THE ROOTS OF NORDIC NETWORKING

The worlds first international, multiprotocol network

Rolf NordhagenUniversity of Oslo

• An Open network is a network that follows a common, open standard, OSI

• National academic networks, UNINETT 1978, SUNET 1980, Centernet, X25 packet switched

• ARPANET to NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway 1973

• Minicomputers, Timesharing, KOM Stockholm, Oslo

• International Dial-up

The beginning

Enter NORDUNET

• Nordic Council of Ministers, NORDFORSK Bjørn Grønlund

• The first meeting 1980, Dalarne, Sweden• 1983-84, the NORDUNET application• May 1985 9.2 Mill.NOK for 4 years• Initially NORDFORSK, then Stockholm

QZ/SICS, Mats Brunell• Technical manager Einar Løvdal, Oslo

Mats Brunell and Einar Løvdal

The requirements• A stable, operating computer network, connecting Nordic

Education and Research • Build on existing university networks• Use the Nordic telecommunication networks and

international standards for tele- and data-communication.• Make a common use of data-resources, programs and

databases available througout the Nordic area. Users shall be given access to Nordic and international networks and information services

• Give the same opportunities for collaboration and information exchange as in European countries and the North American research communities

Cooperation • Establish a common Nordic infrastructure for the

NR&E community by connecting the national nets.• New competence and services be created for the

smaller communities.• The resources to be found in the national network

organisations, with the local, university services operating the net.

• A computer network would greatly increase bridging the large geographical distances caracteristic in the Nordic countries. Thus opportunities for research in remote communities would be greatly improved.

Interim services• In 1984, IBM donated machines and leased

lines for EARN, European Academic Research Network (modelled on Bitnet)

• Local Ethernets, private networks X.25, PAD services - chaos

• Make popular services Nordic wide, X.400 mail EAN

• EARN to Europe, DECnet/HEPNET for physics• Work to local groups, EARN in UNI-C, EAN in

UNINETT etc.

Difficult challenges

• Firm belief and political pressure for CO OSI-protocols.

• Standards slow in coming from ISO and CCIT

• Slow development of common services.• Independent development of services in

NORDUNET regarded as unrealistic• Reorientation of original goals

Reorientation strategy

• Continued support of interim solutions, but prepare for OSI migration (!)

• Interim solutions to connect to international networks, EARN, UUCP, DECnet and Internet

• Active participation in European OSI-efforts in RARE and COSINE, to build competence

• Migration pilots, file transfer, base for further work, JANET coloured books, ISODE (X.25 over IP) ?

• Reliable standards and services still regarded as 10 years off (JANET)

In 1987 new possibilities• No continuation of support for the EARN leased lines.

NORDUNET urged to connect the main Nordic nodes.• A major technological breakthrough, bridges to run

Ethernet over slow lines, Vitalink bridges.• Sudden realisation of a possible Nordic Ethernet

connecting the major nodes• National Ethernets based on the same technology

connect to a clean Nordic net.• Institutional Ethernets on national nets connect users.• The X.EARN project quickly adopted early 1988

The NORDUNET multiprotocol plug

• the basic X.25 service• EARN and RSCS• DECnet• TCP/IP

The challenge not technolgy but organisation

The distributed service conceptAn international, multiprotocol network

NORDUnet, the operational net

• One stop shop for lines, Scantele• 64 kb/s Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm,

Trondheim, 9.2 Reykjavik• Central node KTH, Stockholm• US NSFnet to Princeton via satellite, 56 kb/s• KTH connected Europe, EARN, HEPnet• Peering with EUnet• European interchange, GIX• Operating late 1988, official opening Oct.89

GIX Washington

Reykjavik

EMPB London

Ebone Paris

EMPB Amsterdam NASK Warshaw

BALTnet Vilnius

BALTnet Tallin

Trondheim

Copenhagen

Stockholm

Not only a network

• Inter-Nordic work-groups created competence on many levels

• Catalytic effect on national networks and early commercial introduction

• Joint activities creating international recognition and status in international bodies

International recognition

• The first DNS root-server outside US• RIPE as European Internet coordinator• Participating and forming IEPG and IETF

Operation WG, other IETF work, MIME• In RARE WG8-management introducing open

support of protocols and services, including TCP/IP as well as ISO OSI work

(controversial!)

Europe and TCP/IP– Work on service harmonisation and OSI

migration continued– Einar Løvdals urge for TCP/IP migration met

with mixed reactions (Trieste 1989)– Support from research communities

collaborating w. US and Canada– RIPE formed 1989, RIPE NCC in 1992– Large European communities forged ahead

with OSI based services - and fell behind -

Nordic Internet penetration

1999 97 1999 97

1 Canada 42,82 7 8 Australia 34,33 5

2 Sweden 41,42 8 9 Singapore 31,08 9

3 Finland 40,80 1 10 N.Zealand 26,49 6

4 U.S. 40,65 4 11 Netherland 25,56 13

5 Iceland 40,35 3 12 Switzerland 24,58 11

6 Denmark 39,60 10 13 United

7 Norway 37,96 2 Kingdom 23,64 12

% per capita

And finally TCP/IP

The rest is history !

US link

NORDUnet is now a limited company NORDUnet A/S,owned and financed by Nordic states or state institutionsDK - UNI-C NO - UNINETTFI - Ministry of education SE - Högskoleverket

IS - University of Iceland

Yearlybudgets

10 M$

20 M$

All work done by partners

Small secretariatDirector Peter Villemoes

16

USA

45

34

121

The network in 2001

Géant

NETNODD-GIX

6221866 1344

KPNQwest

Communication is Cooperation

• Services could not be done by one provider alone• The necessary level of competence could not be

reached on a country by country basis • Institutional groups too small both in

–people with interest and knowledge–resources and demanding users

• Development cooperation required on all levels

The NORDUNET lesson

• Many institutions scattered across several countries worked together by each getting major responsibilities

• Distributed projects create joint enthusiasm and work towards common goals

• Shared responsibilities• All got benefit from building competence• Network communication is working together

Communication is cooperation

Networks are communication

etworks are cooperation

"Skalat madr rúnar rísta, nema ráda vel kunni” Egill Skallagrimsson