The Anella Científica

The Anella Científica is the high-speed communications network, created by the Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació in 1993 and managed by CESCA, that connects universities and research centers in Catalunya. The Anella Científica provides a wide data transmission capacity among all the connected institutions so that information exchange is facilitated, access to CESCA and CBUC's resources is enlarged, connections to RedIRIS' research networks and the ones connected to that one are improved, and the use and the development of broadband applications are fostered.

All the institutions connected to the ring have to:

1)	Have enough technical and human resources to provide the Anella Científica services to authorized personnel.
2)	Allow the operator, coordinately with CESCA, to install one o more access points where institution's network will be connected.
3)	Ensure that users know and use the Anella Científica resources and services in accordance with the policy of use.
4)	Don't permit the access to the Anella Científica to people or organizations alien to the institution itself without CESCA express authorization.
5)	Keep informed CESCA, in advance enough, of its needs in telecommunications in order to plan the Anella Científica updates.

Institutions that wish to connect to the ring must verify that all the membership requirements are satisfied. If so, they shall follow the membership procedure to ask for admittance.

Since the 1st of March, 2003 and for the following three years, the Anella Científica (scientific ring) is based on Giganet, the Al-Pi Telecomunicacions broadband network, which has been one of the first European Gigabit Ethernet networks over Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM).

The Anella Científica connects more than 70 institutions nowadays, at different bandwidths (4, 10, 100, 1,000 Mbps) thanks to many technologies that include from ADSL to Gigabit Ethernet.

The Anella Científica is connected to RedIRIS, the state research network, through Gigabit Ethernet technology as well. It has got two links at 10 Gbps with Madrid and Valencia, one link at 622 Mbps with Zaragoza, and another one at 155 Mbps with Palma de Mallorca. Through RedIRIS, the most advanced international research networks are reached: the pan-European Géant2, the American Internet2, the Canadian CA*net-4, etc.

Furthermore, the Anella Científica has got its own connection to Internet, which allows it to establish differential policies, in addition to an excellent connectivity with the most important operators and Internet Exchange (CATNIX), which is also managed by CESCA.

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