From igc.apc.org!notes Sun Nov 29 15:36:58 1992
From: arni@web.apc.org (Arni Mikelsons)
Date: 24 Nov 92 13:13 PST
Subject: - Overview
To: Recipients of conference "tech.smallsys" <tech.smallsys@conf.igc.apc.org>
Message-Id: <269400016%web.apc.org@igc.apc.org>


Project Goal and Objectives
 
Project Goal
 
To address the issue of the information rich versus the information
poor by fostering the development and technical capabilities of the
growing network of national NGO computer network hosts in Africa.
 
General Project Objectives
 
1.   To develop tools which will make the access to electronic
     information, particularly information originating in Africa,
     and the capability of regional and international inter-
     personal communication more widely available within Africa. 
 
2.   To explore infrastructural support to African computer
     networks by developing strategies for long-term sustainability
     and integration in the global electronic networking grid.
 
Specific Project Objectives
 
1.   To develop new software where required and to modify a suite
     of existing software for both the users and operators of
     network hosts in Africa.
 
2.   To produce useful documentation for all software packages in
     appropriate languages including English and French.
 
3.   To establish reliable and cost-effective gateways between
     African computer networks and other networks around the world.
 
4.   To develop billing software as a tool for the financial
     sustainability of African electronic networks.
 
5.   To systematically review inter-node communication costs in
     order to design the most cost effective networking structure
     during the term of this project.
 
6.   To develop systems which enable easy addressing to African NGO
     hosts from nonprofit, commercial and academic systems
     worldwide.Project Methodology
 
 
1. This proposal is the result of a six month exercise in
   information sharing and consensus building which has been
   facilitated by  Nirv Centre.  The needs that this proposal seeks
   to address have been agreed to by the system operators of seven
   African computer networks and three northern APC systems.
 
2. Based upon this consensus, workplans and technical
   specifications for this project have been developed by a number
   of experts around the world.
 
3. The next step is to review all of the tasks to be completed as
   one project and to undertake a complete systems design as to how
   work should progress from this point forward.
 
4. The work can be divided into two distinct areas:
 
   a.  Software modifications to: 
 
     - the user and host software which will run on computers at
       African sites;
 
     - routing and gateway programs at international APC gateway
       sites which move data to and from African hosts.
 
   b.  Documentation and translation of all software.
 
   The following sections outline the reasons for the chosen
   communications approach, the specific tasks to be performed, how
   this work will be coordinated and what the costs will be.