NCSA NEWS

Abilene Deploys Next Generation of Internet Protocols

released May 23, 2000

Abilene, the nationwide Internet2^TM backbone network, recently deployed IPv6, the next-generation version of protocols that form the basis of the Internet.

Implementing IPv6 in a large-scale testbed network such as Abilene will allow exploration of the operational barriers hampering IPv6's widespread deployment on the commercial Internet. As hundreds of millions of people are poised to connect to the Internet, IPv6's ability to link many more devices—and an ever increasing number of mobile devices—is becoming increasingly important. Commercial deployment of IPv6 has been slow, and most of today's Internet still uses IPv4.

"Deploying IPv6 in Abilene lays the groundwork for exploring the capabilities of the IPv6 protocol suite among the over 150 universities using the Internet2 infrastructure," said Guy Almes, chief engineer for Internet2. "This will serve as a laboratory environment for IPv6 experts within our community and will also enable a steadily growing community of users eager to exploit IPv6 as a solid foundation for new applications."

3Com and Cisco Systems, both Internet2 corporate partners, have provided additional network infrastructure for Abilene's IPv6 deployment, and Indiana University is extending its network operations center activities to support the new service. The Great Plains Network, which serves Internet2 members in Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, is the first Internet2 gigaPoP site to take advantage of Abilene's IPv6 service.

Abilene has established four core IPv6 nodes and maintains peer networks with several other research and education networks using IPv6, including the Department of Energy's ESnet and Canada's CA*net3 networks.

For more information on Abilene see http://www.ucaid.edu/abilene/. For more information on Internet2 see http://www.internet2.edu/.

 

More News Briefs