Penn is playing a leading role in developing the next generation Internet, called Internet2. Penn is a founding member of the Internet2 consortium and operates a regional Internet2 Research and Education Network called MAGPI. MAGPI provides Internet2 connectivity to Penn and other research and education institutions in the tri-state region. MAGPI also provides educational services to K20 institutions in the tri-state area and beyond.

How does Internet2 benefit Penn?

Everyone at Penn benefits from the high speed connection to Internet2. Email, web browsing, and file transfers between Penn and other Internet2 connected institutions automatically travel over the Internet2 network instead of the regular Internet and so are much faster and more reliable. The power of Internet2 also allows for the development of new applications and initiatives underway at Penn and in collaboration with other Internet2 member institutions around the world. Internet2 gives researchers the ability to move immense amounts of data in a quicker and more reliable amount of time. Internet2 provides Penn researchers and students real-time control of remote instruments. Internet2 allows for "grid" computing which enables distributed global problem solving. Internet2 provides high speed videoconferencing opportunities which allow for the internationalization of education like never before. Internet2 provides immediate access to resources and experiences otherwise unavailable over the "commodity" Internet. From the Arts and Humanities to the Health and Physical Sciences, Penn's access to Internet2 enables the development of new collaborations and communities that have the power to enhance every aspect of research and education.

What is Internet2?

Internet2 is a consortium led by over 200 universities working in partnership with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. The aim of the Internet2 project is to recreate the original partnership among academia, industry and government towards the three-fold goal of:

• Creating a leading edge network capability for the national research community;
• Enabling revolutionary Internet applications;
• Ensuring the rapid transfer of new network services and applications to the broader Internet community.

Internet2 networks enable advanced applications that would be otherwise impossible over the regular or "commodity" Internet. Examples of advanced applications include TeleImmersion, Digital Libraries, Access Grid, Distance Learning, Voice over IP (VoIP) and Video over IP, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Virtual Laboratories, intensive Data Transfer and Digital Imaging. Additional examples of advanced Internet2 applications can be found on the applications section of Internet2's website.

What is MAGPI?

MAGPI is a GigaPoP (Gigabit Point of Presence) run by the University of Pennsylvnia that serves to aggregate network traffic destined for advanced research and education networks such as Internet2. In addition to serving as the Internet2 connector for the University of Pennsylvania, MAGPI also connects other approved research and education institions in the Pennylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware regions. MAGPI connects K12s, Higher Ed, Corporate R&Ds and hospitals to the Internet2 backbone network and is also its own regional high performance network. Currently, MAGPI operates at an OC48 (2.4 Gbps) connection to Abilene.

Is anything special required to use Internet2?

No special cables, connections, or equipment are needed to be connected to Internet2. In most cases, Penn's data network (called PennNet) automatically chooses Internet2 if you are connecting with another Internet2 member, a government agency or research center using the NGI (the government's Next Generation Internet), or an international research and education network with the same high-bandwidth capacity. This connection is used whether you are browsing the web, e-mailing, or collaborating on an experiment. To get the full advantages of Internet2 access:

• Workstations and servers should be at least 10 Mbps.
• Some intense applications may require 100 Mbps.
• Workstations must be able to sustain high bandwidth applications (this might require the addition of additional memory or an upgrade to a higher speed processor or higher speed internal bus).
• Security measures (such as firewalls) may need special configuration to permit access to Internet2 networks.
• Videoconferencing applications over Internet2 require codecs that use the H.323 (IP) protocol.
• Specific applications may have other additional requirements in order to fully use Internet2.

If you have questions about what you might need to run a particular application, send email to i2-help@isc.upenn.edu.

How do I Get Involved?

• Join Penn's Internet2 mailing list
• Involve yourself in an Internet2 Working Group
• Submit content to the Research Channel
• Contact us for more information about Internet2 at Penn

Select Internet2 Activity at Penn

• MAGPI GigaPoP
• National Scalable Cluster Project
• National Digital Mammography Archive
• Tele-Immersion
• Penn content on the Research Channel
  
• Wharton West
• Penn Video Network
• SCETI
• ERIC
• Internet2 Day at Penn (archive - March 15, 1999)

Multimedia Links

• Internet2 Media Clips
• MAGPI Video Center
• Penn Content on the Research Channel

Select Grant Opportunities

• National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Digitial Humanities
• Institue of Museum and Library Services
• Digging Into the Data Challenge
• USDA RUS DLT

Recent News and Presentations from Internet2

• Internet2 Turns 15 - Has it delivered on its promise? Network World, 11 April 2011
• A Faster More Reliable Internet Coming Soon to a School or Library Near YouInfoWorld

Related Project Activity

• Internet2 - A university-led consortium working with government and industry to develop the next generation Internet
• Cyberinfrastructure - Term used to describte the next generation tools to enable scientific discovery, also NSF Office of Cyberinfrastructure
• KINBER - The Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research, a non-profit organization that was incorporated to provide services to Pennsylvania through the establishment and operation of a high-speed network for research and education purposes.
• PennREN - PennREN, the Pennsylvania Research and Education Network, will be a high speed fiber broadband network providing 100M-10G Ethernet connectivity and is being developed to provide services to institutions of higher education, preK-12 programs, health care entities, libraries, non-profits and other partners to advance Pennsylvania's capabilities and services in education, health care, workforce development, economic development that supports sustainable growth, government and enables enhanced services.
• Research Channel - A consortium of research universities and corporate research pioneering digital video and access to academic content
  
• National Lambda Rail - Emerging research network using DWDM over optical infrastructure
• FiberCo - Optical fiber holding company for research and education
• K20 - An initiative that opened Internet2 access to K12s, Museums, Zoos, Libraries
• The Quilt - A consortium of GigaPoPs
• Internet2 Commons - A multipoint videoconference service and remote collaboration service suite
• Access Grid - A suite of collaboration tools based on multicast technologies
• Conference XP - Microsoft Research distributed classroom and collaboration tool
• PlanetLab - A consortium of distributed development nodes around the world
• NLANR - The National Laboratory for Applied Network Research
• NCNE - The National Center for Network Engineering
• DAST - The Distributed Applications Support Team
• STAR TAP - Science, Technology And Research Transit Access
• ARENA - ARENA Project