From: ms@Germany.EU.net (Marc Sheldon)
Newsgroups: alt.internet.services
Subject: Re: Who/what is - offers Eunet?
Date: 15 Dec 92 20:42:26 GMT
Organization: EUnet Backbone, Dortmund, Germany
NNTP-Posting-Host: walhalla.germany.eu.net

malexand@aludra.usc.edu (Michael Alexander) writes:
> What's the mission of the European Eunet organization?
>
> Any clarification would be greatly appreciated,

Michael,

  here is some information on EUnet. If you need any further information
please don't hesitate to contact public-relations@eu.net or any one of our
national backbone operators by mail or phone.

	Cheers,
			Marc Sheldon
			Technical Director
			EUnet Deutschland GmbH

------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Introduction

        EUnet  is  the  largest   subscription-funded   research-
        oriented network in Europe, serving users from Iceland to
        Russia, and as far South  as  Tunisia.   Operating  since
        1982,  EUnet  connects  over four thousand sites and net-
        works, with gateways to major  research  networks  around
        the  world including NSFnet and the Internet.  One of the
        longest-operating R & D networks in Europe, EUnet  serves
        a  large  number  of  countries  across a wide geographic
        area.


    EUnet and EurOpen

        EUnet is constituted as a service by and for the  members
        of EurOpen, the European Forum for Open Systems.  Founded
        in 1977, EurOpen is a non-profit association of Open Sys-
        tems users, organized into National User Groups in Europe
        and beyond.  At present EurOpen has  over  6000  members.
        The  close  association  of EUnet with EurOpen provides a
        continuing source of user input which  ensures  awareness
        of and sensitivity to user needs.


    EUnet Organizational Structure

        EUnet is a pan-European cooperative network  made  up  of
        national  networks located across Europe.  Each EUnet Na-
        tional Network (or NalNet) operates in  conjunction  with
        their  respective national EurOpen User Group.  European-
        level policy questions  are  addressed  in  three  yearly
        meetings  by  representatives  from  each of the NalNets.
        Executive decisions are addressed by an Executive Commit-
        tee, elected annually, in support of the EUnet Chief Exe-
        cutive.

        The EUnet Executive Committee today includes:

            Michael Nowlan  Chair (Ireland)
            Axel Pawlik     Vice-Chair (Germany)
            Joy Marino      Treasurer (Italy)
            Ted Lindgreen   Secretary (The Netherlands)
            Simon Poole     Member-at-large (Switzerland)
            Frances Brazier EurOpen Liaison (The Netherlands)
            Glenn Kowack    Chief Executive (The Netherlands)



    EUnet National Nets

        Each NalNet operates its own National Network  Operations
        Center (National NOC), which provides user support in the
        local languages.  Technical  problems  and  requests  for
        services  at  the  national  level should be addressed to
        postmaster@<country>.eu.net.  Many NalNets provide unique
        services.   Please contact your NalNet for additional in-
        formation.


    EUnet European Network Operations Center - Amsterdam

        Each EUnet NalNet connects to the European Network Opera-
        tions  Center  (or  NOC)  in  Amsterdam.  From Amsterdam,
        EUnet connects to every major R & D  network  in  Europe,
        and,  via a 128kb leased line, to UUnet and the NSFnet in
        the United States.  Technical problems  at  the  European
        level  should  be  addressed to postmaster@eu.net.  Users
        interested in information on how to obtain an EUnet  sub-
        scription  should  contact glenn@eu.net or their National
        EUnet Network.


    EUnet Topology

        Due to the distance-independent structure of digital line
        tariffs  in Europe, a line between neighbouring countries
        usually costs the same as from any country to the Amster-
        dam  NOC.   Accordingly, EUnet is organized as a two-tier
        star network.  Each NalNet (through  their  national  NOC
        and  various Points of Presence (POPs)) is organized as a
        star and acts as a point of concentration for all  traff-
        ic, which is then transmitted from each NalNet to the Eu-
        ropean NOC in Amsterdam for  distribution  to  the  other
        NalNets,  peer networks, and intercontinentally.  In some
        cases, NalNets connect to intervening NalNets,  and  from
        there to the Amsterdam NOC.


    EUnet Services

        EUnet services include:

            Electronic Mail (E-mail),

            Network News,

            InterEUnet & UUCP,

            the EUnet Archive, and

            User Support Services.

