WORKSHOP ON NETWORK TECHNOLOGY
Reston, Virginia, 19 March 1996: In conjunction with the INET'96 conference, the Internet Society will sponsor a Workshop on Network Technology for Countries in the Early Stages of Internet Networking from June 16-22, 1996. The focus of the Workshop will be on assisting countries that are either not yet connected to the Internet or are in the process of developing and enhancing an initial national Internet.
"This is a seven-day intensive program which will have hands-on emphasis on Internet set up, operations, maintenance and management," said Lawrence H. Landweber, President of the Internet Society. "This Workshop builds upon the experiences of three similar and very successful workshops held during 1993-1995 at Stanford University, USA; Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic; and the University of Hawaii, USA," he concluded.
"In the past three years, we have trained almost 500 participants from 100 countries," said George Sadowsky, Vice President for Education of the Internet Society. "From 1993 to 1995, all of the new country connections to the global Internet were accomplished through the efforts of participants in these workshops," he noted.
"The Workshop is designed to train a critical mass of professionals in network infrastructure, services and management to be able to support an extension of meaningful Internet-related activities within their country," said Monique Lefebvre, the INET'96 conference co-chair and President of CRIM (Centre de recherche informatique de Montreal).
Workshop goals include identifying and sharing contacts as well as information sources that will assist the process of national Internet development; encouraging the development of mentor-student and colleague-colleague relationships; increasing the level of cooperation among existing projects and activities for establishing data networks in developing countries; training individuals who will return to their country to teach what they have learned at the workshop.
The Workshop is specifically directed towards the needs of people from developing countries who are playing or will play an important part in introducing and extending networking in their countries/regions. Participants will engage in extensive hands-on training, either setting up a prototype network or using actual Internet resources, using facilities at McGill University.
Staff members of international and bilateral technical co-operation agencies as well as professionals having substantial involvement in international technical assistance activities, are also eligible for admission as space allows.
The Workshop is comprised of six instructional tracks:
Track 1: Host-Based Internetworking Technology: Learn to design, set-up and operate a local TCP/IP network of one or more UNIX hosts to support a regional network.
Track 2: Backbone Internetworking Technology: Learn to design, set-up and operate a metropolitan, regional or national TCP/IP dedicated backbone network with a permanent connection to the international Internet.
Track 3: Network Navigation and Services: Set-up and design quality Internet Information services and support and train users and providers of information.
Track 4: National Network Management: Manage the development of a national public Internet, guiding its development into the role of a cost effective and useful communications resource.
Track 5: Introduction to Networking (in French): This year, for the first time, there will be two tracks for francophones which will be conducted in French. This one is an introductory level track focusing on TCP/IP, network navigation and information retrieval and network management.
Track 6: Campus or Corporate Network Management (in French): Learn how to manage a local TCP/IP network using one or two UNIX servers and offering Internet Services on Mac, Dos or Windows.
INET'96, the 6th annual conference of the Internet Society (June 25-28) focusing on worldwide issues of Internet networking, will follow the Workshop. This conference brings together those extending the reach and use of the Internet. It will be held in Canada for the first time and will bring together over 2500 individuals involved in developing and implementing Internet networks, applications and policies for a worldwide infrastructure. In addition to maintaining its traditional focus upon technical and commercial issues, this year's conference will place increased emphasis upon the social, cultural, economic and linguistic impacts of this technology.
The Internet Society was founded in 1991 and is the international body responsible for coordinating the Internet and ensuring cooperation among members.
For information: Lynn O'Keefe-Grabe, okeefe_l@mediasoft.net