News for and about the Internet2 community

[Elizabeth Boten <>]

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Liz Boten,

 

Internet2 Network Carries Record High Traffic in April

Milestone represents significant achievement by Research and Higher Education Community

 

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2016-- Today, Internet2, operator of the nation’s largest and fastest, coast-to-coast R&E infrastructure, announced that it carried 100 petabytes of data across its backbone in April, up almost 50 percent since last year. The record high traffic is due to an uptick in traffic from rapidly expanding collaborations among researchers and educators around the globe who use Internet2 to accelerate their work. Growth in genomics, physics and other big-data applications, as well as the increase use of video on campuses and the continued adoption of 100G and cloud services across campuses have all contributed. Since February, 2008, traffic carried on the Internet2 backbone has increased 2,500%.

 

Built by and for the research and education community, the Internet2 Network offers 17.6 Terabits of optical capacity and 100 gigabit Ethernet technology across its entire footprint.

 

In 1996, 34 university leaders gathered at the Chicago O'Hare Hilton and committed to establishing a project to foster the development of networking capabilities that would not only advance research and education, but also eventually make their way into the global commercial Internet. A few years later, the Internet2 Abilene Network (since rennamed) was announced at the White House with Vice President Al Gore and Vint Cerf. Indiana University provided the Abilene Network Operations Center (NOC) and contributed heavily to its initial engineering and deployment. Today, Internet2 and Indiana University continue to operate the world’s most advanced R&E Infrastructure: the Internet2 Network together.

 

Since it's creation, the Internet2 network has been leveraged by researchers, scientists, and faculty at higher institutions to further their missions. Last year, researchers and technologists at Clemson University (CU) in South Carolina and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in Maryland teamed up to optimize the transfer of genomics data between two endpoints connected by the new Internet2 Advanced Layer 2 Service (AL2S). In 2013, The University of Missouri (MU) and The Ohio State University (OSU) created an innovative research environment to support campus scientists who are collaborating to better detect, diagnose and treat autism with brain-imaging innovations, and enable new capabilities for real-time sensor-based elderly care. 

 

The Internet2 network enables partners like the National Park Services to stream compelling, one-of-a-kind events to students around the country. It is also leveraged by other government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, who recently deployed the Internet 2 network to deal with a massive explosion of data over the last decade.

 

Since its development, the Internet2 organization has supported the evolution of other valuable R&E technologies, such as the InCommon Federation, which provides a common framework for trusted shared management of access to on-line resources, as well as Internet2 NET+, which accelerates and safeguards institutions transitioning to the cloud.

 

The infrastructure has expanded to support R&E's evolving global ecosystem, as campuses require advanced and seamless networking capabilities to collaborate internationally. The network supports 42 Internet2 Research and Education Network Members, regional and state networks that, play a critical role in the future of the national advanced research and education network infrastructure by providing local leadership on advanced broadband and by connecting local research, education and government entities to the global R&E network.

 

"The community depends on the Internet2 network day-in and day-out--and we partner with higher education and industry members, and regional networks to ensure researchers, scientists, professors, and others have advanced infrastructure available to accelerate their extraordinary mission work," said Robert Vietzke, Internet2 vice president of network services. "It is a priority to continue the network's tradition of operational excellence, employ top-notch technical staff, and ensure that the community has a seamless, groundbreaking infrastructure in place to propel scientific advancements and discovery."

 

This week, the Internet2 community will convene in Chicago to celebrate 20 years of rich history and a bright future, and to honor those who have played a role in advanced networking. The program will feature community members who helped bring the Internet2 network to life and who continue to drive the future of R&E.  

 

Discussions at the 2016 Global Summit will begin the process of gathering requirements for development and operation of the 5th generation Internet2 network, that will begin deployment in 2018. Sessions at the Global Summit will also ask Internet2 members to contribute their best ideas about the technical, operating and service requirements that future Internet2 infrastructure should anticipate supporting, as Internet2 prepares to enter the third decade of advanced networking for research and education.

 

About Internet2

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Internet2 is a member-owned advanced technology community founded by the nation’s leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 provides a collaborative environment for U.S. research and education organizations to solve common technology challenges, and to develop innovative solutions in support of their educational, research and community service missions.
 
Internet2 also operates the nation’s largest and fastest, coast-to-coast research and education network, with Internet2 Network Operations Center powered by Indiana University. Internet2 serves more than 90,000 community anchor institutions, 305 U.S. universities, 70 government agencies, 42 regional and state education networks, 84 leading corporations working with our community and more than 65 national research and education networking partners representing more than 100 countries.

 

Internet2 offices are located in Ann Arbor, MI; Denver, CO; Emeryville, CA; Washington, DC; and West Hartford, CT. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu or follow@Internet2 on Twitter.