Abilene: An Internet2 Backbone Network Greg Wood Director of Communications Internet2 ORAP Workshop 26 October 1999 Paris, France

Research and Development Commercialization Partnerships Privatization Internet Development Spiral Today’s Internet Internet2 Source: Ivan Moura Campos

Internet2 Goals  Enable new generation of applications  Re-create leading edge R&E network capability  Transfer technology and experience to the global production Internet

Internet2 Universities 163 Members as of September 1999

Internet2 Corporate Partners  ITC^Deltacom  Lucent Technologies  MCI Worldcom  Microsoft  Newbridge Networks  Nortel Networks  Qwest Communications  StarBurst  WCI Cable  3Com  Advanced Network & Services  Alcatel  Ameritech  AT&T  Cabletron Systems  Cisco Systems  FORE Systems  IBM

Enabling advanced applications...

Advanced Applications  Distributed computing  Collaboration  Virtual laboratories  Digital libraries  Visualization and virtual reality  All of the above in combination

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

Re-creating leading edge networking capabilities...

Applications Engineering MotivateEnables Applications and Engineering

 Deploy a production network to support applications R&D  Establish quality of service (QBone)  Support native multicast  Establish gigaPoPs as effective service points Internet2 Engineering Objectives

Internet2 Interconnect Cloud GigaPoP One “Gigabit capacity Point of Presence” an aggregation point for regional connectivity Network Architecture GigaPoP Two GigaPoP Four GigaPoP Three

Internet2 Interconnect Cloud Network Architecture University A Commercial Internet Connections GigaPoP One Regional Network University BUniversity C

GigaPoPs  Variety of services and styles Technical and organizational differences Mixture of technologies  Common approaches to: IP as common bearer service Inter-gigaPoP routing policy and design Measurement Trouble tickets among network operations centers

Internet2 GigaPoPs

The Abilene Network

Abilene Timeline  Announced: April 1998  First demonstration: September 1998  Operations officially begin: February 1999  50+ connected institutions: September 1999

Abilene Goals  Support Internet2 applications development  Demonstrate next generation networking capabilities  Create facilities for network research

Abilene Goals, continued  Support Internet2 multicast  Support Internet2 QoS architecture as it evolves  Support other advanced functionality as it evolves  Maximize robustness  Minimize latency

Abilene Project Partners  UCAID  Qwest Communications  Cisco Systems  Nortel Networks  Indiana University

Key Attributes  Benefit from Qwest OC-48 Sonet capacity and collocation sites  Benefit from Nortel OC-192 Sonet kit and Lucent fiber  Benefit from Cisco GSR series routers in support of QoS and native multicast  NOC Provided by Indiana University

Architecture  10 core nodes Each located at a Qwest PoP Each with a Cisco router Rack also contains measurements/ management computers  Interior lines connect core nodes OC-48 Sonet IP-over-Sonet interfaces  Access lines connect from core node to gigaPoP IP-over-Sonet or IP-over-ATM possible OC-3 and OC-12 typical

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 university gigaPoPs

Abilene Network 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 Participants

Abilene Weather Map

Abilene Peer Networks  APAN/Transpac  CA*net-2  DANTE  DREN  ESnet  Israel Inter- University  NORDUnet  NISN  NREN  RENATER  SingAREN  SURFnet  vBNS Soon to peer  JANET/UKERNA  CUDI  DFN  INFN

Internet2 International Activities  Ensure global interoperability of advanced networking technologies and applications  Enable collaboration between US researchers at Internet2 institutions and their non-US counterparts

Internet2 International Activities  Building peer to peer relationships  Looking for similar goals/objectives and similar constituencies  Mechanism: Memoranda of Understanding  Implementation: Peering and Connection Agreements  Collaboration: Projects and Applications

Internet2 International Partners  CANARIE (Canada)  Stichting SURF (Netherlands)  NORDUnet (Nordic countries)  TERENA (pan-European association)  UKERNA (UK)  INFN-GARR (Italy)  DFN-Verein (Germany)  GIP RENATER (France)  JAIRC (Japan)  CANARIE (Canada)  Stichting SURF (Netherlands)  NORDUnet (Nordic countries)  TERENA (pan-European association)  UKERNA (UK)  INFN-GARR (Italy)  DFN-Verein (Germany)  GIP RENATER (France)  JAIRC (Japan)  SingAREN (Singapore)  CUDI (Mexico)  APAN (Asia-Pacific region)  Israel-IUCC (Israel)  DANTE (European network)  AAIREP (Australia)  HEAnet (Ireland)  CESnet (Czech Republic)  SWITCH (Switzerland)  SingAREN (Singapore)  CUDI (Mexico)  APAN (Asia-Pacific region)  Israel-IUCC (Israel)  DANTE (European network)  AAIREP (Australia)  HEAnet (Ireland)  CESnet (Czech Republic)  SWITCH (Switzerland)

Advanced Research and Education Network Atlas (ARENA)  An on-line atlas containing descriptions and maps of research and education networks  Content will be provided by participating networks  Provides a well known URL for sometimes hard to find information  Users: Research and education network engineers and application users 

For More Information  On the Web 

TM