Press Releases
DANTE Selects Juniper Networks M160 Routers for New Pan-European Research Network
Sunnyvale, CA - September 26, 2001 — Juniper Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR), a leading provider of next-generation Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure and DANTE, provider of high-quality IP network services to the European research community, today announced that DANTE has selected Juniper Networks M160 Internet backbone routers for the brand new Pan-European research and education (R&E) network GÉANT. The M160 routers will be supplied and installed by Juniper Networks systems integration partner Dimension Data.
GÉANT serves the European research community by supplying it with a number of services, including testbeds and guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) features. By interconnecting the national R&E networks in more than 30 countries—GÉANT reaches over 3,000 R&E institutions throughout Europe,—GÉANT provides the highest capacity and offers the greatest geographic coverage of any network of its kind in the world. Juniper Networks M160 routers allow for a high-bandwidth network that is no longer a bottleneck for the R&E community. Where previously research efforts were hindered by limited network capacity, now the European R&E institutions have the infrastructure to support all of their international collaborations. The research activities, which will be undertaken on the new GÉANT network, include grid development projects such as DataGrid and EuroGRID. Each have very demanding networking requirements and are concerned with the management of very large distributed data sets and distributed computing for weather forecasting, respectively.
"Our previous experiences with Juniper Networks gave us confidence that the M-series routers would be able to support the services necessary to serve our 3,000 research institutions the best possible way," said Howard Davies, general manager at DANTE. "An important factor in our choice was Juniper Networks combination of the reliable JUNOS software and the Internet Processor II ASIC, which allows for wire-rate speeds of 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) and services such as rate limiting and filtering without them being mutually exclusive. This is unique in the industry and it allows us to provide the best possible service to our research customers," he continued.
The unique architecture of the Juniper Networks systems allows DANTE to fully maximize the deterministic forwarding capabilities and ensure QoS and guaranteed bandwidth, which are absolute necessities for many of the research institutes DANTE is serving with the GÉANT network.
The M160 routers will be installed in the main points of presence (POPs) in the GÉANT network, i.e. in Vienna, Brussels, Geneva, Prague, Frankfurt (x2), Madrid, Paris, Budapest, Milan, Amsterdam, Poznan, Stockholm, Bratislava, and London. Previously installed M40 Internet routers will be re-deployed in locations where there are no Gigabit-speed circuits.
DANTE has selected Juniper Networks systems integration partner, Dimension Data, for the supply and installation of the M160 routers. DANTE's management was particularly impressed by their integration and IP expertise. Coupled with the European coverage of Dimension Data it proved to be the combination that exactly addressed DANTE needs.
Upon completion the GÉANT network will have nine trunk circuits each operating at 10 Gbps and a further 11 trunk circuits operating at 2.5 Gbps from the start of service. At least 10 national R&E networks will access this backbone at 2.5 Gbps. The resilience of the network will be assured by connecting the GÉANT POPs in most cities by two or more international circuits to different countries. The combination of speed and resilience will give GÉANT an efficient and robust structure and make it the most advanced network of its kind in the world today.
About DANTE
Since its creation in 1993, DANTE has been responsible for four consecutive generations of European research networks, and is active in the ongoing development of European research networking.
DANTE is owned by a number of European research networks and has "Research Association" status in the UK. It plans, builds, and manages international networking services on their behalf. The pan-European research network enables European scientists to compete on an international stage by providing them with a world-class backbone that offers the bandwidth and the Quality of Service required for research and development activities at this level. It represents the basis for the introduction of 'virtual laboratories' and 'virtual institutes' in Europe.
DANTE has developed a range of interconnectivity agreements with other national research networks throughout the world, such as ESnet, Abilene and the Internet2 project in the United States, CANARIE in Canada and NII in Japan. More information on DANTE and on GÉANT can be found on the DANTE Web site at http://www.dante.net/.
About Juniper Networks, Inc.
Juniper Networks leads the industry in turning network innovation into the reliable delivery of core, edge, mobile and cable Internet services at scale for the New Public Network. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Juniper Networks offers additional information on its product and service offerings at http://www.juniper.net.
Juniper Networks is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries as a trademark of Juniper Networks, Inc. Internet Processor II, JUNOS, M40, and M160 are trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners.
