What is Internet2?
Internet2 is a collaborative effort by over 200 U.S.
universities to develop advanced Internet technology and applications vital to
the research and education missions of higher education. Internet2 is a project
of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) and is
working with industry and the federal government.
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How will Internet2 benefit
current Internet users?
The investments by universities in Internet2, coupled
with the efforts of industry and government, are helping to develop
technologies such as IPv6, multicasting, and Quality-of-Service that will
enable a new generation of Internet applications, benefiting all sectors of
society. In addition, applications that cannot run over the commercial
Internet, due to Internet Service Provider oversubscription ratios, and lack of
available bandwidth, are possible on Internet2. Internet2 encourages and
supports applications development in all disciplines from the sciences through
arts and humanities. Whether you're in the classroom, the laboratory, the
library, or the dorm, you should be able to access Internet applications that
provide benefit.
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Will Internet2 replace the
current commercial Internet? How is the commercial sector involved with
Internet2?
Internet2 will not replace the Internet. Rather, its goal
is to develop technology that will enhance the current Internet. Universities
maintain, and continue to experience substantial growth in use of, existing
Internet connections, which they still obtain from commercial providers.
The commercial sector is a full partner in this project, and will benefit from
applications and technology developed by Internet2 members. Just as the World
Wide Web is the legacy of earlier investments in academic and federal research
networks, the legacy of Internet2 will be technology adopted not only by
universities, by also by the commercial sector.
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What are some of Internet2's
longer range goals?
A key goal of this effort is to accelerate the technology
transfer necessary to move the appropriate technologies into the commercial
sector -- thus creating the basis of a next generation network that will
continue United States' leadership in this important area. Internet2 will also
share its discoveries with others in the educational community -- K-12,
libraries and other institutions. Internet2 is developing structures to share
its experience and expertise with others in the education community and beyond.
This is the approach that characterized the first Internet and it can work
again today.
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Who else is on
Internet2?
Internet2 participation is open to any university that
commits to providing on-campus facilities that will allow advanced applications
development on its campus. UCAID, the University Corporation for Advanced
Internet Development, opened the doors to Internet2 resources for thousands of
colleges and universities, K12 districts, Community Colleges, Libraries,
Museums, and Zoos by the creation of a new membership category known as the
Sponsored Educational Group Participation, commonly referred to as a SEGP. Over
30 states, including Pennsylvania, have this SEGP designation. See
http://k20.internet2.edu/segp/background.html for more
information.
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Do other countries have
connectivity to Internet2?
Internet2 is interconnected to over 45 similar research
and education networks across the globe. To see a list of these international
partners, visit
http://international.internet2.edu/partners/.
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How will students, faculty and
staff benefit from Internet2?
Internet2 provides an environment where students and
faculty from many colleges and universities can interact over a high
performance network. Your campus will notice improvements on the campus
backbone, and in network performance between your campus and another
institution.
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How can I collaborate with
others through Internet2?
Internet2 provides the communication pathway for
educators and researchers to collaborate on new technologies, applications, and
development of best practices. See
http://apps.internet2.edu/showcase-archive.html for
examples of such collaboration. Members and participants work together in
application areas ranging from health sciences to fine arts. Videoconferencing
(including international connections) over Internet2 is an extremely popular
use of the high-performance network. For more information, visit
http://www.internet2.edu/info/. MAGPI, the Mid-Atlantic
GigaPoP in Philadelphia for Internet2, facilitates collaboration between its
Internet2 members as well.
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What is MAGPI?
MAGPI is the Mid-Atlantic GigaPoP in Philadelphia for
Internet2, one of two Internet 2 GigaPoPs in Pennsylvania. It is a division of
the University of Pennsylvania, and provides connectivity to the 10 Gigabit
Internet2 backbone, called the Abilene network, in three states (PA, NJ, and
DE). MAGPI is making Internet2 accessible in Northeastern PA through an
agreement with the University of Scranton. MAGPI employs full-time applications
coordinators who facilitate research and education collaborations among MAGPI
members. For more information, visit
http://www.magpi.net.
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What is the planned deployment
for Internet2 in Northeastern PA?
Pennsylvania has been awarded SEGP (Sponsored Educational
Group Participant) status for Internet2. Therefore, any non-profit educational
institution as well as K-12 educational organizations can become connected to
Internet2. The model in Pennsylvania is to have a series of Internet2
aggregation points throughout the Commonwealth, to connect subscribers to the
GigaPoPs in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Northeastern Pennsylvania's
aggregation point, connected to the Mid-Atlantic GigaPop in Philadelphia for
Internet2 (MAGPI), is The University of Scranton. Institutions in NEPA who want
Internet2 connectivity can connect to The University of Scranton, through a
dedicated fiber connection, and subscribe to Internet2 through MAGPI.
For more information, contact Ms. Connie Wisdo,
Director of Technology Development and Innovation,
University of Scranton, at (570) 941-4123.
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