Streaming's Second Coming
A conversation with Internet2's Ted Hanss
It was years ago that we first heard of Internet2, the next-generation network being developed by academics separately from the public Internet, which could move IP traffic at blinding speeds. Since then, many of the commercial Internet's promises have remained unrealized. Web Techniques caught up with Internet2's director of advanced applications, Ted Hanss, to find out what progress the new network has made in solving the problems of the old.
Web Techniques: How did Internet2 come about?
TH: In 1995, the National Science Foundation stopped supporting NSFnet, which had been the backbone for education for the previous several years. The commercial Internet was focused primarily on consumer, commodity services. So in October 1996, a group of 34 schools committed to recreating a leading edge infrastructure for exploring advanced applications for research and education. The Internet2 effort is now a not-for-profit organization with more than 300 members. Its efforts include a national OC-48 (2.4 Gbps) network, meetings and workshops, and many working groups covering applications, middleware, and network services.
WT: Why call it Internet2 if usage is limited to educational institutions? What makes this different from other private networks that various companies have come up with?
TH: Internet2 is specifically designed as an environment for exploring the future of Internet applications, services, and transport technologies. Through our corporate partners we pass on the innovations that are uncovered in Internet2 activities to the broader Internet.
