Steps Toward a National Research Telecommunications Network
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Steps Toward a National Research Telecommunications Network Gordon Bell Introduction Modern science depends on rapid communica- In response to provisions in Public Law tions and information exchange. Today, many major 99-383, which was passed 21 June 1986 by national and international networks exist using the 99th Congress, an inter-agency group some form of packet switching to interconnect under the auspices of the Federal Coordin- host computers. State and regional networks are ating Council for Science, Engineering, and proliferating. NSFNET, an "internet" designed initially Technology (FCCSET) for Computer Research to improve access to supercomputer centers, has and Applications was formed to study the in the space of two years, forged links among 17 following issues: the networking needs of state, regional, and federal agency networks. the nation's academic and federal research In the early 1980s, the lack of access to super- computer programs, including supercomputer computing power by the research community caused programs, over the next 15 years, addressing the formation of the NSF Office of Advanced Sci- requirements in terms of volume of data, entific Computing, which funded five centers for reliability of transmission, software supercomputers. Given the highly distributed loca- compatibility, graphics capabilities, and tion of users, the need for a national wide area transmission security; the benefits and network for computer access and for the inter- opportunities that an improved computer change of associated scientific information (such network would offer for electronic mail, as mail, files, databases) became clear. file transfer, and remote access and com- Further, it immediately became obvious that munications; and the networking options existing agency networks both lacked the inherent available for linking academic and research capacity and were overloaded. In fact, the current computers, including supercomputers, with a federal wide area networks still operate at the particular emphasis on fiber optics. Bell speed (56 Kbits/sec) of the original ARPAnet (circa reports on the process and recommendations 1972), despite the fact that computers have both associated with the committee's work, and increased in number (by a factor of 100) and speed suggests a means for accomplishing the net- (by a factor of 30). Moreover, the very nature work objectives addressed by its report. of what is communicated has changed with the power of computers. Computer simulations of physical Bell is Vice President for Research and De- processes yield output expressed as three-dimensional velopment at Ardent Computer, Inc., Sunnyvale, dynamic graphics. Computer-based research tools California; he was previously Assistant Director are becoming more interactive, and the problems of the Computing and Information Science Direc- under study often require the active collaboration torate at the National Science Foundation. of researchers who are distributed in various research ISSUE 21 33 institutions. eluding supercomputer programs, over the Today's fiber optic communications links offer next 15 years, including requirements in terms the ability for a factor of 1,000 to 100,000 of volume of data, reliability of transmission, increase in capacity and speed over traditional software compatibility, graphics capabilities, cable and satellite channels. The price of fiber and transmission security; optic links is based on equivalent voice grade cir- the benefits and opportunities that an improved cuits, and as such remains high, despite a vast computer network would offer for electronic amount of unused capacity. Switching equipment mail, file transfer, and remote access and to exploit even DS3 (45 Mbits/sec) is unavailable. communications; and While several proposals for DS3 fast packet pro- the networking options available for linking tocols and switches exist, no technology exists academic and research computers, including to switch packets at fiber optic speeds. supercomputers, with a particular emphasis Most federal agencies support an average of on fiber optics. two, independent wide area networks. One may be used to couple researchers to one another for The Computer Network Study Planning Group, mail, collaboration, and file transfer. The other composed of participants from the Department of connects researchers to large, central systems that Defense (DoD) (including DARPA), Department of support major research initiatives. Often these Energy (DOE), Department of Health and Human networks go to the same institution (an academic Services (HHS), NASA, National Bureau of Standards campus, federal facility, or industrial lab), but to (NBS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), a different building, wasting resources in the pro- produced and delivered a three-volume report for cess. While a few years ago all wide area net- OSTP in early August 1987, consisting of recommenda- works used different protocols and could not com- tions, results of a workshop, and background papers. municate with one another, today most networks are migrating toward DARPA's TCP/IP protocol Summary of Recommendations to OSTP (for with a commitment to use the IS0 protocols when Congress) for the National Research Network available. Campuses are being wired to interconnect The Subcommittee on Networking, Infrastruc- the array of Local Area Networks (LANs)--a wiring ture and Digital Communications (NIDC) recommend- scheme for a single building or small cluster of ed the following: buildings--to form Campus Area Networks (CANS). At present, these Campus Area Networks form net- "The US. should undertake, as a national worked islands. goal, the establishment of a National Research Net- work in a staged approach that supports the upgrade Congressional Action and Executive of current facilities, and development of needed Branch Response new capabilities. Achievement of this goal would foster and enhance the US. position of world leader- Some in Congress have recognized the tele- ship in computer networking. communications problem and opportunity. In June "As rapidly as feasible, the National Research 1986, Senator Gore introduced the Supercomputer Network should be designed, deployed and maintained Network Study Act of 1986. Public Law 99-383, as an advanced computer network. This network passed 21 June 1986 by the 99th Congress, charged should interconnect substantially every academic, the Office of Science and Technology Policy industrial, and government research establishment (OSTP) with conducting "a study of critical prob- and unique scientific resource to encourage scientific lems and current and future options regarding collaboration unhindered by distance and to permit communications networks for research computers, the sharing of unquiet research faculties and resour- including supercomputers at universities and federal ces. Since security of the network is a vital concern, research facilities in the United States." appropriate policies should be adopted to protect At OSTP's direction, an inter-agency group the information in the network from threats, vul- under the auspices of the Federal Coordinating nerabilities and risks, and to assure a uniform level Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology of security. (FCCSET) for Computer Research and Applications "Until the National Research Network can --the Computer Network Study Planning Group replace the current system, existing networks should --was formed to carry out the study of the follow- be maintained and modified as they join the national ing issues: network. Since supercomputer systems comprise a special and valuable national research resource the networking needs of the nation's academic with very high performance requirements, the re- and federal research computer programs, in- sponsibility for network access to supercomputers 34 LIBRARY HI TECH should be vested in the supercomputer centers will require an additional funding of ap- themselves until the advanced computer network, proximately $50,000,000 to operate (GB: assumed capable of offering the requisite service level, is the price of T1 line would decline by a factor operational. of 2 over the next five years, whereas, in "Industry should be encouraged through spe- the six months since the report, line charges cial incentives to participate in research, develop- for many T1 lines have already dropped more ment, and deployment of the National Research than a factor of two due to over-supply.) Network. Tariff schedules which have been set "In the third stage, a vigorous focused program for voice transmission should be reexamined in of research and development for the National light of the requirements for transmission of data Research Network should be immediately es- through computer networking. tablished. A total of $400 million is needed "To meet the goal for the National Research over ten years to advance the knowledge base Network and to set an agenda for the future, the and technology of computer network capabilities following actions are recommended: in order to achieve data communications and switching capabilities to support transmission "The Subcommittee on Computer Networking, of three billion bits per second within fifteen Infrastructure and Digital Communications years. This will support a network 100,000 which was established by the Office of Sci- times more capable than currently available ence and Technology Policy on 15 May 1987, and will be essential to foster scientific col- should oversee the first stage in development