[1st-mile-nm] NMCAC-Darkstrand Announcement

[peter]

Hey Gary

I understand that Mike Stein of Darkstrand has issued a press release 
saying that his company ( with absolutely no fiber network management 
experience )  beat out Qwest / ATT / L3 for the national 
commercialization on 15000 route miles of NLR . Let me see no experience 
and it breaks the law , yup makes perfect sense !

When was this supposed RFP issued and who adjudicated it

I would also like to know how many NLR and NMLR members are now paid 
consultants to Darkstrand ( Lovely name for a company with special irony 
with the Cult of Darkstrand world of Warcraft ) then again it could be 
the same people ( : ( :

Perhaps our Qwest and ATT members can comment as what I hear from telco 
sources is that what Darkstrand is proposing is not legally permissible 
and that is also the opinion of the  fiber operator mentioned ( 
Especially ironic in the L3 and Qwest provided large parts of the local 
infrastructure ( Including the gigapop for UNM funded in part with 
corporate lobbying efforts and sponsorships by  the promise of joint 
ventures who after they delivered were told to take a hike by UNM )

How does this also make sense when I2 after looking at NLR plan said it 
was just not allowable under law.

Gary I know you get a paycheck from NMLR but how does your email of no 
we are not, jive with Darkstands comments and what do you mean by 
partner ( Including the above comment ) when most plans I have seen are 
just targeted at making a precious needed resource scarce and jacking up 
prices.

Or does not and working together change depending on the price tag for UNM

Lastly Richard where is the plan and is Bill taking it to DC or ???

( : ( : pete

Peter Baston

*IDEAS*

/www.ideapete.com/ <http://www.ideapete.com/>


 

 



