FUNET - FINNISH UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCH NETWORK - Introduction

# FUNET - International link for researchers in Finland

### RESEARCH MEANS COMMUNICATION

There are more than one million computers connected to different scientific network around the world. By electronic mail you reach your colleagues and competitors in whatever corner of the world they happens to have their mailbox. And the message doesn't stay in the backroom of local postoffice for days or weeks.

### RESEARCH MEANS CONVERSATION

Lively conversations on different topics takes place in thousands of newsgroups on USENETnetwork. Beside discussions and debate advise is asked and provided. USENET is an up to date provider of real news.

### RESEARCH MEANS TRANSMISSION

Research often starts with measurements. Results from laboratory instruments or observatories have to be transmitted to the computer which analyzes them and finds out what is essential. Often actual computing may happen other side of globe.

### RESEARCH MEANS VISUALIZATION

Often graphical visualization of data reveals theessential things in phenomena being studied. Numerical results can be transmitted to the end-user in the form of picture or animation.

### RESEARCH MEANS PROPER TOOLS

Hundreds of file servers are installed on network for the distribution of software. Most of the software has been developed at universities and are therefore public domain. The biggest file server in Europe happens to be nic.funet.fi, The Network Information Centre of FUNET. It has on-line more than 200 000 files of software, data and documents. The network provides tools to help you find the location of files..

### RESEARCH MEANS INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

Via the network you can scroll catalogues of finnish academic libraries. Many foreign libraries, among them the enormous Congressial Library of USA are open for visitors through the network. Also many scientific databases are you within reach.

### RESEARCH MEANS PUBLICITY

Traditional academic publications will maintain their positions, but many articles, congress proceedings and studies are published via newsnet and are saved on a file server for public access. Results are published in hours insted of waiting months or years as is with hardcopy journals. Utilization and criticism of the results may also start immediately.

### RESEARCH NEEDS ADMINISTRATION

A successful research environment needs administrative services. FUNET connects academic institutions and their administration with Ministry of Education and its databases (like KOTA) as well as with The Finnish State Computer Centre and databases and services it provides.

# FUNET - FINNISH UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCH NETWORK

FUNET is an organizational unit at CSC, directly reporting to the Ministry of Education. Its task is to develop and maintain FUNET-network, which connects universities and research institutes.

FUNET's members are Finnish universities and technical, science and art colleges as well as many research institutes and companies, whose R&D has communication needs with rest of the research community.

FUNET's network is one of the most progressive among the national research networks in the world. The backbone network is based on reliable Frame Relay technology, which is provided by Finnish Telecom. The network supports multiprotocol traffic: TCP/IP, DECNET and NJE, in some cases also X.25 and ISO/IP.

FUNET provides gateways to domestic Elisa and Mailnet messaging systems and to the network of Finnish unix-users. Likewise it has connections with domestic commercial DataNet and LanLink -networks.

Links to global research community are provided through NORDUnet, a nordic academic network. It connects finnish users with colleagues in Internet, NSFnet, EARN, EUnet, IXI, SPAN, HEPnet, EASINET and amost all national networks in Europe and on other continents.

FUNET Headquarters are located at the Centre for Scientific Computing at the Otaniemi campus, Espoo, Finland.

## For more information contact:

    Markus Sadeniemi ............ +358-0-457 2711
    Paavo Ahonen .................+358-0-457 2288
    Manu Mähönen..................+358-0-457 2240
    Harri Salminen................+358-0-457 2005
    Jyrki Soini ..................+358-0-457 2704

    Internet : info@funet.fi
    X.400: /S=info/O=funet/A=fumail/C=fi/

    FUNET
    Pl 405, Tietotie 6
    02101 ESPOO
    Tel. +358 0 4571
    Fax  +358 0 457 2302

Or look around in our WWW.FUNET.FI server Funet international link for researchers