JANET Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Janet

Predecessor	SERCnet
Formation	1 April 1984
Type	National research and education network
Purpose	To manage the operation and development of the UK's national education and research network
Headquarters	Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Region served	UK
Director (Jisc Technologies)	Tim Kidd
Formerly called	Janet(UK); JANET

Janet is a super-fast computer network for schools, colleges, and universities across the UK. It's like a special internet highway just for learning and research! This network is provided by Jisc, which is a not-for-profit company. Jisc helps education and research in the UK with technology.

Janet serves over 18 million users. It carries more data than any other similar network in Europe. Janet used to be a separate, government-funded group. Now, it's part of Jisc Services Limited.

Almost all colleges and universities in the UK use the Janet network. Research groups also connect to it. Most of these places link up through 20 special network areas across the UK. Janet also helps connect schools within the UK. The name Janet originally stood for "Joint Academic NETwork." But now, it's just known as Janet.

The Janet network connects to other similar networks around the world. It links up with European networks through GÉANT. It also connects with other internet providers in the UK. This helps make sure everyone can reach websites and services easily.

Jisc Services Limited runs the Janet network. Janet is also in charge of important internet addresses. These include the ".ac.uk" for academic sites and ".gov.uk" for government sites. Janet has been part of Jisc Services Limited since March 2015. It still does the same important job.

How Janet Started
Janet's Regions
See also

How Janet Started

Early Computer Networks

Before Janet, different universities and research groups in Britain had their own computer networks. These started appearing in the late 1960s. For example, the South West Universities Computer Network began in 1967.

In the 1970s, more national computer centers were created. Each of these had its own network. These networks were often based on different computer brands. This meant they couldn't easily talk to each other. Groups of schools and universities shared resources. This helped them get better computer tools.

The First JANET Network

In the early 1980s, people decided to connect these different networks. They wanted to make them work together. This big effort was called JANET. It used special rules called "Coloured Book protocols." These rules helped the UK become a leader in network technology.

JANET officially started on April 1, 1984. This was two years before a similar network began in the United States. It first connected about 50 places. The network speeds were 9.6 kilobits per second (kbit/s). In the mid-1980s, the main network speed was upgraded to 2 megabits per second (Mbit/s). The connections to individual places became 64 kbit/s. JANET connected to the US network in 1989.

JANET Gets Faster with IP

In 1991, planning began for a new service called JIPS. This service was a test to carry Internet Protocol (IP) traffic. IP is the main language that computers use to talk on the internet. Within eight months, IP traffic was higher than the old traffic. So, IP support became official in November 1991.

JANET then became a high-speed IP network. Another upgrade in the early 1990s made the main network 8 Mbit/s. The access links became 2 Mbit/s. This made Janet the fastest network of its kind back then.

SuperJanet: Even More Speed!

To keep up with growing needs, Janet has had many big upgrades. These upgrades were called "SuperJanet."

SuperJanet (1992-1993): This was the first big upgrade. It started using fibre optic cables. These cables send data using light, making it super fast. The first 14 sites moved to this new system. It ran at 34 Mbit/s.
SuperJanet2 (1995): This version added even faster main connections. These ran at 155 Mbit/s. It also started connecting more cities.
SuperJanet3: This upgrade created new 155 Mbit/s connections. It fully linked major cities like London, Bristol, Manchester, and Leeds. Smaller places connected at 34 Mbit/s.
SuperJanet4 (2001): This was a major step forward. It had a main network running at 2.5 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). Connections to regional networks ranged from 155 Mbit/s to 2.5 Gbit/s. In 2002, the main SuperJanet4 network was upgraded to 10 Gbit/s. SuperJanet4 also started connecting more schools.
SuperJanet5 (2006): This project cost £29 million. It brought a 10 Gbit/s main network. It was designed to be upgraded to 40 Gbit/s. This version offered both regular internet service and private, super-fast connections. It was built for universities, colleges, and also primary and secondary schools.
Janet6 (2013): This is the latest major upgrade. It started in July 2013. Janet6 launched with an amazing capacity of 2 terabits per second (Tbit/s). This makes it incredibly powerful for all its users.

Janet's Regions

The Janet network works through 18 different regions. These regions connect universities, colleges, and schools to the main Janet network. Most regions are run by Janet itself. A few others work under special agreements.

Each regional network covers a specific area. Here are some of the regional networks connected to Janet:

C&NLMAN – Cumbria and North Lancashire
East of England
East Midlands
KPSN Kent Public Services Network
London
North West
North East
North East Scotland
Northern Ireland
PSBA Wales
South
South East Scotland
South West
South West Scotland
Thames Valley
The Highlands and Islands
West Midlands
Yorkshire and Humberside

JANET facts for kids

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