What is Internet2?
Internet2 is an advanced networking consortium led
by the research and education community. An exceptional partnership
spanning U.S. and international institutions who are leaders in the
worlds of research, academia, industry and government, the Internet2
community is developing breakthrough network technologies that support
the most exacting applications of today—and spark the most essential
innovations of tomorrow.
Led by its members and focused on their current and
future networking needs since 1996, Internet2 blends its unsurpassed
human, IP and optical networks to develop and deploy revolutionary
Internet technologies. Activating the same partnerships that produced
today's Internet, our community is forging the Internet of the future.
To learn more, see our Information Kit, or read About Internet2
(PDF) for a quick overview.
Is Internet2 a separate network? Will Internet2 replace
the current commercial Internet?
Internet2 is not a separate physical network and will not
replace the Internet. Internet2 brings together institutions
and resources from academia, industry and government to develop
new technologies and capabilities that can then be deployed
over the global Internet. Close collaboration with Internet2
industry members ensures that new applications and technologies
are rapidly deployed to the public. Just as email
and the World Wide Web are legacies of earlier investments
in academic and federal research networks, the legacy of Internet2
will be to expand the possibilities of the broader Internet into the future.
How will Internet2 benefit current Internet users?
Internet2 and its members develop and test new
application technologies such as IPv6, multicasting
and telepresence, and network management and measurement technologies
that enable revolutionary Internet applications.
New applications require a level of network
performance not possible
over today's consumer-grade Internet. Much more than
faster Web browsing or email,
new capabilities developed and deployed by the
Internet2 community enables completely new applications such as digital
libraries, virtual laboratories, distance-independent
learning and telemedicine. A primary goal of
Internet2 is
to ensure the transfer of new network technology and
applications
to the broader education and networking communities.
What kind of technology will be needed to use the advanced
Internet applications and technologies?
We expect that the capabilities needed to use new
technologies
and applications being tested and developed by the
Internet2 community will be built into upcoming generations of
commercially available products and services. Internet2 industry
partners are working closely with other Internet2 community members to
expand the capabilities of their products and services as well as the
global Internet. For example, just as most personal computers sold today
include the ability to use the Internet, tomorrow's commercial products
will include the ability to use advanced networking capabilities.
Does Internet2 have publicly traded stock?
Internet2 is a not-for-profit research and development consortium
and does not have publicly traded stock.
Why are universities taking the lead in Internet2?
University research and education missions increasingly require
the collaboration of personnel and hardware located at campuses
throughout the country in ways not possible over today's Internet.
Moreover, universities are a principal source of both the
demand for advanced networking technologies and the talent
needed to implement them. Researchers, instructors and students
at Internet2 universities are able to explore capabilities
beyond today's Internet as they teach and learn and conduct
science in disciplines ranging from the fine arts to physics.
What about educational institutions that are not Internet2
members?
Participation in Internet2 is open to any higher education institution that
commits to providing on-campus facilities to allow
advanced applications development. The investment this requires
may be more than many institutions can manage right now. However,
Internet2 also supports collaboration by Internet2 universities
with non-member institutions. Fifteen years ago, connecting
to the Internet could be as expensive as participating in
Internet2 today. As the technology dropped in price, the entire
academic community benefited from the efforts of the initial
research participants. We expect the deployment of Internet2 technology
to follow a similar pattern.
What are some of Internet2's long-term goals?
A key goal is to accelerate the diffusion of
advanced Internet technology, in particular into the commercial sector.
In this way, Internet2 will help to sustain United
States leadership in internetworking technology.
Internet2
will benefit non-university members of the
educational community
as well, especially K-12 and public libraries.
Internet2 and
its members aim to share their expertise with as
wide a range
of computer users as possible. This approach
characterized
the first Internet and it can work again today.
for more info visit :
http://www.internet2.edu/about/faq.html
