Download Download the full case study - Produced by Nortel (2006) Download the SURFnet GigaPort Product Overview* - Produced by SURFnet (2009)

WHY NORTEL? "We realised early on that Nortel and SURFnet share the same vision when it comes to agile optical networking. Both organisations are committed to staying at the cutting-edge of innovation. Because of this, we've been able to rely on Nortel to help us push the boundaries of scientific and networking research even further than before." - Erik-Jan Bos, Director of Network Services, SURFnet

Based in Amsterdam and extending throughout the Netherlands, SURFnet * is one of the world's leading research and development organisations in the field of high-end networking. The SURFnet network caters for over 750,000 end-users across 180 different institutions, including universities, research centres, and academic medical centres.

With such a range of needs to cater for, SURFnet wanted to build a flexible infrastructure to promote knowledge-sharing and enable the deployment of high-end scientific applications.

To achieve this flexibility, SURFnet required a hybrid optical and packet-switched network, one that provided the ability to create Optical Private Networks (OPNs) for additional security, performance and ease of operation. A system for remote configuration was also required, to enable the rapid provision of on-demand services.

Nortel's hybrid optical and packet switched network was built upon the Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600 delivering IP connectivity to over 180 institutions across the country.

The Common Photonic Layer (CPL) and Optical Metro 5000 provided an optical transport infrastructure. The enhanced Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer capability (eROADM) on the CPL allowed for rapid changes to service and traffic patterns.

Included too was the Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 , using electronic Dynamically Compensating Optics (eDCO) to extend wavelength distances and reduce network maintenance costs.

• Cutting-edge functionality , as only Nortel can offer the combination of the latest eROADM and eDCO technology that provides photonic network agility
• Increased flexibility , as SURFnet's network can be remotely and dynamically configured, ensuring the right connectivity for every user
• Reduced cost because the solution supports optical lightpaths for more efficient connectivity
• Improved performance through grid computing techniques that allow researchers to make more effective use of network, computing, and storage resources, whilst supporting cutting-edge research initiatives

• Optical Networking
• Adaptive All Optical Intelligent Networking Solutions