA) Discuss a "holding" letter to Belgium PTT (DJ) Request link orders from Greece and Turkey (JD) Check bandwidth improvement between MOP and CERN (JD,DL) Check if CERN can host a 64 KB SNA link (DL) Coordinate Topology subgroup (AA) Check Luxembourg connection to Netherlands (DJ) Check Luxembourg connection to Paris (JD) Message to Luxembourg to request country membership (MH) Collect a group to discuss traffic measurement (AA) Publish the 3 Perugia documents (PB)
Negotiate with IBM for the wide use of the new X.400 system (PB) Collect information from IBM on the EARN equipment (AA) Prepare a proposal for X.25 switches (PB) Check for funding of the X.25 switches (DJ) Select the sites to run the X.25 switches (EXEC)
Circulate terms of reference and agenda of next technical meeting (PB)
Ask the BOD for votes on country membership and explain COCOM proscribed countries (JC).
Contact BITNET that China connection does not impact US export license and regulations (DJ)
Ask interested institutions in Lebanon, Malta and Chile to formally apply for membership (DJ)
Proposal for a revised membership committee (BC) Proposal for associate membership fee (JC)
Set up a set of actions for communication of associate members (DL) Get a bilateral meeting with CEPT (ST, DJ)
Proposal for a message to the BOD to be distributed in the countries asking for EARN88 agenda items and management issues (JC) Press BITNET for discussion on BITNET/CSNET merge (DJ) Proposal for Code of Conduct regarding commercial use (MH) Distribution of the Operating Procedures Proposal to the EARN EXEC for comments (MH)
