[10324] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
No Subject
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bob Blackmun)
Fri Feb 18 20:47:51 1994
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 07:39:38 EST
From: "Bob Blackmun" <rrb@pcfs1.uncc.edu>
Reply-To: "Bob Blackmun" <rrb@pcfs1.uncc.edu>
To: com-priv@psi.com
--------- Text of forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 13:21:26 EST
>From: grants@nsf.gov
Subject: PRESS-NSB Gives Green Light to NSFNET's Next Steps
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Sender: smacklin@nsf.gov
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National Science Foundation February 14, 1994
NSF PR 94-8
NSB GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO NSFNET'S NEXT STEPS: NEW ARCHITECTURE AND A
CUTTING-EDGE NETWORK
Two major developments toward the information superhighway received green
lights Friday from the National Science Board (NSB).
At its meeting in Arlington, Va., the board gave its administrative approval
for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to proceed with arrangements for a
new architecture for the NSFNET computer network services, including an
experimental expressway -- called a very high-speed Backbone Network Service
(vBNS). NSFNET currently links more than 1,000 U.S. universities and other
research and educational institutions to the Internet.
The NSB, a 24-member board that governs major policy decisions of the NSF,
approved a proposal that the agency's networking division award the
operation of the vBNS to MCI Communications Corp. of Washington, D.C., for a
total not to exceed $50 million over five years.
The NSB also approved a plan by the networking division to establish two
five-year collaborative cooperative agreements to offer routing arbiter (RA)
services for NSFNET and the Internet. Merit Network, Inc., a consortium of
Michigan universities, will receive up to $11,099,743 to provide overall RA
management and to take the lead responsibility for a registry database, an
operations center, and software development. The University of Southern
California's Information Sciences Institute, working with IBM, will receive
up to $9,235,847 to develop route servers, advanced routing techniques, a
testbed, and routing engineering.
According to Stephen Wolff, director of NSF's Division of Networking and
Communications Research and Infrastructure, "The board's action gives us the
license and the framework to negotiate with the parties involved. The
decisions to work with MCI, Merit, and USC followed an exhaustive review
process."
Today's developments, Wolff said, are among the first steps in what will be
an orderly transition from the current NSFNET architecture to a new
arrangement that, while advancing both, will distinguish more clearly between
cutting-edge experimental efforts and widely used public "commodity" networks.
"The vBNS will be a physically separate network," said Wolff, "one to push
the parameters of high-speed networking and to connect NSF's supercomputer
centers, without affecting general network services."
The routing arbiter will be one of three major components of the new, advanced
"general-use" network services. The other two components, which have not yet
been awarded, are projects calling for network access point managers and for
regional network providers.
With transmission capability of 45 million bits of data per second,
the current NSFNET backbone makes the connections over commercially leased
lines by linking 19 sites-called nodes-throughout the U.S. At these sites,
mid-level or regional networks are attached and thus interconnected. These
regional networks, in turn, reach out to-and from-thousands of local
networks at schools, universities, libraries, research laboratories,
government facilities and supporting commercial organizations. This web of
computer conduits allows its users to exchange electronic mail, avail
themselves of massive computers, and search libraries and databases-all at
distant sites almost instantaneously.
Developed by NSF in 1985, the NSFNET program long ago outgrew its initial
vision: to provide broadband access to NSF's five supercomputing centers for
researchers with data- or algorithm-intensive projects. The program now
supports not only the expanding backbone services, but also directory and
information services, operations for regional networks, and connections for
universities.
The new architecture calls for the regional networks to secure backbone
services from commercial network providers, with a five-year phasing out of
NSF's backbone funding for the regionals.
NSFNET Program Director Priscilla Huston said, "Our first priority as we
make this transition is to ensure that the new infrastructure is robust and
dependable before we shut down what has become a legendary national backbone
service among the networking community. The new architecture will allow the
research and education communities to take advantage of the excellent services
available from commercial suppliers while it provides the interconnectivity
that's essential for a vibrant national infrastructure."
"The transition," said Wolff, "recognizes the changing nature of the
networking marketplace."
"In 1987 you couldn't buy high-bandwidth Internet services," said Wolff.
"There were neither suppliers nor market. So we commissioned a
high-bandwidth backbone; and, in the seven years since, a number of
comparable commercial services have arisen-catalyzed in part by the market
generated by the NSFNET backbone. So now we can give backbone funding to the
regionals and let them buy that connectivity from the suppliers of their
choice."
-end-
A glossary of NSFNET terms, a budget overview and an earlier news release
describing the NSFNET transition in detail are available to journalists. To
obtain them, call Sean Kearns at (703) 306-1070 or e-mail skearns@nsf.gov.
Bob Blackmun,
Director, Computing Services
Charlotte NC 28223
Internet: rrb@unccsun.uncc.edu
Phone: (704) 547-2283/Fax (704) 547-3134
