Lecture
Internet2 is a nonprofit consortium of 500 American universities and corporations that develops advanced network applications and technologies in order to accelerate the emergence of the "Internet of the future." The consortium actively collaborates with government organizations and leading private companies in the computer industry. The consortium also maintains its own experimental high-speed network, Abilene (the Abilene Network). When people say "Internet2," they often mean the Abilene network itself, rather than the consortium.
The distinguishing features of "Internet2" are the use of the IPv6 data transfer protocol and multicast facilities (broadcast transmission of data to multiple subscribers simultaneously), support for QoS (means of ensuring priority quality in the transmission of video and voice information), as well as the use of high-speed 10, and later 100, Gbit/s backbone channels.
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The Abilene Network is an experimental high-speed computer network in the USA, created by the nonprofit Internet2 consortium. The network unites more than 230 American universities, research centers, and other institutions. The network is funded by contributions from its members.
The network was created in 1999, when the Abilene network's backbone channel had a bandwidth of 2.5 Gbit/s. The network was intended for research in the field of advanced networking technologies and programs. In 2003, the network began transitioning to a 10 Gbit/s backbone, which was completed on February 4, 2004.
The name "Abilene" comes from the railroad line built in the 1860s near the town of Abilene in the state of Kansas. For its time, it was an incredibly ambitious project that "pushed the boundaries of inhabited America."
The main feature of the Abilene network today is its high data transfer speed. Initially, the speed was 2.5 Gbit/s. In 2003, a transition to the OC-192c standard with a nominal speed of 10 Gbit/s began. The transition was completed on February 4, 2004; the actual speed today is around 6-8 Gbit/s. The signal in the network travels mainly over optical channels. Data packet routing is performed by special high-performance routers.
The network is currently jointly maintained by the Internet2 consortium, Indiana University, as well as the companies "Qwest Communications," "Nortel," and "Juniper Networks."
Virtual laboratories and electronic libraries are being created on the network, and distance learning is conducted. The network can serve as a backbone for other networks.
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