NORDUnet is a partner in GEANT2 and participates in the construction of the next generation of European research networking. In GEANT2, NORDUnet is actively contributing to the design of the next generation European IP network and the design of the new pan-European lambda networking facility.

Participation in GEANT2 is important to NORDUnet, as GEANT2 will provide European research network connectivety to NORDUnet. Moreover, the developments in GEANT2, especially in the area of lambda networking, complement efforts in NORDUnet, such as NorthernLight.

In addition to building a next generation research network, GEANT2 includes a number of joint research and devlopment projects. These project are developing new, advanced network services, and are investigating issues important to research networks and our users. NORDUnet is contributing to these efforts.

NORDUnet is active in three development projects under GEANT2:

• SA3: End-to-End Servce. This activities investigates and implements measures that ensure a higher degree of dependability and assurance of performance levels in the network, allowing high-performance and critical applications to run on the shared network infrastructure. NORDUnet is contributing to this work.
• JRA1: Performance Measurement. The project seeks to establish an architecture for network performance measurement systems, and to establish a joint, international performance measurement infrastructure for research networks. NORDUnet is contributing to several aspects of this work.
• JRA5: Roaming and Authorisation. Users of research networks and ressources on the networks are not restricted by national boundaries, and users are becoming increasingly mobile. Research networks therefore need to support roaming network access, and facilities to authenticate authorized users of ressources must be developed. Furthermore, these facilities must be international and interoperate across network boundaries and administrative domains. JRA5 is investigating these issues and seeks to establish an architecture and a platform for pan-European roaming and AAI. NORDUnet is contributing to several aspects of this work.

When NORDUnet participates in work under GEANT2, the majority of the work is done by staff of the member networks and associated institutions. As in other matters of international research networking, NORDUnet acts as the coordinator and umbrella for Nordic contributions. In this way, best-of-breed Nordic technology can be contributed to international efforts, and Nordic researchers maximize their visibility and impact.