Dedicated, end-to-end data communication service utilising GÉANT2 network demonstrated at TNC 2008 conference
Bandwidth-on-Demand creates dedicated, global, high bandwidth links for the research and education community
Wednesday 11 June 2008, Cambridge, UK: Researchers across the globe can now create their own dedicated, high speed links to each other in minutes, as shown by a recent demonstration of the AutoBAHN service. A group of five European National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) demonstrated an on demand, dynamic setup of multiple high speed circuits between different end-points in Europe, with some circuits expanding to end-points in the Internet2 infrastructure (USA). This demonstration showed how dedicated, end-to-end, 1 Gigabit Ethernet circuits can be created between individual researcher’s workstations over the high-bandwidth, pan-European GÉANT2 network, local European NREN infrastructures and their global peering networks.
The AutoBAHN service is being developed to eliminate the problems of delays and congested networks for high volume high capacity data transfers, often associated with research in fields such as high-energy physics, astronomy and the environment. AutoBAHN is based on an architecture that allows authorised end users to directly access network resources from their workstations across Europe and enable them to request high bandwidth, dedicated connections quickly. This is achieved by establishing on demand, dedicated network circuits spanning multiple countries, and thus multiple data networks that are administered by different entities and utilising different technologies. Bandwidth capacity can be reserved quickly and efficiently to transfer data, and the dedicated circuits allow the capacity to be available exactly when needed.
During the demonstration, multiple circuits were implemented dynamically over HEAnet, the Irish NREN, GARR, the Italian NREN, PIONIER, the Polish NREN, GRNET, the Greek NREN, CARNet, the Croatian NREN and the GÉANT2 network within the timescale of minutes. To show the global abilities of AutoBAHN, a dynamic circuit was also established between an end-host in GARR over GÉANT2 and Internet2 to an end-host in Los Angeles. In all cases, end-user workstations were interconnected through circuits offering a data transmission speed of 1 Gigabit per second - one thousand times faster than that of a commercial 1 Mbps ASDL line. It was also possible to demonstrate the release of circuits in an equivalent dynamic manner.
“The success of this further AutoBAHN demonstration is the result of close collaboration between of a number of GÉANT2 partners, which enables the continued development of novel, innovative technology in the field of research networking,” commented Dai Davies, General Manager, DANTE, the research networking organisation that manages GÉANT2. “It shows the potential that high speed networking can provide to the research community, both in Europe and across the globe.”
The demonstration was held at the TERENA Networking Conference (TNC) in Bruges, Belgium on 19-22 May 2008 and is the result of the research effort for a novel communication networks’ service architecture, tailored to the needs of the multi-domain, multi-technology pan-European Education and Research community. The event, brought together research networking professionals from around the world, and saw 17 sessions given on the GÉANT2 network.
For further information please contact:
Chris Measures/Clodagh Boyle
Rainier PR (on behalf of DANTE)
+44(0)20 7494 6570
dante@rainierpr.co.uk
Helen Martindale
DANTE
Direct: +44 (0)1223 371 328
Mobile: +44 (0)7823 538090
helen.martindale@dante.org.uk
