New Research Network in Michigan transfers data at 10 billion bps

August 5, 2004

The three largest public universities in Michigan—Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University - are creating a very high-performance network with the capacity to meet their emerging and demanding research needs. The project is especially critical for faculty whose research collaborations require the ability to transmit massive amounts of data across the network.

This new research network, the Michigan LambdaRail (MiLR/ pronounced 'MY—lar'), has the added benefit for the universities of acquiring high-speed network capacity at very competitive prices. During the 1990s, telecommunications companies installed excess fiber-optic cable for future expansion. Demand hasn't met expectations and, as a result, these companies are recovering some of their costs by making fiber available at affordable rates.

Initially MiLR, scheduled to be operational by January 2005, will enable researchers at MSU, U-M and WSU to transfer data at 10 billion bits per second—that's 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than the Internet connections normally used in homes and businesses today. Such network speed and capacity are a necessity to support the research occurring at each of the three universities, where researchers are trying to solve the most challenging problems in the physical, social, and life sciences.

The speed and reliability of the new network will, for example, enable doctors to perform virtual surgery at remote locations. Similarly, the network will provide the capacity for physicists to share exceptionally large data sets with their colleagues around the world. The new network also will serve as a test-bed for experimental research on networking itself.

MiLR, which employs advanced optical electronics, will use more than 750 miles of fiber-optic cabling, most of it already in place, to connect the universities to each other and to national and international networking hubs in Chicago. Those hubs include the National LambdaRail, StarLight, and an emerging set of network connections that play key roles in the national cyberinfrastructure supporting advanced science and research.

"Creating MiLR will give MSU, U-M and WSU a competitive advantage in attracting external support for research and will attract students and faculty to our campuses," said John Camp, chief information officer at Wayne State. "We are now members of a small and elite group of universities nationally that are investing in high-performance networks to strengthen research and facilitate collaboration."

"More than ever before, higher education institutions need to collaborate on advanced networking to keep pace with rapid change and to meet the growing demands of research and teaching," said James Hilton, associate provost for information technology at U-M. "Additionally, costs are significant and can be reduced by working together. MiLR is a perfect example of such collaboration."

David Gift, vice provost for libraries, computing and technology at Michigan State agreed. "We are all very proud of this collaboration between the state's research universities, and very pleased by the progress we've made in implementing this complex, advanced networking project, which we expect will become a truly vital part of our research future," he said.

Partnering in computer networking is nothing new for the three universities. In 1966, responding to a need to interconnect mainframe computers, they formed Merit Network Inc. and created MichNet, the first regional research and education network in the country. Based in Ann Arbor, Merit Network is now owned and operated by the founding universities and 10 other public universities in the state.

Continuing their successful collaborations to create educational networks in Michigan, Merit and the three universities are planning to use MiLR for advanced research and education between the United States and Canada.

Source: University of Michigan


Rank not rated yet
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created 7 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast weblog

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Technology / Telecom

created 55 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.

Technology / Business

created 57 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Anonymous briefly knocks CIA website offline (Update 2)

The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was briefly inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.

Technology / Internet

created 17 hours ago | popularity 4.7 / 5 (14) | comments 23

Google users warned of threat to smartphone wallets

Users of Google smartphone wallets were being warned on Friday that there is a way to crack pass codes intended to thwart thieves from going on illicit shopping sprees.

Technology / Internet

created 16 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0


Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Elbow position not a predictor of injury

Elbow position alone appeared to not affect injury rates and performance in college-level, male pitchers say researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Francisco, ...

New data provides direction for ACL injured knee treatments

Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction improves quality of life and sports functionality for athletes, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty ...

Treatment for hip conditions should not rest solely on MRI scans

When it comes to treating people with hip pain, physicians should not replace clinical observation with the use of magnetic resonance images (MRI), according to research being presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society ...

Delaying ACL reconstruction in kids may lead to higher rates of associated knee injuries

Kids treated more than 150 days after an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury have higher rates of other knee injuries, including medial meniscal tears, say researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for ...