Internet2 Unveils Plans for an Improved Version of Its Academic High-Speed Network

By VINCENT KIERNAN

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Internet2 unveils plans for an improved version of its academic high-speed network

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Leaders of the Internet2 academic-computing consortium unveiled plans on Tuesday for a new national academic fiber-optic network that would become operational in about 18 months.

The new network would replace Internet2's Abilene high-speed network, upon which many colleges depend for both research and day-to-day networking needs. And it would provide researchers with massive amounts of extra bandwidth at a moment's notice.

Douglas E. Van Houweling, president of Internet2, said in a talk during the organization's spring meeting here that the new network initially would carry data on 10 different wavelengths of light, each of which could handle 10 gigabits of data per second -- or the total capacity of Abilene -- at a time.

He provided few details because Internet2 has not yet completed its contract with the telecommunications company that will provide the network. For example, Mr. Van Houweling did not identify the company, and he said only that the cost would be "comparable" to Abilene's.

The network's layout is also still being discussed. Mr. Van Houweling said the layout would be determined after a workshop in June to discuss the matter.

Internet2's decision to proceed with the new network, now called by the working name "Newnet," is the latest consequence of the collapse of merger discussions between Internet2 and National LambdaRail, which already owns and operates a national fiber-optic network for colleges. LambdaRail called off the talks earlier this month (The Chronicle, April 28).

In comments on Tuesday at the Internet2 conference, Mr. Van Houweling and Larry R. Faulkner, chairman of Internet2's Board of Trustees, both indicated that there was little chance of the negotiations resuming. "At this moment, there is no mechanism for moving the discussion forward," Mr. Faulkner said.

"The time has come for us to move forward," said Mr. Van Houweling.

Mr. Faulkner indicated that officials at National LambdaRail had opposed Internet2's plans to select a company to provide Newnet, apparently out of concern that the choice was at odds with using National LambdaRail as a successor to Abilene.

He contended, however, that the agreement with the company would not have tied the hands of a merged networking organization.

"The agreement is a sheer positive and could not be reasonably considered otherwise," he said.

Still, both Mr. Faulkner and Mr. Van Houweling said that academe would benefit if a single organization were to provide high-speed networking to colleges. Mr. Faulkner called upon university presidents to use "presidential power to forge a consensus with consequences."

Thomas W. West, president of National LambdaRail, was at the conference but declined to comment on the Internet2 officials' remarks.

LambdaRail owns the fiber optics in its network. Officials of that group have said that owning the network frees academe from dependence on industry and conveys great freedom to operate the network in whatever way researchers need.

By contrast, Internet2 would not own the fiber-optic links in Newnet. However, Mr. Van Houweling said that the consortium's contract with the telecommunications company would give Internet2 the right to "operational control" of the network. That arrangement would make sure that the network was run in researchers' interest while freeing Internet2 from tending to more-mundane matters such as repairs of broken fiber cables.

"It allows us to focus on the trains rather than the track units," Mr. Van Houweling said.

Steve Cotter, director of network services for Internet2, said in an interview that the new network would take nine months to a year to build. That timeline would allow six months for testing and adjustment before Abilene shuts down in October 2007.

Institutions connected to the new network would have access to one light wavelength that, like Abilene, would carry conventional Internet traffic, he said. Each institution also would have access to a second wavelength that could be used however the institution desired, or even subdivided for multiple uses, he said.

The goal, Mr. Cotter said, is to develop a Web-based system that scientists could use to order extra fiber-optic capacity as needed for their research. The system would find unused capacity in Newnet and assign it to the researcher within moments, he said. By contrast, requesting extra fiber-optic capacity from a telecommunications company often requires three months' lead time, he said.

• Merger of High-Speed Networks Is on Hold as 2 Consortia Break Off Talks (4/19/2006)

• National LambdaRail Is Complete; Others Are Now Seeking to Join the Fiber-Optic Network (2/22/2006)

• Ruckus Teams With Internet2 to Distribute Files for Academic Use (2/17/2006)

• Internet2 Signs Up 2 Surprise New Members: the Trade Associations of the Music and Movie Industries (9/12/2005)

• Internet2 and LambdaRail, 2 Leading Groups in High-Speed Academic Networks, Discuss Merging (7/6/2005)