ORC connected to JANET Aurora

A group of researchers at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), University of Southampton are set to connect their Systems lab to four other universities in England via the JANET Aurora later this month.

Created by JANET(UK) the JANET Aurora is a dark-fibre network specially developed to support research in photonics and optical systems. It provides one of the largest test-beds for optical networking research in Europe allowing research that would be impossible to carry out using a production network carrying real traffic.

The network aims to encourage interaction between research groups at the Universities of Aston, Cambridge, Essex, Southampton and University College London.

Connecting to JANET Aurora will enable researchers at the ORC to carry out transmission experiments under realistic conditions as well as the opportunity to work on collaborative projects with the other universities.

ORC Deputy Director Professor David Richardson commented, “We are delighted that Southampton University is now fully connected to the JANET Aurora dark fibre network. Aurora is a unique facility providing great flexibility in terms of the way the network can be configured to suit the needs of both the photonics and computer science research communities. Aurora will provide the UK with a major competitive edge in next generation network research and we and our collaborators will be working hard to exploit this to maximum effect in the years aheadâ€?.

Aurora originally launched in 2008 is funded by HFCE via JISC and is part of the UKLight programme.