1 Introduction

This report describes the progress in solving the Optical National Research Network and its New Applications research plan as well as the results achieved in 2004. This was the first year of a seven-year research plan whose completion is planned for 2010.

Our work on the research plan started in 2004 and because of this, we had to deal with the "teething" problems: e. g., the research plan financing structure required an amendment of the Association budget for 2004 which was approved by the General Assembly as late as July, 2004. As a result, the research plan had been financed from a provisional budget until July 2004.

We must point out that we regard the assurance of the research plan activities financing for a seven-year period as a great success. This period is reasonably long for starting and successfuly completing the extensive research activities. Considering the enormous range of research work and large number of researchers participating in this work, we divided the research plan solution into twelve thematic activities:

CESNET2 backbone network development
Optical networks
Programmable hardware
Network and traffic monitoring
Performace monitoring and optimisation
AAI and mobility
IP telephony
METACentre
Virtual collaborative environments
Support of distance education
CESNET CSIRT
Medical applications

The activities comprise areas from the lowest transmission layers through middleware, authentisation, authorisation, security up to research and development of the application services. Each activity has its head and a deputy head who coordinate a particular team and are responsible for professional level and effective utilisation of allocated funds. The results achieved in framework of the activities are internally evaluated within the CESNET Association twice a year and the results of the evaluation are used to improve the research efficiency in the successive periods. We exert heavy efforts to improve the collaboration and interaction of activities and to get user feedback. Our goal it to provide the users with the results of the research activities as soon as possible.

We promote international collaboration and participation especially in projects of the 6th EU Framework Programme. Last year we participated successfully in several important projects - GN2 (Multi-Gigabit European Academic Network), EGEE (Enabling Grids for E-SciencE), SCAMPI (A Scalable Monitoring Platform for the Internet), LOBSTER (Large Scale Monitoring for Broadband Internet Infrastructure), and 6NET.

We have achieved internationally recognized results in some areas such as the Customer Empowered Fibre Networks, use of Field-Programmable Gate Array technology to implement hardware accelerators for routing and monitoring IP services, multimedia applications and use of the GRID technology. These accomplishments in the European as well as in the worldwide frameworks confirm that the research plan is oriented correctly and that the issues we solve correspond with recent developments in relevant fields.

Regardless of the complications mentioned above, we managed to reach our goals defined in the accepted research plan for 2004. The following chapters contain detailed information on the progress of individual activities and and results achieved. Because of the wide extent of these projects, different authors wrote their separate chapters; this document may be regarded as a collection of papers with a common theme.

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