This document summarizes CESNET, the national research and education network in the Czech Republic. It discusses how CESNET has transformed from an NREN to an e-infrastructure provider, providing network, computing, storage, and collaboration services. It outlines CESNET's funding sources, participation in international projects like GÉANT and EGI, and role in developing national research infrastructures in the Czech Republic.

1. CESNET – from NREN to
e-Infrastructure Provider
Jan Gruntorád
CEO of CESNET
Member of the GN3 Executive Committee
Representative of the CZ in e-IRG
Member of the Board for Large Infrastructures for R&D in CZ
Bucharest, November 8th, 2011

2. Presentation Overview
1. CESNET Basic Data - Funding
2. Access to Optical Fibre
3. e-Infrastructure Concept
4. Large e-Infrastructures in CZ
5. Participation of CESNET in International Projects
6. Concluding Remarks

3. CESNET basic data
CESNET (Czech Educational and Scientific Network)
- NREN in the Czech Republic
Not for profit legal entity established in 1996
Association of Legal Entities (z.s.p.o.) . Members:
- 25 Universities
- Czech Academy of Sciences
80 staff members in Prague
More than 200 part-time universities and Academy of
Sciences staff working on projects

4. Funding (1)
Research plan: „Optical High Speed National Research
Network and its New Applications“
- 2004 – 2010
- Funded by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of
the Czech republic, association members and external
sources (EU)
– budged cca 11 Mil EUR/year

5. Research Plan Activities
CESNET2 backbone network development
Optical networks
Programmable hardware
Network and traffic monitoring
Performace monitoring and optimalisation
AAI and mobility
META Centre (GRIDs)
Virtual collaborative environments
CESNET CSIRT
Applications Support

6. Early steps to Customer Empowered
Fibre Network Concept
• The first dark fibre leased and lighted in 2000, 2.5 Gbps PoS, 327 km,
see in Gruntorád, J.: Optical Communications in the Czech Republic,
San Diego 2007
http://www.cesnet.cz/new/2007/onvector-gruntorad-presentation.ppt
• CESNET introduced Nothing-in-Line (NIL) approach to optical
networking, 189 km line Praha-Pardubice, operational since May 17,
2002, see in Altmannová, L., Sima, S.: Development of CESNET2
Optical network, Terena Networking Conference, Limerick, 2002
http://tnc2002.terena.org/Slides/sl3c2.ppt#431,21,Praha-Pardubice
• National fibre footprint is a basement for R&E networking. Need to have
specified a design kit of transmission equipment and solution for
Customer Empowered Fibre Network (CEF) networks, see in Sima, S.,
Altmannova, L.: Towards a Nation-wide Fibre Footprint in research and
education networking, Terena Networking Conference, Rhodos 2004.
http://tnc2004.terena.org/programme/presentations/showe622.html?pres_id=97

7. Prague-Brno circuit capacity 2,5 Gbps
(since January 2000)

8. DWDM in CESNET2+

9. Transmission systems in CESNET2
• Multivendor solution allows transition of photonic lambdas thru PoPs
• Cisco DWDM system
– 8 lines n x 10G
– 1 410 km
• Open DWDM system - based on own open photonic devices called
the CzechLight (CL) family and developed by CESNET
– 20 lines (5 lines n x 1G plus 15 lines n x 10G)
– 2 660 km (including 905 km BiDirectional single line transmission)

10. International connectivity of the CESNET2 Network

11. Reasearch Infrastructures

12. Research Infrastructures – definition:
ESFRI (European Strategy on Research Infrastructures) in its
Roadmap 2008 proposes a definition:
They are facilities, resources or services of a unique nature that
have been identigied by pan-European research communities
to conduct top-level activities in all fields.

13. Large Infrastructures (LI) for R&D
- CZ approach
- large research infrastructures defined by law
amendment about R&D&I support (in 2009)
- built from EC structural funds (85%) and
national funds (15%)
- operation from dedicated support of large
infrastructures
- LI must be established and operated by research
organization
- LI must be approved by the government

14. http://www.infrafrontier.eu/docs/national_roadmaps/Roadmap_CR.pdf

16. Large e-Infrastructures in CZ
- Large Infrastructure CESNET
- communication infrastructure (GN3)
- NGI (basic services of computing and storage
grid, involvement capacities of another subjects,
EGI.ORG, VC services, ……)
- approved by Czech government in March 2010
- IT4Innovation
- HPC services (supercomputing centre, PRACE)
- CERIT SC (Scientific Cloud)
- grid computing

18. Funding (2)
Project „Large Infrastructure CESNET“
- January 2011 – December 2015
- main goal is to transform CESNET NREN to complete
e-Infrastructure provider (network, GRIDs, storage services
and tools for cooperation)
- Funded by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of
the Czech republic, association members and external
sources (EU)
– budged cca 16 Mil EUR/year

19. Funding (3)
Project „E-Infrastructure and Grids for e-Regions (eIGeR)“
- May 2011 – November 2013
- provide resources for investment to upgrade and/or build
e-Infrastructure for R&D in the Czech Republic
- funded by national resources (15%) and EU structural
funds (85%) – not allowed to use funding in Prague
– total budged cca 24 Mil EUR

20. Participation in International Networking
Activities
GN3 – from April 2009, total budget for 4 years 181 mil. EUR
www.geant.net
FEDERICA – Federated E-infrastructure for European
Researchers Innovating in Computing Network
Architectures, total budget 5.1 mil. EUR
www.fp7-federica.eu
GLIF – Global Lambda Integrated Facility
www.glif.is
ORIENT+ – connection of the GÉANT network to China

21. GÉANT2+
Network
Topology

22. GLIF Europe map

23. Participation on Grid activities
DataGrid, EGEE, EGEE II, EGEE III
- design of European common Grid
- middleware development
- Grid incident response team
- Virtual organization support
EGI- DS
- European Grid Initiative – CESNET is Design Study project
co-orination
EUAsiaGRid
- EGI-Inspire

24. Conclusions
- NRENs should transform to new role:
e-Infrastructure provider
- support from national governments is
essential
- innovation element is key for success
- partner with ISPs and industry

25. Thank you for your
attention