19th August 2013 – Test equipment sourcing specialist Livingston has played an integral part in the setting of new a Guinness World Record. Its client DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe) has, using Livingston sourced equipment, been able to achieve the fastest ever rate for implementing multi-Terabit optical capacity.
DANTE, which builds and operates high speed communication infrastructure for researchinstitutions throughout Europe, achieved this feat on the GÉANT network, which is based on the DTN-X packet optical transport networking platform from Infinera. GÉANT is the largest research and education communications network in Europe. It has 50 million users located at 10,000 different academic and government research establishments across the continent (including such highly regarded ones as CERN in Switzerland). With the need to provide large amounts of data to such a huge number of users, in order to support vital scientific studies and investigations, it is critical that DANTE can bring additional capacity online rapidly.
In setting the new record DANTE managed to install and activate a staggering 8Terabits/s of long haul super-channel optical capacity in just 19mins, 1sec. Validation of this was carried out using an EXFO FTB-85100G 100Gbit Ethernet tester and an EXFO FTB-5240S optical spectrum analyser. These key items of equipment, which were supplied by Livingston, provided the breadth of functionality and high degree of repeatability needed to ensure accurate test results.
“DANTE have worked with Livingston in the deployment of our optical network resources for several years now,” states Stuart Ware, Transport Manager at DANTE. “Through this partnership we have been able to get access to state-of-the-art test hardware exactly where and when we needed it. This has enabled us to keep on pushing operational performance boundaries.”
About DANTE
DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe) is a non-profit organisation established in 1993 that plans, builds and operates large scale, advanced networks for research and education. On behalf of Europe’s National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), DANTE has built and operates GÉANT, a flagship e-Infrastructure key to achieving the European Research Area.
Working in cooperation with the European Commission and in close partnership with Europe’s NRENs and international networking partners, DANTE remains fundamental to the success of global research collaboration.
DANTE manages research and education (R&E) networking projects serving Europe (GÉANT), the Mediterranean (EUMEDCONNECT), Sub-Saharan Africa (AfricaConnect), Central Asia (CAREN) regions and coordinates Europe-China collaboration (ORIENTplus). DANTE also supports R&E networking organisations in Latin America (RedCLARA), Caribbean (CKLN) and Asia-Pacific (TEIN*CC).
For more information visit: http://www.dante.net
About GÉANT
GÉANT is the pan-European research and education network that interconnects Europe’s National Research and Education Networks (NRENs). Together we connect over 50 million users at 10,000 institutions across Europe, supporting research in areas such as energy, the environment, space and medicine.
Operating at speeds of up to 500Gbps and reaching over 100 national networks worldwide, GÉANT remains the largest and most advanced research and education network in the world.
Co-funded by the European Commission under the EU’s 7th Research and Development Framework Programme, GÉANT is a flagship e-Infrastructure key to achieving the European Research Area – a seamless and open European space for online research – and assuring world-leading connectivity between Europe and the rest of the world in support of global research collaborations.
The network and associated services comprise the GÉANT (GN3plus) project, a collaborative effort comprising 41 project partners: 38 European NRENs, DANTE, TERENA and NORDUnet (representing the 5 Nordic countries). GÉANT is operated by DANTE on behalf of Europe’s NRENs.
For more information visit: http://www.geant.net
About Livingston:
Livingston provides and manages test equipment for companies in more than 100 countries worldwide, giving them access to leading edge products regardless of their budget constraints. Founded over forty years ago, the company has built up a highly experienced team of engineering and supply chain professionals. Its services include rental, calibrationmanagement, and inventory management. Partnering with Livingston allows companies to optimise their capital expenditure, bringing greater return on investment, as well as generating cash for unused or underused assets through its equipment disposal and redeployment activities.
For more information visit: http://www.livingston.com
