Internet2: what is it and why should you care? Heather Boyles Institutional Opportunities in Advanced Networking Austin, TX

Overview  History  Goals  Members  Applications  Engineering  Architecture  Abilene  Technology Transfer

History  ARPAnet origins  NSFnet Privatization in 1995  Higher ed planning in 1995/1996 Are our research and education needs being met by today’s internet?

History of Internet2  September 1995: Monterey Futures Conference  August 1996: Cheyenne Mountain Workshop  October 1996: Internet2 Project formed  January 1997: First Internet2 Member Meeting  October 1997: UCAID formed  April 1998: Abilene Project Announced  September 1998: Middleware Initiative Announced  January 1999: Abilene in Production

Research and Development Commercialization Partnerships Privatization NSFNET Internet2, Abilene, vBNS Advanced US Govt Networks ARPAnet gigabit testbeds Active Nets wireless WDM SprintLink InternetMCI US Govt Networks ANS Interoperable High Performance Research &Education Networks 21st Century Networking Quality of Service (QoS)

Internet2 Project Goals  Enable new generation of applications  Re-create leading edge R&E network capability  Transfer capability to the global production Internet

UCAID Member Universities 135 Members as of November 1998 University of Puerto Rico not shown

Internet2 Corporate Partners  3Com  Advanced Network & Services, Inc.  AT&T  Cabletron Systems  Cisco Systems  FORE  IBM  3Com  Advanced Network & Services, Inc.  AT&T  Cabletron Systems  Cisco Systems  FORE  IBM  Lucent Technologies  MCI Worldcom  Newbridge Networks  Nortel Networks  Qwest Communications  StarBurst Communications  Lucent Technologies  MCI Worldcom  Newbridge Networks  Nortel Networks  Qwest Communications  StarBurst Communications

Internet2 Corporate Sponsors  Bell South  Packet Engines  SBC Technology Resources  StorageTek  Torrent Technologies

Internet2 Corporate Members  Alcatel Telecom  Ameritech  Apple Computer  AppliedTheory  Bell Atlantic  Bellcore  British Telecom  Compaq/DEC  Deutsche Telekom  Fujitsu  GTE Internetworking  Hitachi  IXC Communications  KDD  Alcatel Telecom  Ameritech  Apple Computer  AppliedTheory  Bell Atlantic  Bellcore  British Telecom  Compaq/DEC  Deutsche Telekom  Fujitsu  GTE Internetworking  Hitachi  IXC Communications  KDD  Nexabit Networks  Nokia Research Center  Novell  NTT Multimedia  Pacific Bell  RR Donnelley  Siemens  Sprint  Sun Microsystems  Sylvan Learning  Telebeam  Teleglobe  Williams Communications  Nexabit Networks  Nokia Research Center  Novell  NTT Multimedia  Pacific Bell  RR Donnelley  Siemens  Sprint  Sun Microsystems  Sylvan Learning  Telebeam  Teleglobe  Williams Communications

Advanced Internet Benefits  Richer content through higher bandwidth Video, audio Virtual reality Dynamic not static  More interactivity via minimal delay  Reliable content delivery through quality of service model

Applications Engineering MotivateEnables Applications and Engineering

Internet2 Applications “ Enable new generation of applications”  Deliver qualitative and quantitative improvements in the conduct of: Research Teaching Learning  Require advanced networking

Many Disciplines and Contexts  Sciences  Arts  Humanities  Health care  Business/Law  Administration  …  Instruction  Collaboration  Streaming video  Distributed computation  Data mining  Virtual reality  Digital libraries  …

Virtual Laboratories  Interactive research and instruction  Real-time access to remote scientific instruments Images courtesy of the University of Michigan

Virtual Laboratories  Real-time access to remote instruments  University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center 3-D Brain Mapping

Digital Libraries  Video and audio  Indiana University Variations Project

Distributed Computation  Multi-site databases  Old Dominion University Chesapeake Bay Simulation Image courtesy of Old Dominion University

Distributed Computation  Large-scale computation  University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Image courtesy of UCAR

Teleimmersion  Shared virtual reality  University of Illinois at Chicago Virtual Temporal Bone Images courtesy Univ of Illinois- Chicago

Middleware Challenges  Identify technologies that are scalable and interoperable  Increase deployment of middleware technologies as part of a pre- commercial production environment  Examples: Distributed storage - I2DSI initiative Multicast video tools - I2DVN initiative

 It’s about end-to-end, to-the-desktop services campus infrastructure gigapop infrastructure inter-gigapop infrastructure  Establish quality of service (QoS)quality of service (QoS)  Support native multicast Engineering Objectives “Re-create leading edge R&E network capability”

I2 Interconnect Cloud GigaPoP One GigaPoP Four GigaPoP Two GigaPoP Three “Gigabit capacity point of presence” an aggregation point for regional connectivity Network Architecture

I2 Interconnect Cloud GigaPoPs, cont. GigaPoP One University A University BUniversity C Regional Network Commodity Internet Connections E.g. vBNS, Abilene

Internet2 GigaPoPs

Abilene Project  Provide advanced network testbed  Support Internet2 applications development  Demonstrate next generation operational and quality of service capabilities  Create facilities for network research

Abilene Network January 1999 Cleveland New York Atlanta Indianapolis Kansas City Houston Denver Los Angeles Sacramento Seattle Abilene Router Node Abilene Access Node Operational January 1999 Planned 1999

Abilene Characteristics  2.4 Gbps (OC48) among gigaPoPs, increasing to 9.6 Gbps (OC192)  Connections at 622 Mbps (OC12) or 155 Mbps (OC3)  IP over Sonet technology  Access PoPs very close to almost all of the anticipated university gigaPoPs

Abilene Schedule  Fall 1998: Demonstrated network at member meeting, in pre-production at several universities, connected to Chicago switch for STAR TAP, peering with vBNS  January 1999: Initial group of members in production mode  December 1999: Approximately 65 members plan to be connected

For UCAID Members  Involvement in the decisions  Responsive to continuing needs  Driven by member research  Potential for increasing connectivity for all UCAID university members wanting to participate in Research Goals.

Now I know what it is -- but why should I care? “ Transfer capability to the global production Internet”  “Coming Soon!”  Technology Transfer Regional community role Industry role

Internet2 NGI Relationship  Similar technical objectives  Focused on different, but complementary communities NGI: Federal Mission agencies UCAID/Internet2: university research and education community  Working to interconnect, make interoperable federal research networks and Abilene

Internet2 International Collaborations  Building peer to peer relationships  Looking for similar goals/objectives and similar constituencies  Mechanism: Memoranda of Understanding  Signed: CANARIE, Stichting SURF, NORDUnet  In process: TERENA, SingAREN, JAIRC, APAN and others

Trend -- Information -> Collaboration  Today’s Internet focuses on access to and delivery of information  Tomorrow’s Internet will support human collaboration in an information-rich environment  The Internet is global, and is creating a global capability to build knowledge-based communities

Implications  From casual & important uses to mission-critical uses  From delayed interaction -> immediate interaction  From regulated media -> less regulated communication  From mass media (munication?) -> personalized communication  Interactive electronic communities will proliferate and thrive

Result  The Internet and its applications will subsume other services: telephone mail television print news movie rental virtual meetings classroom-based education advertising and sales will be universally accessible

More Information  Me: Heather Boyles  Internet2