Internet2: The History

Greg WoodDirector of Communications

Internet2: A Ridiculously Oversimplified History

Greg WoodDirector of Communications

What to Expect

Some insight into:• What Internet2 is• When Internet2 began• Who started this whole thing• Why there’s Internet2 in the first place• How Internet2 got started

A good story

…but not necessarily the truth

A Ridiculously Oversimplified History of the Internet

Source:Nua Internet Surveys

~1991-1992The Web

~1970ARPAnet

1987NSFnet

1996Internet2

1995Privatization

Number of Internet Users

The End of the Internet, Part I

Commercialization led to a focus on:• Meeting explosion in demand• Reliable service• Short-term (3-6 month) business objectives

Developing the Internet required:• Experimental environment• New underlying technologies• Long-term (3-6 year) view

A Ridiculously Oversimplified History of the Internet2

1995 – Monterey Futures Group

1996 – Cheyenne Mountain –1996

Oct 1., 1996 – Internet2 Announced

January 1997 – First Internet2 Member Meeting

Sept. 1997 – UCAID Formed/First “Internet2 Demonstrations”

April 14 1998 – Abilene Network Announced

Research andDevelopment

Commercialization

Partnerships

Privatization

NSFNET

Internet2, Abilene, vBNSAdvanced US Govt Networks

ARPAnet

gigabittestbeds

ActiveNets

wirelessWDM

SprintLinkInternetMCI US Govt

NetworksANS

InteroperableHigh PerformanceResearch &Education

Networks

21st CenturyNetworking

Quality of Service(QoS)

Internet2 Project Goals

Enable new generation of applications

Re-create leading edge R&E network capability

Transfer capability to the global production Internet

Why University Leadership?

The Internet came from the academic community

• Stanford -- the Internet protocols• NSFNet -- the scaled-up Internet• CERN -- the WWW protocols• University of Illinois -- the Web browser

Universities’ research and education mission require an advanced Internet and have demonstrated they can develop it

Internet2 Membership

University membership• 134 members by 1997• ~190 members today

Corporate membership• First member (Cisco) in April 1997• ~70 members today

Affiliate membership

International Relationships

Internet2

A self-help community

Brings together communities to accomplish things together

Could change the world (again)