Internet2 just got 10 times faster

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Until recently, Internet2 had a theoretical limit of 10 gigabits per second, but now, by sending data using 10 different colors of light over a single cable, operators are boosting the network's capacity to 100 Gbps. "It's now possible for a single computer to have a 10 gigabit connection and we needed to have a way of making sure that those kinds of demanding applications could be served at the same time as all the normal uses," said Internet2's chief executive, Doug Van Houweling. An institution typically has one 10 Gbps connection to the 100 Gbps Internet2 backbone for normal Internet usage, along with a second 10 Gbps connection it can tap on demand for specific needs, said Van Houweling.

The new Internet2 network was largely completed in late August, and its operators this week made it possible for researchers to temporarily grab an entire 10 Gbps chunk for specific applications, so that they don't slow down normal Internet operations. The Internet2 network, run by Level 3 Communications Incorporated, parallels the regular Internet to let universities, corporations and researchers share large amounts of information in real time.

Internet2 is already planning future expansion: by adding certain equipment the network can easily boost capacity another fourfold to 400 Gbps — something likely to begin in 12 to 18 months.

News source: MSNBC

#1 Foub on 13 Oct 2007 - 22:14

Too bad this doesn't mean anything to the vast majority of us.

#2 Tantawi on 13 Oct 2007 - 22:31

wow...

#3 +RuudJacobs.NET on 13 Oct 2007 - 22:35

I'd like one of those 100 Gbit lines please... Make it two..

#4 Cansokid on 13 Oct 2007 - 22:48

sign me up........
to the gigga world

(2 replies) #5 Sranshaft on 13 Oct 2007 - 23:18

Hell...I'd be happy with a measly 10GB connection. *mumbles something about Australia being in the 18th century* While I agree with the first poster, I still think this just goes to show what can be achieved if the ISPs of the world started actually planning for future infrastructures.

#5.1 banshee on 13 Oct 2007 - 23:31

Quote - (Sranshaft said @ #5)

Aussie connections beat New Zealand's hands down. I'd be happy with your broadband to be honest.. mine is crap.

#5.2 kizzaaa on 16 Oct 2007 - 05:33

I'm in Sydney, Australia.

I pay $40 per month for 30GB on ADSL2+ where I usually get 16Mbps.

I'm quite happy with my connection

#6 tiagosilva29 on 13 Oct 2007 - 23:41

g4m3r:laaaaaaaaag

(1 reply) #7 Joseph21 on 13 Oct 2007 - 23:50

what a same here in my country cable and wireless charges for 2mpbs capped 15gb 50$... then they drop you to 512k

at 11 of each month i already passed that

#7.1 balupton on 14 Oct 2007 - 02:39

here make that 2mbps wireless with 200mb limit for 110$ a month and go over and your either on 64K or 10$ a mb or simply d/c. Australia.

(3 replies) #8 carmatic on 14 Oct 2007 - 00:45

10 different colours? like from an engineering or scientific point of view thats like 9 more things to go wrong compared to using a single colour.... or something

it'd be nice if something like that actually carried internet data instead of just academic stuff that the internet used to carry in the 70's and stuff... i can imagine their 100gbps backbone sitting idle most of the time

#8.1 plastikaa on 14 Oct 2007 - 01:27

Internet2 only has a few hundred 'members' I think, but it connects many more people and does carry internet data. We have a similar system in the UK for universities/education/research etc. called Janet, its currently a 10gbps backbone being upgraded to 40gbps. Our entire University uses it including all the 1st year halls of residence. The University is about 40,000 people I think and it can probably be expected quite a few people are using the internet at one time. Speeds like this are used.

#8.2 16535 on 14 Oct 2007 - 01:36

Quote - (plastikaa said @ #8.1)

janet is nothing like internet2, most uni connections are already more or less crippled at peak times

#8.3 Angel Blue01 on 14 Oct 2007 - 12:31

Quote - (16535 said @ #8.2)

That's certainly true, our T1 line never gets above 120 KBps during the day

(1 reply) #9 simon360 on 14 Oct 2007 - 01:23

Wow, just imagine gaming on that. Levels could be downloaded as they're needed, lag wouldn't even exist.

And my oh my, imagine the porn!

Last edited by simon360 on 14 Oct 2007 - 01:33

#9.1 Tikitiki on 14 Oct 2007 - 07:25

Seriously dude, everyone in this world would never be sad again lmao

#10 jmmycrackcorn on 14 Oct 2007 - 01:34

I wonder how much a 100 GB/s line would cost a month?

