A dynamic circuit network (DCN) is an advanced computer networking technology that combines traditional packet-switched communication based on the Internet Protocol, as used in the Internet, with circuit-switched technologies that are characteristic of traditional telephone network systems. This combination allows user-initiated ad hoc dedicated allocation of network bandwidth for high-demand, real-time applications and network services, delivered over an optical fiber infrastructure.[1]
Dynamic circuit networks were pioneered by the Internet2 advanced networking consortium.[2] The experimental Internet2 HOPI infrastructure, decommissioned in 2007, was a forerunner to the current SONET-based Ciena Network underlying the Internet2 DCN. The Internet2 DCN began operation in late 2007 as part of the larger Internet2 network.[3] It provides advanced networking capabilities and resources to the scientific and research communities, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project.[4]
The Internet2 DCN is based on open-source, standards-based software, the Inter-domain Controller (IDC) protocol, developed in cooperation with ESnet[5] and GÉANT2.[3] The entire software set is known as the Dynamic Circuit Network Software Suite (DCN SS).
The Inter-domain Controller protocol manages the dynamic provisioning of network resources participating in a dynamic circuit network across multiple administrative domain boundaries.[6] It is a SOAP-based XML messaging protocol, secured by Web Services Security (v1.1) using the XML Digital Signature standard. It is transported over HTTP Secure (HTTPS) connections.