Ref: 022810
Always, the information is key moment in activity both of scientific and other structures of society, and of individuals. The modern representation of the information was expanded on the basis of computer technologies from simple textual messages up to complex structured documents of formalized data. The search of the necessary information is the beginning of the beginnings when any problem has to be solved. Now anybody can find the interesting information not rising from the computer, connected to the network. This complex organization of computers, networks and people has become quite accessible and in this the major role belongs to a global information network Internet.
The activity of any organization represents complex internal and external interrelations, inducing appropriate information flows. The information is understood as scientific- technical and socio-economical process of optimum conditions creation for satisfaction of information needs of all the structures of the society on the basis of organization of information systems with advanced infrastructure on the basis of perspective and flexible information technologies. Under these conditions a role of information as unique and unlimited resource, being simultaneously raw material and result of labor of the person, increases considerably.
The problems of development of telecommunications in Moldova are very important for maintenance of informational support of scientific researches and integration into European and world community. In the present report a real situation and development of an infrastructure of the information system of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (ASM) is considered, on the basis of which the essential new approaches of international scientific cooperation, promoting improvement of a situation of the academic society, the development of professional direct connections, interpenetration of ideas and exchange by experience can be developed.
Now ASM consists of research institutes and centers, in which more than 4000 persons, including more than 1000 scientific employees, work. The fundamental and applied scientific researches cover many directions of humanitarian and natural sciences. Simultaneously ASM is the coordinator of a science of Universities of Moldova.
The achievement of a high level of researches assumes operative access to
scientific publications, databases and other information, together with
intensive exchange of the information and close coordination between scientists
and experts, both inside the country, and with other various countries. In this
connection the main problems of the ASM on support of information maintenance
of fundamental and applied researches are:
· development of an infrastructure of information system of ASM and
creation of conditions for access to the Internet and other global networks
information resources;
· preparation and raising the level of skill of the staff in the field of
effective utilization of new information computer technologies.
In order to solve these problems in 1995-96 years the creation of an academic
information computer network AMNET connected with Internet is begun thanks to
the financial and technical support of NATO, UNESCO, SOROS and EURASIA funds.
Creation of such corporative information systems claims the availability of
flexible and reliable network organism. The system engineering, with help of
which the problems of access to information are solved includes the following
main directions:
· creation of system of the complete solution for Internet/ Intranet;
· maintenance of universal access to all types of the information;
· development of means and methods of automation of research process.
The modern telecommunications infrastructure of the ASM is oriented to
application of high-speed communication channels (cable and radiochannels),
communication servers in separate buildings of the ASM, information servers and
databases servers, to which Local Area Network (LAN) of institutes and separate
workstations are connected. This permits to create an advanced network of
telecommunications AMNET, and to grant to a wide range of the users in the
Academy and other organizations modern telecommunication information services:
E-mail, ftp, Telnet, World Wide Web (WWW), access to databases, remote training
and raising the level of skill. The arrangement of the communication servers of
a network AMNET is based on building principle, which has the following
characteristics:
· necessity of connection of a plenty LAN (20 and more LAN);
· significant number of workstations in network;
· necessity of cover by a network of territory of the significant urban
area (maximum distance 15-20 km).
As a rule in one building several institutes and establishments with different intensity of users work with means of telecommunications are located. On Fig.1. the topology of a network AMNET is shown, which interacts with Internet through head knot, situated in the Computer Center (CC), having 64 Kbps satellite channel connection with the network MOLDNET.
The network MOLDNET created under project of Soros fund, provides for ASM and leading universities (Moldova's state university, Moldova's technical university, Academy of economic studies), connection to Internet on 64 Kbps satellite channel, which can be increased up to 128 Kbps. This channel connects central unit of a network MOLDNET to unit of a network European Backbone in Stocholm (Sweden),
The AMNET Network Infrastructure
Fig. 1
being part of a network Internet. Taking into account, that the use of radiomeans for data transfer is one of perspective directions of development of telecommunications means in city the connection of central unit of a network MOLDNET with ASM and universities is carried out with use of radiomodems with data transfer speed 128 Kbps.
