Penn State is now connected to the super-fast Internet2 computer network known as Abilene - the most advanced research and education network in the United States today. The new connection, completed via the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center, is expected to advance information technology developments at the University, as well as provide long-term support for Internet2 efforts already underway - including distance learning, "tele-collaboration," and digital library services.
The Abilene network was developed by the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) in partnership with Qwest, Cisco, and Nortel to provide a high-power, second generation alternative to the current Internet that would meet university research needs. As an Internet2 backbone network, Abilene spans over 10,000 miles and operates at the impressive speed of 2.4 gigabits per second (around 45,000 times faster than the typical modem.)
J. Gary Augustson, Vice Provost for Information Technology and one of the founders of UCAID, explained that it's essential today that students, faculty, and staff have a long-term Internet2 infrastructure to address cross-country connectivity.
"Penn State derived its initial Internet2 connectivity from a network known as vBNS (very high performance Backbone Network Service), but since vBNS is only a 5-year project (ending in April 2000), the University needed a long-term solution to meet its Internet2 computing needs. Abilene represents that solution," Augustson said.
Like vBNS, Abilene's larger bandwidth (pipe size) will make it possible for scholars to send large volumes of data such as full-motion video and 3D simulations across distances to one another. By using Internet2-adapted software, these individuals will then be able to simultaneously share, manipulate, and make changes to the computer simulations from remote locations. In addition, since Abilene is a testbed for Internet2 research and is currently being used by ninety-six universities throughout the country, it will enable Penn State faculty, staff, and students to participate in new technologies that will be available on this network first.
"Networks like Abilene enable fundamental changes in how students and faculty can approach their work," commented Kevin Morooney, director of Graduate Education and Research Services in the Center for Academic Computing. "By enabling many minds to work on problems at once, the technology can increase the intellectual capital focused on a problem by orders of magnitude. When you take the limitations of lower bandwidth networking away, the result is effective collaboration and unbridled innovation."
Creative ability may be the only limitation to the educational uses of Internet2. Morooney envisions there may soon be a day when a renowned musician like Yo-Yo Ma will be able to give interactive lessons to students all over the world from the comfort of his latest tour stop; or when scientists from different countries will collaboratively operate telescopes and other scientific instruments together, and groups of highly specialized surgeons perform surgery from separate hospital locations.
Though it will take time for these possibilities to become realities, Penn State's use of the Internet2 backbone (originally just the vBNS, but now both the vBNS and Abilene) is growing steadily. In less than six months, peak usage at the University more than doubled (from roughly 14Mbps in July 1999 to over 36Mbps in November 1999). It is expected that Internet2 backbone usage will continue to grow at this dramatic pace as new applications that can only run over Internet2, such as quality video, move from testing environments into the production stage.
The scope of Internet2 research projects is also expanding. In recent years, faculty, staff, and students have used the service for a variety of purposes, for example:
As progress is being made, a great deal of work still remains to be done to develop the tools necessary for universities to make full use of Internet2, according to Augustson, and, in this regard, he believes the high speed network is both an "evolutionary" and "revolutionary" concept. "Though the capabilities of Internet2 are eye-popping," Augustson said, "it is the imaginations of individuals that will ultimately define what this service will bring to the world. When you combine such a technology opportunity with talented, aggressive faculty, fundamental shifts in teaching and research are bound to unfold."