Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin
Scalable Data Center Interconnection from Pan Dacom Direkt
Research at the cutting edge - nothing less happens at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). To fulfil this mission, HZB researchers operate the electron storage ring BESSY II and other scientific infrastructures. But experimenting with particles is only the first step: The data obtained must be exchanged and processed. Thus, HZB required a high-speed fiber optic point-to-point connection. After comparing different solutions, HZB decided for a state-of-the-art WDM system “Made in Germany” from Pan Dacom Direkt to interconnect their locations in Berlin-Wannsee and Berlin- Adlershof.
Fail-Safe Connection
Due to the growing demand for bandwidth and the expiration of support for an existing CWDM infrastructure, the HZB decided to replace the old CWDM system with a modern, future-proof DWDM system. In doing so, the expandability of the new system for a deployment period of at least 7 years was another important requirement. In addition to a 100G connection for the core network and the data centre currently under construction, 8G and 10G connections were required for storage and other network applications. A special feature was that the DWDM system had to be able to import its own certificates. Another Further requirement of HZB was the ensure the high availability of the system during regular shutdowns at one of their locations. Thus, a fallback connection has been established.
In order to meet the above-mentioned requirements and to make the connection future-proof regarding bandwidth requirements, the SPEEDOTS- 5000 system from Pan Dacom Direkt was chosen. Depending on the system technology used, up to 96 services – including 1/10/25/ 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet and 4/8/16/32 Gigabit Fibre Channel – can be transmitted protocol-transparently on one fibre pair. The SPEED-MUX 200G multiservice aggregation cards are the heart of the DWDM system. They have an activatable AES 256-bit Layer 1 encryption.
Tunable-Transceiver in Use
In addition, a modular filter concept is used, which supports an expansion to up to 40 optical channels without interruption. Equipped with coherent, pluggable CFP2 transceivers with 200Gbit/s per DWDM channel, the system stands for maximum performance and for maximum flexibility and cost efficiency. „A secure, high-performance site connection is indispensable for IT operations at HZB. With the upgrade proposed by Pan Dacom Direkt, we have been able to implement an urgently needed increase in performance and thus options to be able to react to future requirements. The efficient and uncomplicated consulting during design and implementation phase also promises us a reliable partner for future maintenance, expansion and possible service cases,“ says Dietmar Herrendörfer, Head of IT Infrastructure at HZB.
Thus, Pan Dacom Direkt is available with regular software updates, hotline, technician readiness, short recovery times and a stock of spare parts.
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is a world class research centre for energy materials research, thus contributing to knowledge-based solutions to great societal challenges. With approximately 1,100 employees, HZB is now one of the largest non-university research centres in Berlin, and a member of the Helmholtz Association. HZB conducts research at two locations, in Wannsee and Adlershof.