The central information servers and databases servers are organized on the basis of computers of a type SUN Ultra Sparc and Sun SparcStation 5, located in CC and granted by NATO.
Both dedicated, and switched channels are used for connection of various fragments of a network AMNET in one telecommunication infrastructure. On the main directions of the network (connection between buildings) the dedicated channels with speed 19200 bps are used and in the long term the optical and radiochannels will be used. On user's directions are used both as dedicated, as nondedicated channels with speed from 14400 up to 19200 bps. The network organizational infrastructure bases on the use of modems, routers and other communication equipment of the known firms Cisco, Telebit, ZyXEL and other leading manufacturers of such systems.
The workstations of Institutes are united in LAN, which are connected to communication servers of the building. The Ethernet cards, coaxial cable, twisted pair and other components, ensuring on some segments of the network the speed 10 Mbps are used for this purpose.
More than 50 workstations and local network of the Institute of Mathematics (MATNET) are now supported, which cover more than 700 users. On Fig.2. A network MATNET, created within the framework of project " Creation of Educational research in Computer science " (IIP UNESCO) is shown, which is the base for realization of joint researches of the specialists of the Institute and teir colleagues from the universities of Moldova and from other countries (virtual laboratory), for post-graduate students training, teaching of talented students and schoolchildren the computer
science bases. Researches in such areas, as expert systems of new generation, designing and development of the software, natural language processing, decision support systems are elaborated.
The work in Internet is influenced by some factors:
· the capacity of the satellite channel;
· the quantity of telephone numbers and quality of telephone lines;
· the speed data transfer by modems;
· the number of the users and time of day;
· the distance from an information source.
The network AMNET is created to be used by various scientific and educational organizations of Moldova. Separate workstations and LAN of institutes and organizations are connected to the network. The connection of the user is provided by a complex of services dealing with communication, adjustment, connection and training of the users. In the network services, the installation of equipment and software connection to a network on dedicated and non-dedicated lines are stipulated.
The faculty of computer sciences of the ASM carries out training of the specialists to bases of computer science and use of modern information technologies, ensuring a new level of researches and of development. More than 130 post-graduated students, researchers and specialists from institutes of the ASM and other organizations of republic trained are annually.
The main kinds of services offered in network AMNET include: E-mail, ftp, telnet, usenet and WWW. The Web of CC is created, which has the following address: http://acad.moldnet.md
However, each psychological group of the researchers has, frequently completely, various sights on world: physicists, biologists, humanitists. Therefore when separate WWW pages are created it is necessary to take into account the special sight of the future audience: the contents, design, convenience of work with documents given on server and so on. But if to generalize all these approaches, it is possible to make a conclusion, that server to which frequently address is considered to be good server.
The development of modern computer technologies opens the whole world of new applications, strengthens the process of integration of Moldova in international scientific and information community, accelerates gradual transition to information society. The special attention is paid to questions of organization of training and raising the level of skill of the users, including methods of remote training. It permits to realize the policy of Upgrade for those institutes and working groups, which already have sufficient experience of use of network technologies and Internet resources, taking into account that Internet is possible to consider as "society" with own convictions, traditions and rules of behavior, which is necessary to be taken into consideration. If institutes of a humanitarian structure only begin to join to new technology, the Institute of mathematics, Institute of Applied Physics, Institute of Chemistry and other have sharply increased number of the scientists and researchers, which want to work in now already open libraries and to use Internet resources. E-mail and on-line are the mostly used services.
The application of new information technologies in all spheres of activity forces us to pay close attention to opportunity of their use at all stages of development of a science, social and economic reforms, becoming characteristic feature of our time.
Copyright EUNIS 1997 Y.E.