AFNOG 2001 - Announcement and Workshop Application Form

["Ayitey Bulley" <bulley at ghana.com>]

ANNOUNCEMENT
=============================================

THE AFRICAN NETWORK OPERATORS GROUP
AFNOG 2001 WORKSHOP ON NETWORK TECHNOLOGY
FOR AFRICA

In conjunction with the second  meeting of African Network Operators
Group (AFNOG) in May 2001, AFNOG is holding a Network Technology
Workshop prior to the meeting.  The workshop will be held in facilities of
the Miklin Hotel, East Legon, Accra Ghana,during May 5 - May 13, 2001.

The workshop will offer advanced training to operators of existing African
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as well as operators of private and public
TCP/IP based networks who are participants in the process of
developing and enhancing a national Internet with regional and international
connectivity.

Attendance at the workshop includes attendance at AFNOG's Second
meeting, AFNOG 2001 (www.afnog.org), and the second  meeting of
AfriNIC (www.afrinic.org), which will be held in Accra on May 12 and
13  respectively, following the workshop.


This workshop builds upon the experiences of the inaugural AFNOG workshop
held in Cape Town, South Africa, and the INET workshops held during
1993-2000 in eight locations around the world.


GOALS

The goals of the workshop are:

1. To train a critical mass of trainers and professionals in network
infrastructure and services to be able to support an extension of
Internet-related activities within the African countries represented.

2. To identify and share individual and institutional contacts as well as
information sources that will assist the process of national development,
using international Internet connections.

3. To build robust professional linkages between all participants in the
programs so that the mentor-student and colleague-colleague relationships
formed during the workshop and conferences will remain strong and of
continuing usefulness well beyond the workshop and conference.

4. To increase the level of co-operation among existing projects and
activities for establishing public data networks in Africa.

5. To train people and groups of people who will return to their country
and region and who will teach others what they have learned at the workshop.


PROGRAM

An intensive program of instruction is planned for the workshop, composed
of two instructional tracks.

Participants attend only one of the two tracks, since the tracks run
concurrently.

All participants will engage in extensive hands-on training, setting up and
managing prototype infrastructure and services.

The course descriptions below include for each instructional track:

1. Who should attend this course.
2. What you need to know to enter this course and benefit from it
(Prerequisites).
3. What you will learn in this course (Subjects).


TRACK 1. SCALABLE INTERNET SERVICES

Who should attend: Technical staff who are now providing mail, file, web,
and other TCP/IP based services to local and/or dial-up end users.
Prerequisites: UNIX use and some Unix system administration.

Subjects: large-scale provision of UNIX-based TCP/IP services such as:

-- DNS (Domain Name Service)
-- SMTP mail exchange
-- POP mail delivery
-- Mailing lists
-- RADIUS dialup authentication
-- HTTP web service
-- Help desk
-- PPP dialup



TRACK 2. SCALABLE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

Who should attend: Technical staff who are now operating a wide area TCP/IP
network, likely with international and/or multi-provider connectivity.
Those who will be involved in the establishment and/or operation of a basic
national network infrastructure in the country.

Prerequisites: experience using TCP/IP-based networking technologies.

Subjects: configuration and operation of larger scale backbones, including:

-- Basic routing
-- OSPF routing
-- BGP routing (limited)
-- Management of router configuration
-- NOC (Network Operation Center)
-- Exchange points between networks


PLACE

The workshop activities will be held at the Miklin Hotel conference
centres in Accra., Sponsored participants will be offered room and board
at the Miklin Hotel during the workshop and the AFNOG and
AfriNIC meetings, which follow.  Shuttle bus and taxi transportation is
available from the airport to the workshop accommodations.


WORKING LANGUAGE

The working language of the workshop will be English; good comprehension of
spoken and written English will be required of each participant.  The
organisers will try to assure that some members of the instructional staff
will speak French and/or Portuguese.


DATES

Participants should plan to arrive in Accra on or before 1800 hours on
Saturday 5th May, and leave after 1800 hours on Sunday 13th May.
Workshop sessions will be held starting in the afternoon, Sunday 6th May,
and end in the evening of Friday 11th May.

The AFNOG 2001 meeting begins at 0900 hours, Saturday 12th May 2001, and
AfriNIC begins at 0900 hours, Sunday, 13th May 2001.


