Network

The contemporary CESNET2 network is built around the DWDM core. We deployed our first DWDM line providing more 10 Gbps channels in December 2004. One year later it has been enhanced to a DWDM backbone ring connecting Prague, Brno, Olomouc and Hradec Kralove. We are continuously expanding the DWDM core to further cities.

Remaining backbone lines of the CESNET2 network are based on the mixture of Ten-Gigabit and Gigabit Ethernet and Packet Over SONET (POS). It ensures very high throughput (bandwidth of all core lines lies in the range of gigabits per second).

The essential idea of our design is to build the backbone network in small rings encompassing no more than four cities (points of presence). Such topology provides redundant network offering small hop counts and delays.

The network has following independent international connections:

• 10 Gbps to GÉANT, used for academic traffic
• 800 Mbps to Telia, used for commodity traffic
• 10 Gbps to SANET, academic network of Slovakia
• 10 Gbps to ACOnet, academic network of Austria
• 10 Gbps to PIONIER, Polish optical academic network
• 10 Gbps to NetherLight/GLIF for experimental traffic; this line is connected to our experimental optical network named CzechLight, so it is not depicted in the map of CESNET2 above

Network provides multicasting capability and is a part of the MBone network. Videoconferencing services based on the MBone technology are offered to the network users. IP version 6 is provided as a standard service.

More information about the network, its features and development is available in our annual research report, namely in chapters Development of the CESNET2 Backbone Network and Optical Networks.

Related information:

• Current load on the backbone.
• Connected institutions – list of the network subscribers.
• History of the network.
• IP version 6.
• IP telephony.