CEENet
Central and Eastern European Networking Association

Austria

Networking organization:

Austrian Academic Computer Network (ACOnet)
Vienna University Computer Center
Universitaetsstrasse 7
A-1040 Vienna, Austria
e-mail: helpdesk@aco.net

History

Austria in general and ACOnet in particular plays special role in the developing information infrastructure for CEE countries. ACOnet was one of the main initiator of forming CEENet association and provided know-how and to some extent a financial support to the neighbour country connectivity.

As early as 1981, computer centers at the Austrian universities and the Federal Ministry of Science and Research embarked on a project to develop a suitable communications structure for the Austrian scientific and research community. Initially, activities were started within the framework of research grant. Other countries at the beginning also followed this way of development.

In 1985 Austrian universities were offered access to EARN and Eunet for the first time. At the same time a national networking structure was implemented. In 1986 the ACOnet Association ( ACOnet - Verein) was formed. The core membership of this association was defined to comprise the computer centers of all Austrian Universities. In 1990, Austria obtained access to the Global Internet within the framework of the European Academic Supercomputing Initiative (EASI), sponsored by IBM. A 64 kbps line to Geneva was provided, giving access to the onward 1.5 Mbps connection (EASINET) to the U.S.A. In 1992 ACOnet was converted to use the IP protocol set ( instead of the X.25 protocol suite). This very brief outline of the ACOnet development is very instructive for other countries. Many of them follow the same line of development and the experience gained by our Austrian friends can be very useful. The special emphasis in this respect should be put on collaboration between ACOnet as the network for academic community and public network operator Astrian PTT.

Present topology

ACOnet currently is implemented on top of the public high speed network provided by the Austrian PTT. This public network service is sold under the name "MAN" ( Metropolitan Area Network) . Nevertheless it is offered throughout Austria based on 34 Mbps DQDB ( Distributed Queue Dual Bus ) technology. Access lines to the MAN with a capacity of 2 Mbps, operated with SMDS ( Switched Multimegabit Data Service ) are used to connect ACOnet', core-routers in Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Insbruck, Klagenfurt and Graz to MAN/SMDS service.

See the picture

The following list summarizes ACOnet's connectivity to the international communications structures:

- To the global Internet within the framework of EBONE and through the EBS in Vienna and
- to EARN/BITNET via the Austrian EARN backbone node AEARN at the Vienna University, using Internet as transport facility
- A frame relay connection from EBS-Vienna via EUnet-Vienna to the European Eunet backbone system in Amsterdam serves to exchange information between EBONE and Eunet.

From EBS in Vienna a set of links to many cities and regions in central and eastern Europe is either in place or planned for the very near future:

- 256 lines to Prague/CZ and Budapest/HU,
- a 128 kbps ( soon upgradet to 256 kbps) to Warsaw/PL
- 64 kbps lines to Zagreb/HR and to Bratislava/SK as well as 64 kbps satellite link to Bucharest/RO and
- 19.2 kbps connections to Sofia/BG and Blagoevegrad/BG
- A 64 kbps link under construction to Ljubljana/SI
- 64 kbps lines are proposed for the imminent future to Skopje/MK and as an upgrade for Sofia.
- Another 9.6 kbps connection has been established to Teheran and an upgrade to 64 kbps for this line has already been proposed

The topology of international connections changes rather fast, therefore it is nearly impossible to present situation up to date.