RedIRIS

RedIRIS
Name	RedIRIS
Type	Research and education network
Founded	1988
Headquarters	Madrid, Spain
Area served	Spain
Parent organization	Instituto de Física Corpuscular

RedIRIS is the national academic and research network serving Spain, providing high-capacity connectivity, advanced services, and cybersecurity support to universities, research centers, museums, and libraries. It operates as part of the Spanish public research infrastructure, interconnecting institutions for collaboration in science, technology, humanities, and cultural heritage. RedIRIS underpins participation in European and global initiatives, enabling data-intensive projects and federated identity services.

History

RedIRIS originated in the late 1980s amid expansions in European research networking tied to projects such as COSINE, EARN, RARE, and later GEANT. Early deployments connected Spanish universities to transnational backbones used by institutions like CERN, European Space Agency, École Normale Supérieure, and Max Planck Society. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s RedIRIS upgraded links to align with developments from TEN-34 and GÉANT2, collaborating with national bodies such as Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, regional universities including Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Universitat de Barcelona, and research centers like Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Milestones include adoption of IPv6, multicast support for projects with European Southern Observatory, and rollout of high-capacity optical circuits used for experiments associated with ALMA, ITER, and grid computing initiatives like EGI. Institutional partnerships and funding mechanisms involved entities such as European Commission, Horizon 2020, and Spanish public research agencies.

Organisation and Governance

RedIRIS is governed through a consortium model involving national stakeholders including universities such as Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, public research organizations like CSIC and Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid, and ministries such as Ministerio de Universidades. Its oversight bodies coordinate policy with European counterparts including TERENA and GÉANT Association. Operational management aligns with standards set by bodies like IETF, RIPE NCC, and ETSI, while legal and procurement frameworks reference Spanish statutes and directives from the European Commission. Advisory boards include representatives from large consumers such as Hospital Universitario La Paz, cultural partners like Museo del Prado, and technology vendors including Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks.

Network Infrastructure and Services

The backbone architecture employs dense wavelength division multiplexing and dark fiber links in metropolitan rings connecting campuses such as Universidad de Sevilla and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya to PoPs co-located with carriers like Telefonica and exchanges like DE-CIX Madrid. Services include high-bandwidth IPv4/IPv6 transit, multicast, Layer 2 VPNs, SDN testbeds for groups including Barcelona Supercomputing Center and Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, and storage-optimized links for projects with Centro Nacional de Supercomputación and ALBA Synchrotron. Value-added services encompass eduroam roaming for students and staff, eduGAIN federation for access to resources such as ArXiv mirrors and digital repositories at Biblioteca Nacional de España, and cloud connectivity used by consortia like EATRIS. Network monitoring and performance measurement integrate tools and collaborations with perfSONAR and RIPE Atlas.

Security and Identity Management

RedIRIS provides national Computer Security Incident Response coordination comparable to CERT structures, working with entities like INCIBE, Europol, and national CERT teams across Europe. It operates security services including DDoS mitigation, IPv6 security advisories, and CERT incident handling for members such as Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and research infrastructures like Sincrotrón ALBA. Identity and access management implements federated authentication and authorization through eduGAIN and SAML technologies used by universities including Universidad de Zaragoza and consortia such as CERN Openlab, integrating with services like ORCID and institutional single sign-on solutions. Policy work engages regulators including AEPD and standards bodies such as ISO.

Research and Education Projects

RedIRIS participates in and supports projects funded by frameworks like Horizon Europe, FP7, and national calls, collaborating with partners such as GÉANT, CERN, EMBL, ECT and university consortia. It enables distributed research in fields represented by institutions like CSIC, Spanish National Research Council, CNIO, and Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, underpinning data flows for experiments at CERN Large Hadron Collider, astronomical observatories including Gran Telescopio Canarias, and environmental projects with AEMET. Educational initiatives include deployment of eduroam and training programs with associations like RUCT and EUNIS, while technology testbeds have supported SDN trials with vendors such as Huawei and research groups at Universidad de Granada.

International Collaboration and Peering

RedIRIS peers with European and global research networks including GÉANT, national NRENs such as JANET, DFN, SURFnet, RENATER, and regional networks like RedCLARA and Canarie. It establishes interconnects at exchange points like DE-CIX, LINX, and AMS-IX, and partners in transcontinental links supporting collaborations with institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Peking University, and Australian National University. Through participation in multinational initiatives it coordinates with organizations like European Commission projects, ESFRI infrastructures, and global research consortia including WorldWide LHC Computing Grid.

Category:Research and education networks