Abilene: An Internet2 Backbone Network

1
Abilene An Internet2 Backbone Network

• Greg Wood
• Director of CommunicationsInternet2
• ORAP Workshop
• 26 October 1999
• Paris, France

2
Internet Development Spiral
Commercialization
Privatization
Todays Internet
Internet2
Research and
Development
Partnerships
Source Ivan Moura Campos
3
Internet2 Goals

• Enable new generation of applications
• Re-create leading edge RE network capability
• Transfer technology and experience to the global
  production Internet

4
Internet2 Universities163 Members as of
September 1999
5
Internet2 Corporate Partners

• ITCDeltacom
• Lucent Technologies
• MCI Worldcom
• Microsoft
• Newbridge Networks
• Nortel Networks
• Qwest Communications
• StarBurst
• WCI Cable

• 3Com
• Advanced Network Services
• Alcatel
• Ameritech
• ATT
• Cabletron Systems
• Cisco Systems
• FORE Systems
• IBM

6
Enabling advanced applications...
7
Advanced Applications

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

8
Many Disciplines and Contexts

• Sciences
• Arts
• Humanities
• Health care
• Business/Law
• Administration

• Instruction
• Collaboration
• Streaming video
• Distributed computation
• Data mining
• Virtual reality
• Digital libraries

9
Re-creating leading edge networking
capabilities...
10
Applications and Engineering
Applications
Motivate
Enables
Engineering
11
Internet2 Engineering Objectives

• Deploy a production network to support
  applications RD
• Establish quality of service (QBone)
• Support native multicast
• Establish gigaPoPs as effective service points

12
Network Architecture
GigaPoP One
GigaPoP Two
GigaPoP Four
GigaPoP Three
Gigabit capacity Point of Presence
an aggregation point for regional connectivity
13
Network Architecture
University A
GigaPoP One
Commercial Internet Connections
Regional Network
University B
University C
14
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

15
Internet2 GigaPoPs
16
The Abilene Network
17
Abilene Timeline

• Announced April 1998
• First demonstration September 1998
• Operations officially begin February 1999
• 50 connected institutions September 1999

18
Abilene Goals

• Support Internet2 applications development
• Demonstrate next generation networking
  capabilities
• Create facilities for network research

19
Abilene Goals, continued

• Support Internet2 multicast
• Support Internet2 QoS architecture as it evolves
• Support other advanced functionality as it
  evolves
• Maximize robustness
• Minimize latency

20
Abilene Project Partners

• UCAID
• Qwest Communications
• Cisco Systems
• Nortel Networks
• Indiana University

21
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 12000 series routers in
  support of QoS and native multicast
• NOC Provided by Indiana University

22
Architecture

• 10 core nodes
• Each located at a Qwest PoP
• Each with a Cisco 12008 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

23
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

24
Abilene Network
Seattle
Cleveland
New York
Sacramento
Denver
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Abilene Router Node
Houston
Abilene Access Node
Operational January 1999
Planned 1999
25
Abilene Participants
26
Abilene Weather Maphttp//www.abilene.iu.edu/
27
(No Transcript)
28
Abilene Peer Networks

• APAN/Transpac
• CAnet-2
• DANTE
• DREN
• ESnet
• Israel Inter-University
• NORDUnet
• NISN
• NREN 

• RENATER
• SingAREN
• SURFnet
• vBNS
• Soon to peer
• JANET/UKERNA
• CUDI
• DFN
• INFN

29
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

30
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

31
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)

• SingAREN (Singapore)
• CUDI (Mexico)
• APAN (Asia-Pacific region)
• Israel-IUCC (Israel)
• DANTE (European network)
• AAIREP (Australia)
• HEAnet (Ireland)
• CESnet (Czech Republic)
• SWITCH (Switzerland)

32
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
• http//www.internet2.edu/arena/

33
For More Information

• On the Web
• www.internet2.edu/abilene/
• www.abilene.iu.edu
• www.internet2.edu
• Email
• ghwood_at_internet2.edu
• info_at_internet2.edu

34
www.internet2.edu
TM