(2 replies) #11 Digix on 14 Oct 2007 - 01:50

until it can be put in residential schemes at a decent price, they can stfu about it really. considering a 1Gig backbone now will set you back between 2-7 million US i really couldn't give a crap how fast they can push network speeds till they can develop one that's useful not a proof of concept cause we obviously know it's possible but unable to be implemented so until they can i'd rather not hear about it

#11.1 HawkMan on 14 Oct 2007 - 02:42

I don't even think Internet2 is itnended for residential homes.

part of the reason for it's existence is to not replace the internet but be a separate internet mean for universities and research facilities and companiies who can afford to buy into it.

#11.2 well... on 14 Oct 2007 - 12:05

isnt that how 'internet1' got started anyway...?

(1 reply) #12 MioTheGreat on 14 Oct 2007 - 02:14

Internet2 is the organization.

I assume you mean the Abilene network?

#12.1 EduardValencia on 14 Oct 2007 - 04:49

Abilene is a backbone ,internet2 is an organization founded by universities and technological companies in the world,like cisco systems and intel corporation,to name a few

(2 replies) #13 Andre on 14 Oct 2007 - 03:38

Sorta useless since no HDD can process that much that fast.

#13.1 carmatic on 14 Oct 2007 - 16:36

ohh, one single HD of course not... but what about a computer with a bunch of hard disks all downloading different things at once? or lots and lots of computers all maxing out their NIC's speed in a network? in fact, how about lots and lots of seperate networks going as fast as their link to the backbone would allow, since thats what it is - a backbone...

#13.2 jmmycrackcorn on 15 Oct 2007 - 00:29

The top five fastest HDD bus technologies are:

Serial Attached SCSI 2 (Not yet implemented) 6000 Mbit/s
Ultra-640 SCSI (16 bits/160 MHz DDR) (Not yet implemented) 5120 Mbit/s
SATA III (SATA-600) (Not yet implemented) 4800 Mbit/s
Fibre Channel 4GFC (4.25 GHz) 3400 Mbit/s
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 3000 Mbit/s

Thus, if you could make a

(pick one)
17-disk RAID 0 SAS2 array
20-disk RAID 0 Ultra-640 SCSI array
21-disk RAID 0 SATA III array
30-disk RAID 0 4GFC array
34-disk RAID 0 SAS array
(double that if you want RAID 10 or RAID 01)

then your Hard Drives could use all that 100 Gb/s bandwidth on the one computer.

But, let's say you're running 10 computers on a 10-port LAN that has an Internet2-100Gb/s connection on the WAN side.
Well then, that's a different story, isn't it?
In that case, if you have a

(pick one)
2-disk RAID 0 SAS2 array
2-disk RAID 0 Ultra-640 SCSI array
3-disk RAID 0 SATA III array
3-disk RAID 0 4GFC array
4-disk RAID 0 SAS array
(double that for RAID 10 or RAID 01).

on all ten machines, then you're golden. Each machine's HDD array can use 10 Gb/s. Since there's 10 of them and 10x10=100, your LAN is capable of sucking down 100Gb/s (on the whole). Put those 10 PCs into a distributed computing platform, and you just made one heck of a fast supercomputing cluster.

Still, if you've already got a supercomputer with 100's of gigabytes of RAM in it, the bus speed of your hard drives is hardly a limiting factor. I suppose that's why only those places that have supercomputers can justify hocking up to the Internet2 backbones, eh?

#14 EduardValencia on 14 Oct 2007 - 04:46

I've been following this pryect for the last 2 years,it's very promising,take a look.............. Internet2,this speed will change the internet forever.

(2 replies) #15 vipwoody on 14 Oct 2007 - 13:16

You are currently using 2573 MB (83%) of your 3078 MB.

#15.1 carmatic on 14 Oct 2007 - 16:33

Quote - (vipwoody said @ #15)

huh? did you mean to reply to http://www.neowin.net/news/main/07/10/13/g...t#comment585896 instead?

#15.2 XeonBuilder on 14 Oct 2007 - 17:35

LOLOLOL!!

At least I got chicken!!

#16 Jugalator on 14 Oct 2007 - 13:57

Good to hear, just 10 Gigabits really sucks.

#17 black_death on 14 Oct 2007 - 22:34

Downloading nothing at 10 Gigabits was really lame, but downloading nothing at 100 Gigabits is so much better!

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