National Knowledge Network

National Knowledge Network (NKN) is a multi-gigabit^[4] national research and education network, whose purpose is to provide a unified high speed network backbone for educational and research institutions in India. The network is managed by the National Informatics Centre.

National Knowledge Network

Logo of National Knowledge Network
Abbreviation	NKN
Formation	2010[1]
Type	public
Legal status	Active
Headquarters	New Delhi, India
Region served	India Bhutan
Membership	Educational and Research Institutions
Official language	English
Key people	Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram Prof. S.V. Raghavan Dr. B.K. Gairola Mr. R.S. Mani[2]
Budget	₹5,990 Crores[3]
Staff	2000
Website	nkn.gov.in
ASNs	9885 55824 55847
Traffic Levels	400-500 Gbps

Details

The NKN is a hierarchical network divided into three basic layers – ultra-high speed CORE (multiples of 10 Gbit/s; Level 1), Distribution (Level 2), and Edge (speeds of 1 Gbit/s or higher; User Level). Depending on the type of connectivity required by the user organization, geographical presence, and the location of Point of Presence (PoP) of NKN, (belonging to Core and Distribution), connectivity would be provided to the institutes. NKN backbone will typically have 18 Core PoPs and around 25 Distribution PoPs across the country. The NKN backbone will be created by multiple bandwidth providers and the edges can be provided by any service provider.

The network is designed to support Overlay Networks, Dedicated Networks, and Virtual Networks. Advanced applications in areas such as Health, Education, Science & Technology, Grid Computing, Bioinformatics, Agriculture, and Governance will be an integral part of NKN. The entire network will seamlessly integrate with the global scientific community at multiple gigabits per second speed.

IP and ASn resources

National Knowledge Network has got the following resources from APNIC (Regional Internet registry for Asia-Pacific Region).

IPv6 Segment—

1. 2405:8A00::/32
2. 2409::/28

IPv4 Segment—

1. 14.139.0.0/16
2. 180.149.48.0/20

AS Numbers—

1. 9885
2. 55824
3. 55847

NKN Topology with core PoPs shown

IPv6 implementation

NKN has got 2405:8A00::/32 IPv6 block from APNIC (Regional Internet registry for Asia-Pacific Region) and allocating /48 block to every connected member institution.^[5] /48 is allocated to connected member so that member institute can do multihoming, if required.

DNSSEC

NKN is DNSSEC enabled.^[6][7]

Public lectures

Lecture	Where	When	About	Participants
First Lecture[8]	New Delhi, India	23 Jan 2013	Democratising information, justice, equality and the rule of law	Delhi University and 500 Other Institutes[9][10]

Annual workshops

Workshop	Where	When	About	Organizer
Fourth NKN Annual Workshop[11]	JNTU Hyderabad	21–22 January 2016	NKN at the Core of Cyber Space	National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad
NKN Third Annual National Workshop[12]	IIT Guwahati	15–17 December 2014	Next-Generation Network (NGN)	National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
NKN Second Annual National Workshop[13][14]	IISc Bangalore	17–19 October 2013	Enhancing Research Collaborations through NKN	National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
NKN First National Workshop[15][16]	IIT Bombay, Mumbai	31 October–2 November 2012[17]	The e-Infrastructure of India	National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-B)[18]

Events

Event	Where	When	Organizer
GARUDA-NKN Partners Meet 2013[19][20]	SAIACS CEO Center Auditorium, Bangalore	25–26 July 2013[21]	C-DAC and NKN[22]
GARUDA-NKN Partners Meet 2014[23]	NIAS Auditorium, IISC Campus, Bangalore	19–20 September 2014	C-DAC and NKN
GARUDA-NKN Partners Meet 2015[24]	NIAS Auditorium, IISC Campus, Bangalore	10–11 September 2015	C-DAC and NKN
GARUDA-NKN Partners Meet 2016[25]	NIAS Auditorium, IISC Campus, Bangalore	8–9 September 2016	C-DAC and NKN

See also

• National Optical Fibre Network
• ERNET
• National Informatics Centre
• Digital India
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology