2-3 Trends on Network Testbeds in the World MURASE Ichiro becoming to the infrastructure of any kinds of R&D. Internet2 in U.S. includes various strate- gic networks and projects. And in Europe there are collaboration among many network testbeds leaded by EU. Regarding characteristics on network testbeds, we have three issues. One is an adoption of photonic technology. Two is a focus on middle ware technology. Three is an attention on applica- tion technology. In the future, each network testbeds will have an originality, and they have many collaboration each other over the border. Keywords JGNⅡ, Internet, Network testbed, Next generation network, Photonic network 1 Introduction the network. (3) New network technologies are implement- The Japan Gigabit Network (JGN) began ed on the network. operations in 1999, and was hailed at the time However, the above three conditions are as the fastest network testbed in the world. Its not necessarily absolute; a network may be successor, the JGNⅡ, has been in operation regarded as a network testbed even if it fails to since 2004. Network testbeds are now operat- meet one of the conditions. It is widely known ing in North America, Europe, Asia, and else- that the JGNⅡ network is currently hosting a where, with the incorporation of photonic wide range of R&D, with numerous associated technology, middleware research and develop- research institutes linked to this network. The ment, and the investigation of a range of appli- network also incorporates the latest photonic cations. This paper provides an introduction to technology. these current trends in R&D of network test- Network testbeds are designed to provide beds. structures simulating those we assume will be required for future networks. These assump- 2 What are network testbeds? tions naturally give rise to the above criteria stipulating the general conditions that must be Network testbeds are networks designed satisfied by a testbed. As an additional mainly for the development of network tech- requirement, to encourage R&D, the AUPs nology. (In this paper, the terms “testbed net- (Acceptable User Policies) for these testbeds works” and “network testbeds” are inter- must specify restrictions on commercial traffic changeable.) The discussion in this paper and clarify that no SLA (Service Level Agree- assumes that network testbeds satisfy the fol- ment) is provided with use. lowing criteria. (1) R&D takes place on the network. (2) Multiple research institutions are linked to MURASE Ichiro 21 3 General trends in network test- of grid technology, for example). beds The following sections will describe the major network testbeds in North America, Existing testbeds have often been designed Europe, and Asia, with the above observed with a focus on ultra-high-speed communica- trends in mind. tion. However, given a worldwide trend toward lower communication costs, it is 4 Network testbeds in north amer- becoming increasingly evident that universi- ica ties and research institutes are not prioritizing the provision of ultra-high-speed network test- 4.1 CA*net4［1］ beds. Thus, testbed design is presently facing CA*net4 is Canada’s coast-to-coast pho- a dramatic shift in strategy. tonic network developed for research and edu- The characteristics of current network test- cation. It connects all regional networks of beds can be described through the following Canada and supports the use of advanced observations. applications. (1) We are witnessing an emphasis not only on Expanding on the achievements of its pre- the network testbed itself, but also on the decessor, the CA*net3 project (involving the R&D projects that the testbed can support. construction and technological evaluation of a (2) R&D projects normally involve multiple photonic network optimized for IP communi- network testbeds, and so the relationship cations), the CA*net4 project has as its main between network testbeds and R&D pro- technological target the implementation of jects is becoming increasingly complex. UCLP (User-Controlled Light Path). The (3) The spectrum of targets in R&D projects is UCLP is a user-controlled network architec- extending to middleware as well as to ture that allows end users to manage and con- fields in science and technology, with even trol their assigned optic fibers and bandwidth further expansion in scope anticipated. at the GigaPoP nodes. (4) Energetic R&D is now underway for a The CA*net4 network topology is shown variety of middleware (involving the use below. Fig.1 CA*net4 network topology (Excerpt from http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/c4design/large_file_transfer.ppt) 22 Journal of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Vol.52 Nos.3/4 2005 4.2 Abilene (Internet2)［2］ Abilene is a research testbed network in the US dedicated to Internet2 projects, and is designed for the development of advanced network technologies, innovative Internet applications, and commercial Internet imple- mentation. Abilene use is presently limited to education, e-learning, research, and clinical studies among institutions of higher education, and it