The Research and Education Network: Platform for Innovation

1. The Research and Education Network: Platform for Innovation Heather Boyles, heather@internet2.edu Next Generation Network Symposium Malaysia 2007-March-15

2. Outline • Internet2 Background • Internet2 New Technology Development and Deployment Experiences • Beyond the Network • Internet2 and Malaysia

3. Internet2 • Supports high-performance networking for U.S. research, universities • Develops and deploys next-generation network technology • Enables collaborations among the community that advance networking applications and protocols

4. Brief Background • US National Science Foundation NSFnet • First ‘Internet’ connectivity for many US universities • Decommissioned 1994/5 • Universities to use commercial Internet connections • NSF funds vBNS to interconnect supercomputer centers – 1995 • Outsourced to MCI • In parallel, meetings through 1995-6 resulting in Internet2

5. Why? • Commercial Internet ‘working’ but not meeting specific needs of research, teaching, learning • Focused on buildout to residences, businesses • Little control of service quality to support especially high-end needs of universities • Recognition that vBNS needed to be expanded, but community had limited control • Recreate innovation of NSFnet period

6. Internet2 - today • US-based membership organization • 207 US University members • 66 Corporate members • 47 Affiliate members • Including several US government research labs • 2 Association members • 46 International partnerships • Budget more than $25 million per year

7. Internet2 Network • Hybrid optical and IP network • Dynamic and static wavelength services • Fiber, equipment dedicated to Internet2; Level 3 maintains network and service level • Platform supports production services and experimental projects

8. Internet2 Network - Layer 1 Internet2 Network Optical Switching Node Level3 Regen Site Internet2 Redundant Drop/Add Site ESnet Drop/Add Site

9. Capabilities • Capacity and reliability to serve large scale projects – eVLBI, LHC, NEON, TeraGrid • Flexibility to support smaller projects at lower bandwidths, for variable durations • Lightpath provisioning to the campus • Ideal platform for network research

10. Control • Over years, level of control has evolved • Down the network layers • Now: control dedicated fiber pair, optical equipment • Control of services provided • IPv6, multicast • Now: new hybrid circuit + packet services • Ability to meet both goals • Meet day to day (“production”) needs of members • Provide platform for development of new services, uses, applications

11. History of IPv6 in Internet2 • Tunnel network deployed 2001 • First IPv6 tutorial at Lincoln joint-techs meeting • Migration to native, dual stack implementation at end of 2001 • Before upgrade began • Using Cisco GSR routers • Began migration of connectors • Native dual stack was default for the upgrade to Juniper T640 routers • Early testing • 8 gig tests from Sunnyvale to Washington DC • IPv4, IPv6, and mixed IPv4/IPv6 • No distinguishable difference in performance

12. Still Working Well • Our dual-stack IPv6 network continues to perform well • Active testing shows no difference between IPv4 and IPv6 performance • Changes: improving connectivity to others

13. IPv4/IPv6 Comparative Performance Graphics

14. Abilene IPv6 Growth

17. Policy: Interconnection with other networks • Peering with commercial v6 networks in order to encourage adoption, deployment • With new Internet2 network, will also now peer with IPv4 commercial networks

18. IPv6 Activities • Internet2 IPv6 Working Group • Refocusing from campus deployment effort to….. • Working with middleware and applications working groups as resource • Internet2 IPv6 Hands-on Workshops • Lesser in frequency, but still being held by request • Next one in April: Merit (Michigan state network) hosting: IPv6 Multicast Hands-on Workshop

19. Technology Development and Deployment Experience • Internet2 has provided platform for deploying native IPv6 • On large scale • In production environment • Other technologies • IP layer QoS (DiffServ) • Multicast • Dynamic circuit services

20. Applications End-to-end Performance Security Motivate Enable Middleware Services Networks Beyond the Network Infrastructure

21. Beyond the network • Common infrastructure needs above network layer to support members’ needs/use of network • Performance: measurement and monitoring infrastructure from end to end • perfSONAR infrastructure • Cross-community collaboration needs inter-institutional authentication, authorization infrastructure • InCommon federation

22. Fine Arts Rehearsal and Performance

23. Health Science Research and Instruction

24. Weather Prediction and Disaster Recovery Images courtesy of NOAA

25. Collaboration and Communication

26. MYREN and Internet2 • Memorandum of Understanding since July 2006 • Connectivity via MYREN connection to TEIN2 and onto US via NSF-funded TransPAC2 project • Platform upon which build collaborations

27. Thank You! • heather@internet2.edu