Dr. de Laat will present and discuss different operating models and usage scenarios for optical networking technology under the network and grid layers. In particular, he will address research which can be done ON, WITH and BECAUSE OF the availability of lambdas. de Laat will explain the architecture of the dedicated research lambda from the NetherLight facility in Amsterdam to the StarLight facillity in Chicago as well as his early experiences using it.

About the speaker:
Cees de Laat is senior scientific staff member of the Informatics Institute at the University of Amsterdam. de Laat received a PhD in Physics from the University of Delft. Since then he has been active in data acquisition systems, heavy on experiments and virtual laboratories. Over the past six years he has been investigating applications for advanced research networks. His main focus is to achieve the “best” Internet Quality of Service matching for grid applications in both the computational sciences and the computer-based education domains, such as distance learning, virtual laboratories, remote experimenting and distributed computing.

Currently de Laat runs projects on the Dutch and European research networks. Topics include optical networking, lambda switching and provisioning, policy-based networking and Authorization, Authentication and Accounting architecture research. He participates in the European DataGrid project and the Dutch ASCII DAS project. He is responisble for the research on the Lambda switching facility (“NetherLight”), which is currently being built in Amsterdam as a peer to StarLight in Chicago. He implements research projects in the GigaPort Networks area in collaboration with SURFnet.

de Laat regularly serves as panel member, invited speaker and session chair for TERENA and SURFnet meetings. He is co-chair of the IRTF Authentication, Authorization and Accounting Architecture Research group and member of the Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG). In the IETF he participates in the policy framework group, the Resource Allocation Protocol group. For recent work, publications and talks, please refer to his home page and the Authorization, Authentication, Accounting Architecture Research Group website.