U.S. and European researchers have given high-bandwidth grid computing several significant boosts in the past two weeks, selecting optical components for their network infrastructures.
SURFnet, an educational and research network organization in the Netherlands, and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), in separate moves selected optical equipment to improve data exchange between widely dispersed research facilities.
SURFnet chose Nortel Networks to deliver optical solutions to its grid as part of the national GigaPort Next Generation Network project. SURFnet connects all universities and academic hospitals and the vast majority of the other institutes for higher education and research throughout the Netherlands.
CERN chose Chiaro Networks's Enstara router to provide long-distance connectivity between CERN and the OptIPuter Project at the University of California at San Diego. The DataTAG project, a large-scale intercontinental Grid test bed, is focused on advanced networking issues and interoperability between Grid domains across Europe and the United States.
Inclusion of the optical-networking equipment comes on the heels of two major announcements of support for optical-network grids. In December AT&T said that it would make available 8,000 miles of dark fiber network and a substantial inventory of optical networking equipment to Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) for its grid computing research.
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