CRS-1, currently most efficient routers in the CESNET2 network

At the end of September the CESNET association installed a second Cisco CRS-1/16 (Carrier Routing System) router, which is said to be currently the most powerful routing system, in the national research and education network. The equipment was installed at the University of Technology in Brno, which resulted in doubling the Brno CESNET2 node. The backbone network nodes in Prague and Brno are thus prepared for connection at 40 Gb/s.

The installation of a CRS-1/16 router is exceptional in the Czech Internet environment. CESNET installed the first of the two routers in CESNET2 at the end of last year and significantly enhanced the backbone network. The new routing system ensures greater stability and accessibility of the network services, enables the massive use of advanced networking technologies and in future will also allow increasing the transfer speed up to 100 Gb/s.

Cisco CRS-1/16 routers bring research institutions an increase of the reliability of the backbone network, greater flexibility of services and longer life span of the system. It enables scaling the capacity of the networks to a new level and operating a new generation of data, voice and video services on a converged IP network. In addition, it provides protection of investment for a period longer than that offered by the current routers. The enhanced capacity of the network opens up new space for experimenting with new types of applications that would be inconceivable in a normal internet environment.

The terabit CRS-1/16 routers replace the current, no longer sufficient, backbone routers in the CESNET2 network. The technical design employs a physical 16-slot chassis separated into two parts and P and PE/6PE routers using the SDR (Secure Domain Router) logical router technology. The logical P and PE/6PE routers are virtualised both at the hardware and software levels with separate controls. This solution is unique in the Czech Republic. It enables saving space, power and cooling while retaining the flexibility of extending the P and PE/6PE with other open slots within the chassis. The P and PE/6PE routers are linked via Packet over Sonet (OC768-POS) interface enabling connection at 40 Gb/s. The brand new solutions include a 10GE DWDM interface directly in the router (IPoDWDM principle), which enables the direct closing of optical transfer channels without having to carry out conversion, i.e. without having to use otherwise necessary and costly transponders in the optical transport DWDM network.

CESNET association was founded by universities and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The association is currently financed mainly from the resources of the governmental Research and Development Board and funds of the association members. The association performs the research and development of information and communication technologies and building and developing the national gigabit optical network, CESNET2, designed for research and educational purposes. With its research activities and accomplishments, the CESNET association can represent the Czech Republic in the pan-European GÉANT3 network construction project, actively participating in the project implementation.