Speaker
Description
This lightning talk highlights the need for ‘green networking’ through energy efficiency and optimizing network infrastructure and design for sustainability. The topic ‘From Dark to Green’ stems from the recent South Africa (SA) national energy (load-shedding) crisis, the effect it had on the SA National Research and Education Network (SA NREN) infrastructure and its beneficiary community, and a look into actions and further considerations for sustainability. Collegiality and shared ownership of the NREN had been a model that served the SA NREN community well for the better part of the last two decades. Unfortunately, frequent load-shedding upsets this balance. While some institutions can fund alternative electricity generation, others simply cannot. Most institutions worked closely with their facilities department to optimise the data centre, adjust procurement for frequent generator costs, and plan accordingly to accommodate load-shedding stages. As an NREN, actions such as bolstering backup power solutions in critical areas, network augmentation and the bypass of problem sites through patch-throughs and optical bypasses were implemented. Further network protocols and design improvements were implemented alongside resource optimization strategies through virtualization and consolidation. With no ease in load shedding, as a community, further discussions around renewable energy sources, power purchase agreements, and other regional solutions were investigated to find creative ways to minimize the impact on institutions’ research, teaching and learning activities.