is not open to commercial traffic. Access is limited to Internet2 members and Fig.2 Abilene network topology these educational institutions. (Excerpt from Abilene is operated by the Internet2 Con- http://abilene.internet2.edu/images/abilene- current.gif) sortium, a group formed by the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Develop- ment (UCAID) and a number of corporate (National Science Foundation). partners. Figure 3 shows a summary of the major Since it is not directly associated with network testbeds and associated projects national governmental policies, Abilene established primarily by the NSF. receives no special funding from the federal Table 1 provides details of the network government, and is solely supported by the testbeds and the related projects shown in Fig. Internet2 membership fees and connection 3. charges collected from participating institutes. HOPI is an Internet2 project to implement However, research using the network is in part a hybrid shared-IP-packet and switched-opti- funded by grants based on various govern- cal-wavelength network, with the deployment mental policies and initiatives such as the of testbed facilities planned for 2006. The NGI. HOPI testbed is being constructed using the The operational costs are covered by capi- Abilene, RON, and NLR networks. tal investment by universities, matching The Regional Optical Networks form a investments by businesses, and membership photonic network testbed operated by Fiber fees (totaling $3.3 million/year). The connec- Co. founded by the Internet2 to support tion charges for OC-192 POS/10GigE total regional photonic fiber network initiatives $490,000/year. University members of Inter- aimed at research and educational institutions. net2 contribute capital investment totaling $80 The MAN LAN is a high-performance million annually for the expansion of universi- exchange point located in New York City ty facilities, network connection fees, and designed to facilitate interconnection among application development. Corporate members US and international research and education contribute in a variety of ways, from monetary networks. It was built through a collaborative support to the provision of network-related effort between the Internet2, NYSERNet, and equipment, in addition to payment of the Indiana University. Connection charges are required membership fees. collected on a monthly basis. The NLR is an ultra-high-speed network 4.3 Range of network testbeds in the owned and operated by researchers. The Inter- US net2 provided a total of $10 million in funds to Abilene (Internet2) is the best-known net- cover a five-year period, and has access rights work testbed in the US, but there are a multi- to the 10-Gbps circuit. The Internet2 organiza- tude of additional network testbeds and asso- tion is using the NLR along with Abilene as ciated projects, mainly established by the NSF foundations for the development of a hybrid MURASE Ichiro 23 Fig.3 Major network testbeds and associated projects mainly established by the NSF (Drawn from references provided by Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.) Table 1 Major network testbeds and associated projects by the NSF 24 Journal of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Vol.52 Nos.3/4 2005 optical packet environment. context of an optical wavelength experiment The Teragrid offers 20 teraflops in com- conducted with MAN LAN. puting capacity using computer resources dis- tributed among five sites. The NSF provided 5 Network testbeds in Europe $53 million in funding for four of these sites in 2001. The NSF Middleware Initiative effort In Europe, the EU (European Union) is now involves research and development taking the initiative in establishing the so- involving the Internet2, EDUCAUSE, and called “e-Infrastructure”. This infrastructure SURA. will promote the coordinated use of research The “I2 Middleware Initiative” is a project and information resources scattered around to provide core middleware services to Inter- Europe (involving GRID calculation, high- net2 member universities. speed networks, storage, etc.) to create a The ARENA project involves the creation framework for the development of e-science. of a database of information on advanced The European network testbed—such as research and education networks around the GEANT, EGEE (a GRID research project), world. and DEISA—all hope to benefit from the syn- This is a joint project between researchers ergy arising from the e-Infrastructure. from universities and elsewhere to rebuild existing Internet architecture to provide 100- 5.1 GEANT and GEANT2［3］ Mbps access rates to homes and small busi- GEANT is a network testbed promoted by nesses. This project has been awarded a five- DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Network year grant from the NSF Information Technol- Technology to Europe), with interconnection ogy Research (ITR) Project. The Internet2 among the NRENs (National Research & Edu- organization provides technical support and cation Network) of different European coun- two principal researchers for this project.