Gary Bauerschmidt wrote:
> Hey John,
> 	wanted to reply to your questions before rumors spin out of control. 
> Thanks for raising these questions!
>
> You're right important details are missing, but the answer to number one 
> is no.  NM Lambda Rail is a non-profit organization that has 
> restrictions in commercial use.  ABQ-G (just a catchy name) being a 
> department of UNM of course has commercial use prohibitions.
>
> If anyone connecting to NMLR has commercial uses in addition to their 
> research needs their commercial traffic will have to go through another 
> provider.  Another reason why partnerships are so important.  If New 
> Mexico is going to cost effectively bring connectivity to as much of our 
> state as possible, we ALL have to partner together.  Only by pooling our 
> resources and sharing use will NM be successful in increasing broadband 
> connectivity as the recent report that Richard worked so hard on stated.
>
> Gary Bauerschmidt
> Associate Director, ITS
> University of New Mexico
>
> John Brown wrote:
>   
>> Nice announcement.
>>
>> It does miss some important details.
>>
>> 1. Does this mean that UNM/ABQ-G / NM Lambda Rail has now approved
>>     commercial use of its network ???
>>
>> 2. If 1 is true, then when would Sandoval County expect to connect ?
>>     Last I remember the hold up for Sandoval County connecting was
>>     the commercial intent by Sandoval County....
>>
>> 3. If 1 is true, where is the publicly available document that describes
>>     how a tax payer funded service is now available for private sector /
>>     corporate use.   Same document should also allow any other private
>>     sector entity to connect.
>>
>> 4. Why isn't DarkStrand registered to do business in NM ??
>>
>>
>> I'm not bashing anyone and see this release as an indicator that such a
>> valuable tax payer funded resource is now available to other private 
>> sector entities.
>>
>>
>>
>> Richard Lowenberg wrote:
>>     
>>> Darkstrand-NM
>>>
>>> New Mexico Computing Applications Center Brings One of the World's Fastest
>>> Supercomputers to Darkstrand Network
>>>
>>> New Partnership Brings Greater Speed, Bandwidth and Research Brainshare Critical
>>> for Corporate America to Maintain Global Competitive Advantage
>>>
>>> www.marketwatch.com/news/story/New-Mexico-Computing-Applications-Center/story.aspx?guid={D4AF20EE-6BA1-4250-835E-D62F6400253E}
>>>
>>> Nov. 19, 2008
>>>
>>> AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 19, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, Darkstrand, a pioneer in
>>> corporate high-speed connectivity bridging research and commercialization,
>>> announced a strategic partnership agreement with the New Mexico Computing
>>> Applications Center (NMCAC), a premier research institution dedicated to
>>> applications-driven high-speed computer problem solving. NMCAC currently hosts
>>> the 12th fastest supercomputer in the world, according to the biannual TOP500
>>> Project, known as "Encanto," and this alliance opens a virtual gateway for
>>> corporate America to the vast supercomputing resources and expertise that NMCAC
>>> holds. Corporations with connectivity to the Darkstrand fiber optic network will
>>> now have the power to drive innovative, high-performance computing (HPC)
>>> initiatives in real-time collaboration with NMCAC supercomputer and its
>>> affiliated institutions.
>>>
>>> "The state of New Mexico and NMCAC are on the forefront of an economic
>>> development explosion," said Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico. "By
>>> bringing together New Mexico's scientific talent, the power of Encanto, and
>>> this advanced networking technology we are creating a new model of innovation
>>> that can bring sources of revenue to New Mexico from companies, not only within
>>> our state borders, but throughout the world."
>>>
>>> Darkstrand changes the game, allowing companies to leverage research labs and
>>> universities nationwide. For the first time, corporations can actively
>>> collaborate in the entire R&D cycle, beginning with discovery, moving through
>>> prototype development and ending with commercialization. This new collaborative
>>> R&D and collaborative model is taking shape because of the power of the
>>> Darkstrand network to drive massive production data seamlessly between
>>> geographic locations on dedicated 10 G circuits. This capability enables
>>> companies located anywhere in the United States to work intimately with
>>> researchers and HPC applications at NMCAC member institutions.
>>>
>>> "Darkstrand was created to liberate innovation in American corporations by
>>> leveraging the technology and minds of academia that can connect ideas with
>>> computing capability," said Michael Stein, CEO and Founder of Darkstrand.
>>> "Today's partnership with NMCAC further extends the reach of our network,
>>> giving companies the unleashed power and speed they need to solve workflow
>>> problems using high-performance computing tools."
>>>
>>> In the coming months, Darkstrand and NMCAC will work on a joint implementation
>>> plan that creates a seamless corporate path from discovery to
>>> commercialization. Darkstrand and NMCAC will also work with the state of New
>>> Mexico on public sector initiatives like education and healthcare, with the
>>> goal of extending the state's reach into all geographic areas for access to
>>> information and critical services.
>>>
>>> "Our supercomputer was created to drive groundbreaking research for education
>>> and commerce in the state of New Mexico, and our ability to partner with the
>>> Darkstrand Network will advance innovation and collaboration by providing the
>>> hardware and the subject matter expertise that corporations are looking for,"
>>> said Thomas J. Bowles, PhD, Science Advisor for Governor Richardson. "NMCAC
>>> brings to the corporate doorstep a wide range of R&D expertise in sectors like
>>> health, biotechnology, digital film and media, energy, and oil and gas."
>>>
>>> In addition to direct access to the NMCAC, the Darkstrand partnership will
>>> connect companies with NMCAC-affiliate research institutions, including Los
>>> Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, University of New
>>> Mexico, New Mexico State University and New Mexico Institute of Mining and
>>> Technology. Encanto, the NMCAC and its affiliates will connect directly to the
>>> Darkstrand Network, which is currently upgrading its backbone to 40 Gig speed.
>>> The NMCAC Encanto supercomputer is located at Intel Corporation's Fab 7 plant in
>>> Rio Rancho. The 172 Teraflop supercomputer was built using advanced technology
>>> from Intel and Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI). The NMCAC is located in
>>> Albuquerque, but will be connected in a network of gateway sites at the
>>> national labs, universities and colleges across New Mexico and ultimately
>>> throughout the US and globally. For more information on the NMCAC, please
>>> visit: http://www.newmexicosupercomputer.com/.
>>>
>>> In June 2008, Darkstrand developed a business alliance with the NLR, acquiring
>>> one half of National LambdaRail's (NLR) 15,000-route mile optical network that
>>> is currently spread across 30 U.S. cities. NLR's unparalleled network supports
>>> large-scale digital production work for research groups that need multi-gigabit
>>> speed and access to high-performance computing power. The NLR is the backbone of
>>> the Darkstrand Network, providing a direct-line from the knowledge-driven
>>> science world such as NMCAC to results-oriented enterprises that will
>>> ultimately enable U.S. companies to innovate and more effectively compete
>>> globally.
>>>
>>> About Darkstrand
>>> Darkstrand, Inc. leverages enterprise-level network bandwidth to close the
>>> collaboration gap between corporations and research communities. Darkstrand is
>>> a pivotal corporate partner for solving real workflow, development and
>>> collaborative challenges, linking teams, facilities and suppliers into one
>>> ecosystem in a high-speed, networked grid environment via the National
>>> LambdaRail (NLR), a vast 15,000-route mile optical network spread across 30
>>> U.S. cities. Darkstrand shortens time to insight and expands productivity for
>>> companies wanting a competitive edge. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Darkstrand
>>> was established in 2005, and has raised $12 million to date from private
>>> investors. For more information, visit http://www.darkstrand.com.
>>>
>>> About New Mexico Computing Applications Center
>>> The New Mexico Computing Applications Center was approved by New Mexico's
>>> Legislature in 2007 and began operations in 2008 as a resource for
>>> applications-driven high-speed computer problem solving. Working closely with
>>> the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Labs and the State's three
>>> research universities, the NMCAC is dedicated to serving the needs of the
>>> people of New Mexico as well as tackling some of the nation's most pressing
>>> problems like energy and the environment using high-speed computing.   The
>>> Center works with federal institutions, other states and private companies to
>>> run their own applications or develop new ones using its 172 teraflop SGi
>>> supercomputer named 'Encanto' which is based at Intel's New Mexico headquarters
>>> in Rio Rancho just a few miles from Albuquerque.
>>>
>>> SOURCE: Darkstrand, Inc.
>>>
>>> Copyright Business Wire 2008
>>>
>>>
>>>       
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