        Electronic Mail (E-mail)

        EUnet supports Internet-style (RFC  822)  mail  over  two
        transport  services:  IP  (Internetworking  Protocol) and
        UUCP (Unix-Unix CoPy).  The total number  of  sites  sub-
        scribing to EUnet e-mail is approximately four thousand.

        EUnet subscribers are usually charged  by  their  NalNets
        for a basic subscription as well as by traffic level.

        Network News

        Network News is probably the  world's  largest  "bulletin
        board" system: a system which permits the exchange of pa-
        pers, notes, and replies (called "articles"), distributed
        across  a  wide area.  The vast majority of News articles
        are written by individuals  participating  in  the  group
        conversation  of  Network  News.   Articles are collected
        into topic areas known as newsgroups, of which there  are
        approximately  two  thousand  today.   News groups may be
        moderated by an appointed specialist who filters articles
        before  posting, or unmoderated, where articles are regu-
        lated only by the opinions of the readership.

        Network News is supported by a variety  of  public-domain
        utilities, and is available over either UUCP or IP.

        EUnet is the quality news provider, distributing news  in
        a  manner  which  is timely, efficient, well-managed, and
        cost-effective.

        EUnet also acts as a distributor for  persons  interested
        in subscribing to CLARInet news groups.  CLARInet, a com-
        mercial service, distributes wire service articles,  some
        magazine articles, and articles written by CLARInet.

        As with InterEUnet service and  e-mail,  each  subscriber
        pays  a  basic subscription price.  At the backbones this
        may be augmented either by charges for traffic or on  the
        number of news groups offered.

        InterEUnet and UUCP

        EUnet provides  telecommunications  line  management  and
        "transport  layer"  services (UUCP and IP both intra- and
        inter-continentally).

        UUCP is optimized for use over dial-up lines and is ideal
        for users for whom a low entry cost and control of expen-
        ditures is critical.  UUCP is very cheap to install using
        PCs or workstations and public-domain software (available
        from EUnet).  Dial-up line costs can be controlled  on  a
        daily  basis:  an  administrator in financial trouble can
        simply stop dialing his NalNet.

        InterEUnet is the EUnet IP service, provided since  1990,
        which  includes  a transmission and network layer service
        (TCP/IP) plus Remote Login  (TELNET)  and  File  Transfer
        (FTP - File Transfer Protocol).

        Remote Login permits a user at a local computer to engage
        in  an  interactive session on a distant machine.  Remote
        login is a very powerful vehicle for connecting users  to
        geographically-dispersed  resources.  File Transfer makes
        it possible to transfer large files and  types  of  files
        which are not possible by e-mail.

        EUnet subscribers are typically charged by  their  NalNet
        for  a  basic UUCP or IP subscription plus access charges
        based upon traffic levels.

        EUnet Archive

        The  EUnet  Archive  provides  access  to  a  variety  of
        public-domain  and some "shareware" software from the Am-
        sterdam NOC and several of the NalNets as well.

        The user may connect to the archive by  using  "anonymous
        FTP", the TCP/IP-based File Transfer Protocol.  Anonymous
        FTP offers a restricted shell to explore the archive  and
        retrieve files.

        User Support at the National Level

        EUnet operational support at the  European  and  national
        levels  is an important service to the user.  Subscribers
        with problems interacting with  other  EUnet  subscribers
        anywhere  in Europe know that there is a single organiza-
        tion available to solve their problem.


    EUnet Peer and Resource-Sharing Networks

        EUnet connects to every major research network in Europe,
        and most research networks around the world.  Peer inter-
        national networks include:

            EARN (European Academic Research Network),

            HEPnet (High-Energy Physics Network),

            NORDUnet (NORDIC Universities Network), and

            NSFnet (US National Science Foundation Network).


        EUnet is also a member of

            Ebone '92 (European Backbone),

            The Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX) Association, and
	    
	    The ISODE consortium.


        Several EUnet NalNets are users of IXI, the X.25 service.


    EUnet Philosophy

        EUnet has a social-technical mission to provide  services
        to  a  wide  range of users, from the one-person software
        development organizations to research centers  of  large,
        multinational corporations.  EUnet has a special focus on
        helping to make networking available to as  many  members
        of  the R & D community, in as many countries, as is pos-
        sible.  Accordingly, should  EUnet  develop  a  budgetary
        surplus,  it  is  to  be  used  for grants to networks in
        developing countries.