ELIGIBILITY

The workshop is specifically directed toward the needs of people from
Africa who are playing an important part in introducing and extending
public internetworking in their countries and region.  Attendees should be
involved in establishing the Internet's presence, in institutionalising its
operation, and in assisting the country's schools and universities,
governmental agencies, local firms, and residents in exploiting the range
of services available through the net.  By the Internet, we mean the
publicly accessible Internet, with unrestricted access for educational and
commercial institutions and the not-for-profit community.

Working engineers from international and bilateral technical co-operation
agencies, as well as engineering professionals having substantial
involvement in international technical assistance activities, are also
eligible for admission as space allows.

Participants who have attended the AFNOG 2000 training, or any of the INET
Developing Countries Workshops will be considered eligible to attend the
AFNOG 2001 workshop on a space-available basis; however, these former
participants must apply for a
course of study other than subjects studied previously.  Their request must
be consistent with their responsibilities in a national and/or regional
context, and a convincing argument for repeated attendance must accompany
the application.  This should include a statement of the activities carried
out as a result of the previous workshop.  Less financial aid will be
available for repeat attendees than for first-time applicants.


APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

To apply for admission, please complete the attached form and return it as
soon as possible, but no later than January 31, 2001.  If you expect to
attend the workshop as the result of being awarded a United Nations or
similar fellowship awarded by a multilateral of bilateral aid agency,
please inform us of the details in your application.

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the program and the
amount of financial aid available to them during the first half of March.

Please note that the workshop activity includes attendance at the AFNOG
2001  and AfriNIC meetings.  If you are admitted to the workshop, you
should NOT register separately for the meeting; that will be done
automatically for you.

NOTE: Applicants are required to submit their application via email, and
also to give an electronic mail address for future correspondence regarding

the workshop.  A reliable FAX number should also be included on your
application.

Please be sure that all of the contact information you submit is legible
and accurate, or we will not be able to contact you.


VISAS

Every visitor to Ghana must have a valid passport in order to obtain
the necessary visa from Ghana.  If you apply to attend the workshop,
be prepared to obtain a passport immediately upon receiving an invitation
to attend, or sooner if practical, since visa procedures may be lengthy.

It is the responsibility of participants to ascertain the visa requirements
that apply to them and to obtain any appropriate visas (including transit
visas) needed to attend the workshop and the related meetings.  AFNOG will
assist applicants in this matter by providing visa application information
as well as information regarding the Workshop, AFNOG and its professional
goals and activities.

HEALTH RESTRICTIONS

Accepted participants will be notified of any health restrictions and
regulations for entry into the country.

COSTS

The cost of attending the workshop and associated events is U.S. $1,500.
This fee includes:

 *    All tuition and fees for the workshop.
 *    All lodging charges from Saturday, 5 May through Sunday, 13 May 2001.
 *    All meal charges for the period starting with dinner on Saturday
evening,
       5th May through dinner on Sunday evening, 13th May 2001.
 *    Registration at the AFNOG 2001 meeting (Saturday, 12 May) and the
*    AfriNIC meeting (Sunday, 13 May), including the midday meals included
in
registration for those meetings.

Participants should bring the equivalent of U.S. $30 for airport transfers.
They may wish to budget approximately U.S.$50 for optional travel and
other needs and activities (laundry, etc.) Saturday, 5th May through
Sunday, 13 May 2001.

For some candidates, the AFNOG Workshop will provide financial assistance
to cover a part or all of each participant's overall expenditures. If you
request financial aid for the workshop, please be certain to provide the
financial information that is requested in the application for admission.
Financial aid will take the form of either pre-paid airline tickets for
travel to and from Accra partial or total coverage of the workshop
fee, or both.

The overall amount of aid available will be extremely limited.  Please make
all possible efforts to secure whatever funding is possible from sources
known to you.  If you are requesting financial aid from the Workshop,
please tell us why it is necessary, how you expect to fund part of your
expenses, and what efforts you have made and are making to obtain
additional aid.  Please note that aid from AFNOG may depend upon your
ability to obtain partial financial support from other sources.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE AFRICAN NETWORK OPERATORS GROUP
AFNOG 2001 WORKSHOP ON NETWORK TECHNOLOGY FOR AFRICA

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

Please fill out this questionnaire completely and email it by January 31,
2001 to workshop-apply at afnog.org <mailto:workshop-apply at afnog.org

A. Personal data
  ----------------

  FAMILY NAME (LAST NAME, SURNAME) ONLY:

  Full Name:

  Employer/Organization:

  Position/Title:

  Business Address:


  Business Telephone:

  Alternate Telephone:

  E-mail address:

  Fax:

  Date of birth:

  Nationality:

  Name as it appears on passport or other travel document:

  Passport number:

  Country issuing passport:

  Date passport was issued:

  Date of passport expiration:

  Knowledge of English: Please rate your knowledge in these categories:

  Listening/comprehension  minimal fair good excellent
  Reading    minimal fair good excellent
  Speaking    minimal fair good excellent
  Writing    minimal fair good excellent

  Please indicate with an asterisk (*) the most reliable addresses and
telephone/fax numbers above which can be used to reach you.


