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The Abilene Project, the most advanced research and education network in the United States, began nationwide operations delivering high performance network services to 37 universities Feb. 24.
Abilene serves as a test bed for Internet applications such as distance learning, tele-medicine and digital libraries that will become commonplace in the future. Qwest Communications, Cisco, Nortel Networks and Indiana University are contributing equipment and services with an estimated value of $500 million over three years to deliver Abilene.
As an Internet2 backbone network, Abilene spans more than 10,000 miles and operates at 2.4 gigabits per second, a speed 45,000 times faster than a 56K modem. More than 70 Internet2 universities and research facilities are expected to connect to Abilene by the end of the year. The Abilene network is a project of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), home of the Internet2 project.
Abilene is comprised of best-of-breed technology and resources from its partners, including 10,000 miles of Qwest Communications' advanced fiber optic network and engineering support. In addition, Cisco has provided high-speed communications equipment that enables the integration of data, voice and video, and on-going engineering support for all 11 nodes of the Abilene network. Nortel Networks has provided network planning and engineering services, network management, and optical networking capable of a transmission rate of 10 gigabits per second.
IU runs Abilene's Network Operation Center and has provided Abilene with engineering, testing, problem determination and resolution, and asset management.
"The fact that the Abilene network is operational is of great significance for member universities whose faculty and researchers now have access to unsurpassed networking capabilities for teaching and research," said Michael McRobbie, IU vice president for information technology. "Indiana University is delighted to be a partner in Abilene and to provide the Abilene Network Operations Center which will support the research and education community's needs by providing outstanding expertise in network management for the physical and operations aspects of Abilene."
A primary goal of Abilene is to support the efforts of the Internet2 project. To enable collaboration among university and corporate Internet2 members, Abilene will also connect corporate research labs. Among the first will be IBM's research facilities in Watson, N.Y., and Almaden, Calif.
The project is related to the Clinton administration's Next Generation Internet initiative led by government research agencies:
For more information on Abilene, go to:
http://www.internet2.edu/abilene/
For more on Internet2 and the Abilene Project, go to this Home Pages' archive:
http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/HomePages/index.htm
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