Internet2 selects Ciena gear for next-gen network

Internet2 using Ciena multiservice switch platform for its ultra high-speed network.

Internet2 announced Monday that it is deploying Ciena CoreDirector Multiservice Switches in the education group’s next-generation network.

Internet2 and Ciena also have entered into a partnership in which the vendor is becoming an Internet2 Corporate Partner to further advance the R&D of optical switching technology.

CoreDirector will be used to support optical and Ethernet switching throughout the educational organization's new network. Internet2 also will be using dynamic bandwidth allocation features that are part of CoreDirector to provision bandwidth on the fly.

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Internet2 announced Monday that it is deploying Ciena CoreDirector Multiservice Switches in the education group’s next-generation network.

Internet2 and Ciena also have entered into a partnership in which the vendor is becoming an Internet2 Corporate Partner to further advance the R&D of optical switching technology.

CoreDirector will be used to support optical and Ethernet switching throughout the educational organization's new network. Internet2 also will be using dynamic bandwidth allocation features that are part of CoreDirector to provision bandwidth on the fly.

“The research and education community today requires networking solutions that create a truly dynamic environment to support the most demanding applications and research our members can imagine,” says Steve Cotter, director of network services at Internet2 in a written statement. “By partnering with Ciena, we are deploying a cost-effective infrastructure that will provide our members instant network capacity and scalability plus more dynamic control over their networking resources.”

In May, Internet2, a consortium of 2000-plus universities that work with government and the IT industry to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies with the goal of accelerating development of the public Internet, detailed its new network plans.

Eventually the new network will scale up to 80 10Gbps Lambdas. Internet2 has selected Level 3 as its new network backbone provider for the next-generation network. Level 3 displaces Qwest Communications, which was informed in April that its contract would not be renewed.

Internet2 expects the CoreDirector platform to create a “highly-dependable and highly-resilient network,” according to the group's press release on the Ciena news. CoreDirector is a carrier-class switching platform that provides automatic protection switching and mesh-based network restoration. These features are believed to provide improved network reliability in the case of network failures.

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