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
GigaPoP called MAGPI. MAGPI provides Internet2 connectivity to Penn
and other research and education institutions in the tri-state region.
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 Abilene? 
Abilene is a high-performance network developed by the University Corporation
for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) in partnership with Qwest Communications,
Nortel Networks, Cisco Systems and Indiana University as part of the Internet2
project. A primary goal of Abilene is to provide a high-performance backbone
network for the Internet2 community. Abilene uses high-speed SONET facilities
and IP-over-SONET routers, accessible to GigaPoPs in several dozen locations
nationwide, to support the Internet2 infrastructure. Abilene enables faculty
and staff at Internet2 universities and research labs to develop and test advanced
network services and applications.
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 Internet2 networks
such as Abilene. 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?
Select Internet2 Activity at Penn
Multimedia Links
Watch an Internet2
Overview Video on the ISC Streaming Video Server
05 minutes, 55 seconds
encoded for 128k 300x200
requires Real Player
Recent News and Presentations from Internet2
Related Project Activity
- Internet2 - A university-led consortium
working with government and industry to develop the next generation Internet
- Abilene - The primary Internet2
backbone network today
- Cyberinfrastructure - Term used to describte the next generation tools to enable scientific discovery, also NSF Office of Cyberinfrastructure
- 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
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