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speeds—welcome to Internet2
Data at dizzying speeds—welcome to
Internet2
Get ready for the second coming of the Internet that’ll not
only let you connect faster but also bring streaming audio and video
Monday, December 03, 2001
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Recently, we had a meeting with our CMD—he was in Delhi while he
addressed a group of 60 of us in Bangalore. It was via a speaker
phone. Not very high-tech, considering that many companies already
make use of video conferencing facilities. Now imagine this: a
speaker addresses a group that’s on the other side of the globe, and
the audience sees his image in 3D right in front of them. Remember
Star Wars, or Star Trek? No eerie music or sirens to go with this
one, though. Here’s the deal—this isn’t sci-fi anymore, nor is it
far in the future. It’s already happened. In October this year,
Governor Rick Perry addressed the University of Texas at Dallas,
sitting far away in his Austin office, with this technique called
teleportation. This was done by creating the illusion of a 3D
hologram. This made use of the Internet2—a lightning fast network
connecting universities and corporations. Sure, this is possible
even on ISDN as of now. But what’s significant here is that this new
connection of high-speed networks opens up a range of revolutionary
Internet applications such as digital libraries, virtual
laboratories, distance-independent learning and tele-immersion.
Manipulating at nano-level—virtually
Scanning-probe microscopes (SPMs) are used for
investigation and manipulation of surfaces right down to
the atomic scale. The nanoManipulator (nM) system
developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, gives a natural interface to work with remote
SPMs. The nM ties up the microscope to a virtual-reality
interface that gives the scientist virtual telepresence
on the surface being examined. This surface is scaled by
a factor of about a million to one. This tool has led to
new results in the study of biology, materials science,
carbon nanotubes, and electrical engineering. The nM is
also being used by Garrett Matthews, a graduate student
in physics, to examine and manipulate Adeno virus
particles. Adeno virus particles are used as vectors in
gene therapy. They travel into cells and then release
the genetic material contained in their hollow
core. (Courtesy: http://www.cs.unc.edu/)
Virtual Harlem
This is a learning network
that lets students learn about the Harlem Renaissance through the
construction and use of scenarios developed in virtual
reality. This was originally developed by University of
Missouri and Columbia to supplement African American
literature courses at Central Missouri State
University.Students can step through a virtual ‘portal’ to
the 1925–1935 period to navigate city streets, interact
with key figures, and listen to the music of the bygone
era.
What is Internet2?
Internet2 is a not-for-profit consortium of over 180 US
universities. They are jointly developing and deploying advanced
network applications that will then be quickly ported to the current
Internet. Over 60 leading companies are also involved in this work.
As of now, universities are using the applications they have
developed in many ways—see box.
Highlights of Internet2
High-speed network backbones: The high-performance networks
provide the environment in which new applications and capabilities
can be deployed and tested. Among them is Abilene that has
connections as fast as 2.5 gigabits per second—a data rate 45,000
times faster than a 56 kbps modem.
Collaborations with companies and government: Internet2 isn’t
just limited to interactions between universities, but also
companies like Microsoft, IBM, AT&T, Apple, Cisco and many
others. The US government has its own initiative called the Next
Generation Internet Initiative. Internet2 is also collaborating with
this.
Testing of new technologies: There’re many working groups
dedicated to developing and testing technologies for tomorrow’s
commercial Internet. These include groups working on quality of
service for networks, new protocols like IPv6, and more.
