CTU has been connected to the CESNET2 network via a unique 10 Gbps link

The CESNET association has connected the Czech Technical University (CTU) to the CESNET2 network via a 10 Gbps link. CTU has become the first university to be connected to the CESNET2 network with a link as fast as this. In the near future, other members of the CESNET association will be connected via links of this speed. CTU operates one of the largest university networks in the Czech Republic, connecting over 20,000 computers in 23 sites in Prague; heavy data traffic is mostly designated to the CESNET2 network and is becoming more and more integrated in multimedia data.

The backbone of the national research and education network, CESNET2, interconnects the largest university cities in the Czech Republic with high-speed links. The users of the network are primarily universities, the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and other important research and educational organizations.

The basic connectivity of the CESNET2 network to networks abroad is ensured with two independent links. One link leads to the Prague node of the European GÉANT network and provides a capacity of 2.5 Gbps. This link mostly carries traffic between academic institutions. The other link abroad is completely independent of the first one and leads to the United States. It provides a capacity of 800 Mbps and serves as the primary link of CESNET2 for communication with the regular, or commercial, Internet.

At the end of last year, CESNET brought into operation the first backbone link implemented using DWDM technology, with a capacity of 10 Gbps. Other backbone links of the CESNET2 network use POS (Packet Over SONET) technology that provides 2.5 Gbps capacity, and Gigabit Ethernet with 1 Gbps capacity. Links to smaller nodes provide speeds from 10 to 100 Mbps. Their capacities are upgraded continuously according to the needs and actual traffic of the particular nodes.

At the end of January this year, the CESNET association increased the capacity of the CESNET2 connection to the NIX.CZ peering node to 20 Gbps. This is the fastest connection among all domestic networks connected to the NIX.CZ node. The CESNET2 network is connected using two independent fiber-optic links. Each of them provides a capacity of 10 Gbps.

The CESNET association was founded by universities and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. It is currently financed primarily by its members and the Research and Development Council. The association operates and develops CESNET2, the national gigabit optical network intended for research and education, and participates in the research and development of information and communication technologies. Thanks to its research activities and achieved results, the CESNET association represents the Czech Republic in the European GN2 project, as well as in other international projects. Among other countries, the association currently cooperates with Canada, the Netherlands, and the USA on the construction of GLIF (Global Lambda Integrated Facility), a global lambda network whose Czech section is called CzechLight.