Internet2, ESnet, Infinera, Juniper Networks and Level 3 Communications have agreed to work together to develop and test emerging 100GbE technologies. The initiative will build on fresh-from-the-laboratory technologies to create a 100GbE testbed on the Internet2 and ESnet networks with an operational network capability soon thereafter.
This joint development effort brings together the technical leadership of Level 3 Communications, Infinera, and Juniper Networks, as well as ESnet and Internet2's experience supporting research communities with the most demanding networking requirements. The initiative highlights the leadership of these organizations in ensuring the research and education community has the networking capacity and speed they need to drive advancements in fields such as high-energy physics, telemedicine and climate research.
'Today, researchers have shifted from working in local laboratories to collaborating on a global scale. Massive data streams generated by this new environment are driving exponential growth in the networking needs of our community that could require 100 GbE services by as early as 2010,' said Rob Vietzke, Internet2 executive director of network services. 'Together with our collaborators we are working to make 100GbE a reality so researchers will never be bound by their geographic location or bandwidth requirements.'
'Scientific discovery today is highly dependent upon the ease of access to data. Current usage trends in areas like high-energy physics and climate change research indicate that researchers will soon begin to saturate the dedicated 10 Gigabit per second links deployed today. This important effort ensures our scientists will have the most advanced network capabilities in the next few years to make new breakthroughs that were previously unimaginable,' said Steve Cotter, head of ESnet.
Jack Waters, chief technology officer of Level 3, added: 'The research and education community continues to push the boundaries of networking. We are pleased to be supporting this exciting project, which leads the industry in 100GbE technology development. Level 3's continued commitment to network investment provides a highly reliable and scalable infrastructure, which will be integral in testing and developing a viable 100GbE services platform.'
The development of standards for 100 GbE is a key part of the process to support widespread cost-effective deployment of 100GbE technology. The IEEE is currently targeting mid-2010 for industry agreement on a 100GbE standard. The parties will support the effort to create a standard and look forward to implementing that standard.
