|
Internet2
What is Internet2?
Internet2 is a consortium of 230-plus
universities that are working in partnership with industry and government to
accelerate the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Advanced networks will support
applications - such as tele-immersion, digital libraries, and virtual laboratories
- that will enable new levels of collaboration and information-sharing not possible
with today's Internet.
Internet2 is a project of the University
Consortium for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID). UCAID is a research alliance,
of which Harvard University is a founding member, and has fostered such networking
initiatives as, Internet2, Abilene,
and The Northern Crossroads. Currently, Harvard's
Network Operations Center is the Network Operations Center for the Northern
Crossroads, an Internet2 gigaPOP and New England Regional Aggregation Point.
Collaborative efforts by research universities, the private sector, state and
federal governments have researched, planned, and built an extension of internet
communications which will be publicly accessible in the future. Much of Internet2
is focused on providing support for advanced applications which can take advantage
of the very reliable, high-speed connectivity among participating Internet 2
institutions. Most of these applications could not exist without the performance
of Internet 2.
Harvard's involvement/Recent developments
Harvard, as a charter member of the Internet2 consortium has been actively
involved in related initiatives. For example, staff members from University
Information Systems (UIS) helped plan, design, and implement the The
Northern Crossroads (NoX) gigaPoP. Located in downtown Boston, the gigaPoP
allows member organizations in New England to aggregate their traffic and share
the connection to the Abilene Advanced
Network without traversing the public Internet. The result is dramatically improved
network performance for participants, both regionally and nationally.
V2D (Voice, Video, and Data) Applications
Harvard applications now utilizing Internet2 and The Northern Crossroads include
distance learning, video streaming, voice over IP, and the transfer of large
research data files. For more examples of applications see www.internet2.harvard.edu
or www.internet2.edu.
For Additional Information:
Leo Donnelly
|
