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About the report

The End of the Internet?

The Internet, as it is today, is so congested that it does not allow for the development of cutting-edge applications. Internet congestion and reliability problems derive partly from the Internet's inability to set priorities. In an ideal environment, mission-critical traffic would take precedence over spam, particularly when the network is congested. The privatization of the National Science Foundation Network (NSFnet) and the congestion of its successor, the Internet, have deprived most primary users of the network the capability to support world-class research. Internet2 is intended to be neither a replacement for the Internet nor a separate physical network.

The Internet2 Project

CTR's new report, Internet2: The Future of the Internet and Next-generation Initiatives, explains the Internet2 project. This project comprises 120 U.S. universities and government and industry partners that have joined to develop advanced Internet technologies and applications. The primary objectives of the Internet2 project are to create and sustain a leading-edge network capability for the national research community; direct networking development efforts that result in a new generation of applications that will fully exploit the capabilities of broadband networks media integration, interactivity, and real-time collaboration; and integrate with continued efforts to improve Internet services for all members of the research community, and eventually the worldwide Internet community.

International Next-generation Initiatives

Internet2 and other next-generation Internet initiatives worldwide provide high-speed testbeds for next-generation technology. Although many business people do not realize the practical, long-term business benefits of research projects such as Internet2, Canada's CA*net, and Singapore's SingAREN, the ultimate solution for the deficiencies of today's Internet will be discovered through the efforts of research and educational networks. These test networks serve as an incubator for next-generation applications and networking technology that will form the cornerstone of the future of the Internet.

The Internet2: The Future of the Internet and Next-generation Initiatives report examines several international research networks, including the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network, TransPAC, Russia's MirNET, and the Committee for Intercontinental Research Networking. The report also details leading-edge networking technologies:

• The role of ATM in next-generation networks
• Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)
• IP over WDM: CA*net3
• IPv6: The next-generation Internet protocol

The report discusses the implications and aspects of QoS features, including the reservation protocol (RSVP), differential services (Diff Serv), and Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS).

CTR's report also explores the requirements for security in next-generation Internet initiatives and the role of IP security (IPSec). The report also probes next-generation services such as Globus and Cactus, and applications such as telelearning, multicasting, the multicast backbone (Mbone), videoconferencing, and digital libraries.

The Future

How and when will today's Internet change and what will be the impact of next-generation Internet initiatives on the commercial Internet? Internet2: The Future of the Internet and Next-generation Initiatives addresses these questions and outlines the importance of continued support and government funding and the role of the Next Generation Internet (NGI) forum. The critical information that this report provides will enable information systems (IS) managers to strategize their company's approach to 21st century Internet technology.

Executive Summary

• The Origins of the Internet
• Explosive Growth and Increasing Congestion
• Threats to Today's Internet
• No Class of Service (CoS) or QoS
• Lack of Security
• Congestion Prevents Innovation
• What Internet2 Is Not

The Internet2 Project

• The vBNS Project
• Next-generation Internet
• An Internet2 Backbone: Abilene
• Collaboration Among These Efforts

Next-generation Internet Initiatives Across the Globe

• International Research Networks
• Canada's Second- and Third-generation Internet Initiatives
• European Research Networks
• Singapore's SingAREN
• The Asia-Pacific Advanced Network
• TransPAC
• Connecting Russia: MirNET
• Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networking
• Bandwidth to the World for Internet 1: Project Oxygen

Next-generation Internet Initiatives and Next-generation Technology

• Leading-edge Networking Technologies
• The Role of ATM in Next-generation Networks
• SONET
• WDM
• IP over WDM: CA*net3
• The Next-generation Internet Protocol: IPv6
• The Origins of IPv6
• Addressing the Shortage of Address Space
• Simplified Headers
• Device Autoconfiguration
• Experimenting with IPv6: The 6bone
• Support for Multicast and Anycast
• The Transition from IPv4 to IPv6
• IPv6 and Next-generation Internet Networks
• Roadblocks to IPv6 Adoption
• QoS
• QoS and ATM
• RSVP
• Diff-Serv
• MPLS
• More Roadblocks to QoS
• Research into QoS by Next-generation Internet Initiatives
• Security in Next-generation Internet Initiatives
• Security Requirements
• IPSec

Next-generation Applications and Services

• An Environment for Advanced Applications
• Advanced, but Saving Money
• Bandwidth Available, but Used Wisely
• Next-generation Services for Advanced Applications
• Globus: Middleware for Next-generation Networks
• Cactus
• Next-generation Applications
• Telelearning
• Multicasting
• Advantages of Multicasting
• Origins of IP Multicasting
• The Mbone: An Experiment In Internet Multicasting
• The Disadvantages of IP Multicasting
• What Can IP Multicasting Do?
• Real-time Delivery
• Pushing Applications and Multimedia Content
• The Future of IP Multicasting
• Videoconferencing
• Digital Libraries
• Tele-instrumentation
• Data Visualization
• Shared Virtual Reality (VR)
• Tele-immersion
• Data Mining
• Robotics

The Future of the Internet

• Importance of Continued Government Funding
• The Impact of Next-generation Internet Initiatives on the Commercial Internet
• Machine-to-Machine: A Future Trend
• NGI Forum
• How and When Today's Internet Will Change
• Benefits of IPv6
• Impact of IPv6 on Networking Infrastructure
• The Real Problem: How to Manage Transition
• Internet2 Members
• Internet2 Corporate Sponsors
• Organizations Connected to the vBNS
• Internet Resources