NET - Network, Cloud Infrastructure and Core Services

The NET department designs, operates and maintains the core IT infrastructure for KIT: Besides networking and cloud infrastructure, the department provides numerous network-related services like DNS, DHCP, RADIUS, and NTP as well as additional Core Services, e.g. central mail gateways, the matrix communication service, web servers and the KIT-CA (certificate authority). Continuous and automated monitoring of the IT infrastructure is also part of the department’s responsibilities.

Furthermore, the department is home to KIT-CERT, KIT’s Computer Emergency Response Team, which handles both proactive and reactive IT security measures.

The networking domain is comprised of KIT’s entire network infrastructure, covering active components such as switches, routers, firewalls, and load balancers as well as the passive copper and fiber infrastructure across all KIT sites. In addition, the entire KIT is provided with IP connectivity, with IPv6 being available across the whole network. Developing and providing applications and processes for automated network configuration is also in the department’s scope of tasks. In addition to the wired network, the department also provides Wi-Fi across KIT's sites and VPN solutions for secure remote access to KIT’s network from home or other locations. Besides KIT’s own network, the department also operates the network of GridKa, an LHC Tier‑1 data center hosted at KIT.

The cloud infrastructure domain is responsible for providing compute and storage resources in various forms: Virtual machines featuring tailored characteristics are provided across various platforms according to user or application requirements. Evaluating and providing infrastructure for container-based application workloads is another part of the portfolio. The storage offerings encompass block storage for virtual machines, a central file service for use by organizational units and staff as well as an S3-compatible object storage.