  B. Course of Instruction
  ------------------------

  Instructional track applied for (Please select only one track; the tracks
will run concurrently):

  [  ] Track 1 SCALABLE INTERNET SERVICES

  [  ] Track 2 SCALABLE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE


  Please indicate any specific interests within the area you have chosen:

 NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER

C. Technical Skills
------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Are you a UNIX user? How much have you used it?


2. Have you been a UNIX system administrator? Describe your experience
(length of time, versions, etc.).


3. Have you used/administered TCP/IP networks? Describe.


  4. Have you set up and/or administered any of the following? Please give
details.
  - nameservers
  - sendmail/smail/exim
  - majordomo or other list manager
  - web systems



5. Have you configured or otherwise managed any of the following?
  Details, please.
  - routers
  - switches
  - network monitoring
  - noc


D. Description of Role in National Networking Activities
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bearing in mind that this information will be used to determine whether to
admit you to the workshop, please provide in the format of your choice the
following information about yourself. Please be sure that it is sufficiently
clear, well organized and adequate for this purpose.

1. A description of your current employer, your position, your duties and
responsibilities, and how they relate to current and future data networking
activities in your country.

2. A brief description of your computing and networking environment
(operating systems, networking software, modems, etc.), including the
connectivity of your organization to the Internet and your country's
connectivity to the international Internet.


3a. Scope of your institution (check all categories that apply):

[  ] Commercial Network Provider
[  ] Academic Network Provider
[  ] NGO Network Provider
[  ] Other Specify______Dialup Access Network Provider________


3b. Approximate number of full time staff at your institution:

4. How your training and current work prepare and qualify you for the track
you wish to attend.


5. How you expect to use the knowledge you gain at the workshop after you
return to your country.


6. If you have previously attended INET/AFNOG Workshops for Developing
Countries,

        1. Workshop, Year and track you attended:

        2. A precise description of how you have used the training you have
received
            in the past:

        3. The significant advances in networking which have occurred in
your
            country specifically because of your knowledge and effort:


  E. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
  ------------------------

  Your application must contain the following complete information if you
  wish to be considered for financial support to attend the workshop.

  NOTE: Your acceptance into the workshop may depend on your ability to
  provide some or all of the funding.

  1. Are you are requesting financial aid from the AFNOG Workshop for
  attending the workshop and meetings?

  [ ] Yes
  [ ] No

  2. If you are requesting financial aid to cover the workshop fee, please
provide a complete list of funding sources in the following form. The list
should contain all sources of funds that are available to you for payment of
the workshop fee.


  1. Your Institution U.S.$
  2. Your Government U.S.$
  3. From international organizations U.S.$
  4. Your personal contribution U.S.$
  5. Amount you ask from AFNOG U.S.$
  _____________
  TOTAL Income U.S.$1,500.00


  3. Will you need financial assistance for airfare? If so, how much will
you or your institution be contributing?

  [ ] No, assistance for airfare not needed.
  [ ] Yes, assistance needed.
  Amount of your contribution: U.S.$_________

  4. If you are requesting financial support for airfare, please provide a
good estimate of round trip, lowest economy excursion airfare next April
between your place of residence and Accra, Ghana.

  1. Airfare:
  2. Airline:
  3. Type of fare:
  4. City of departure:
  5. Source of your estimate:



  Signature: ____________________________ Date: ___________________


_________________________________________________________________________

  For a blank copy of this announcement and application, send e-mail to:


  application at afnog.org <mailto:application at afnog.org>


  YOU MUST SEND YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION BY ELECTRONIC MAIL.


  Completed applications should be submitted to:

  workshop-apply at afnog.org <mailto:workshop-apply at afnog.org>

  The "Subject" line of the message should contain your surname or
  family name in the following format:

  Subject: AFNOG Workshop Application: <your-family-name>


  If you have questions regarding this announcement and application,
  they may be addressed to:

  workshopinfo at afnog.org <mailto:workshopinfo at afnog.org>



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