    The Community of EUnet Subscribers

        EUnet focuses on subscribers from the R & D community:

            Software development,
            Software maintenance,
            Engineering,
            Research and Development,
            Laboratories,
            Academic institutions,
            Information services, and
            Groupware


        Being an open network means  that  EUnet  infrastructure,
        software,  and  management are designed for the free flow
        of information with a fair-share access to  global  EUnet
        resources.  Hence, EUnet does not focus upon:

            Real time applications
            High-security applications
            High-reliability applications
            Highly time-critical operations



    EUnet National Nets Today

        This list includes the location of  each  EUnet  National
        Network  NOC  (Network Operations Center), and their link
        to mcsun at the EUnet Amsterdam European NOC  (or  to  an
        intervening EUnet National Network).

        Austria
                Technical University of Vienna
                9.6K leased line to Amsterdam NOC
                X25
        Belgium
                K. University, Leuven
                19.2K line to Amsterdam NOC
                X25
        Bulgaria
                Digital Systems, Varna
                9.6k dialup to Amsterdam NOC
        Czechoslovakia
                Comenius University, Bratislava
                Leased line to Austrian NOC
        Denmark
                DKUUG, Datalogisk Institut, Copenhagen
                64K line to SUNIC
                X25
        Finland
                FUUG, Helsinki
                ISDN 19.2K and 64K
        France
                National Research Institute, INRIA, Le Chesnay CEDEX,
                64K line to Amsterdam NOC
                share of 128K line Rocquencourt-sophia Antipolis
                X25
        Germany
                University of Dortmund
                64K line to mcsun
                X25
		ISDN
        Greece
                Foundation of Research and Technology, Hellas
                Leased line to INRIA Sophia-Antipolis
                X25
        Hungary
                Hungary Academy of Science
                X25 PAD
                50% Share Budapest-Linz line (9.6K line) with EARN
        Iceland
                University of Iceland
                leased line
                X25
        Irelandd
                IEunet Ltd, Trinity College, Dublin
                19.2K line to UKnet (and from there to Amsterdam NOC)
        Italy
                University of Genova
                9.6K line to INRIA (and from there to Amsterdam NOC)
                X25
        Netherlands
                Run by CWI on behalf of NLnet
                Ethernet to Amsterdam NOC
                X25
        Norway
                University of Oslo, Centre for Information Tech Services
                Share of Nordunet Lines
                X25
        Portugal
                PUUG, Lisbon
                X25 link to Amsterdam NOC
        Former Soviet Region
                KIAE, Moskow
                9.6k line to Barnaul
        Spain
                Ciudad University, Madrid
                IXI/ARTIX international link to Amsterdam NOC
                X25
        Sweden
                Nordunet link
                X25
                SUNIC/KTH, Stockholm
        Switzerland
                CHUUG/EUnet Switzerland, Zurich
                64 kb leased line via Ebone/CERN to Amsterdam NOC
                X25
        Tunisia
                Regional Institute for Informatics & Telecommunications (IRSIT)
                X25
        United Kingdom
                University of Kent at Canterbury
                64K line to Amsterdam NOC
                9.6K line to IEunet
                X25
        Yugoslavia
                Faculty for Computer Science (FER) an behalf of YUUG
                X25

    Some EurOpen countries are  just  now  establishing  NalNets.
    These include:

        Algeria
        Egypt


    InterContinental Links

        EUnet shares a 128kb transAtlantic link from the  Amster-
        dam  NOC with UUnet in Falls Church, Virginia, USA.  From
        there, EUnet connects to NSFnet at FIXeast,  and  to  the
        CIX Association at CIXwest in California.


    Public Relations

        Questions and comments regarding public relations  should
        be addressed to:

            Mr. Cormac Callanan
            +353 1 740 508
            Public-Relations@eu.net




    EUnet European Office Address

            EUnet
            c/o NIKHEF
            Postbus 41882
            1009 DB Amsterdam
            Netherlands

            Tel: +31 20 592-5109
            Fax: +31 20 592-5155  Fax problems: 592-9444
--
Marc R. Sheldon                             e-mail : ms@Germany.EU.net
EUnet Germany
University of Dortmund, CS-Department
P.O.Box 500500                              voice  : +49 231 7552444
Newsgroups: alt.internet.services