NORDUnet is an international collaboration between the Nordic

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...

 national computer network

Computer network

A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....

s for research and education. The members of NORDUnet are:

• SUNET
  SUNET
  SUNET is the Swedish University Computer Network. SUNET provides high-speed Internet access to academic institutions in Sweden. The current incarnation of the network, OptoSunet, provides 40 Gbit/s links between the cities hosting universities. It replaces the older network, GigaSunet, based mainly...
  
   of Sweden
  Sweden
  Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
  
  
• UNINETT
  UNINETT
  Uninett is a Norwegian government-owned company responsible for deploying and maintaining a national research based computer network . They also conduct network research and pilot projects related to high speed connectivity...
  
   of Norway
  Norway
  Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
  
  
• FUNET
  FUNET
  FUNET is the Finnish University and Research Network, a backbone network providing Internet connections for Finnish universities and polytechnics as well as other research facilities. It is governed by the state-owned CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd. The FUNET project started in December 1983 and...
  
   of Finland
  Finland
  Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
  
  
• Forskningsnettet of Denmark
  Denmark
  Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
  
  
• RHnet
  RHnet
  RHnet is the Icelandic Educational and Research Network. Its objective is to link together Icelandic universities and research institutions by means of a high capacity computer network, and supply services in the field of computer communications, both domestically and internationally.RHnet is a...
  
   of Iceland
  Iceland
  Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
  
  

NORDUnet interconnects these networks and connects them to the worldwide network for research and education and to the general purpose Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

. NORDUnet provides its services by a combination of leased line

Leased line

A leased line is a service contract between a provider and a customer, whereby the provider agrees to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two or more locations in exchange for a monthly rent . It is sometimes known as a 'Private Circuit' or 'Data Line' in the UK or as CDN in Italy...

s and Internet services provided by other international operators.

In addition to the basic Internet service NORDUnet operates information services and provides USENET

Usenet

Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...

 NetNews and Multicast

Multicast

In computer networking, multicast is the delivery of a message or information to a group of destination computers simultaneously in a single transmission from the source creating copies automatically in other network elements, such as routers, only when the topology of the network requires...

 connectivity to the Nordic national networks. NORDUnet also coordinates the Nordic national networks' IPv6

IPv6

Internet Protocol version 6 is a version of the Internet Protocol . It is designed to succeed the Internet Protocol version 4...

 activities including the 6NET project and the national networks' CERT

Cert

Cert or CERT may refer to:* Certificate, an official document* Certiorari, a Latin legal term for a court order requiring judicial review of a case...

 (Computer Emergency Response Team) activities.

NORDUnet has only few permanent employees. Most of the work is contracted to appropriate organisations in the Nordic area.

NORDUnet is the result of the NORDUNET programme (1986 to 1992) financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Distinction

The web site for NORDUNet, nordu.net, is the oldest active domain name. It was registered on January 1, 1985.

External links

• NORDUnet website
• Kaarina Lehtisalo, The History of NORDUnet. Twenty-Five Years of Networking Cooperation in the Nordic Countries, 2005 (available for free in PDF)