'I-Wire' is first connection
in ultrafast network
The first connection in what will become the TeraGrid network, the fastest dedicated optical research network in the world, now links Argonne with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the StarLight facility on Northwestern University's Chicago campus.
The two 10-gigabit-per-second connections came online with the activation of the State of Illinois' I-WIRE project. The connection positions Illinois as the leader in providing the bandwidth needed to support high-performance information infrastructures, or grids.
I-WIRE (Illinois Wired/Wireless Infrastructure for Research and Education) is a fiber optic data network funded by the state of Illinois to connect research institutions in the state, including Argonne, NCSA, University of Illinois campuses in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign, the University of Chicago, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Northwestern University. I-WIRE also connects to StarLight, a global experimental optical network exchange facility, to the Metropolitan Research and Education Network and to the Illinois Century Network, which provides Internet access to more than 5,600 Illinois schools, libraries and other public institutions.
By the end of 2002, the NCSA-StarLight-Argonne links will be upgraded to at least 30 gigagbits per second (Gb/s) as part of the National Science Foundation's TeraGrid project. The TeraGrid will be the largest, most comprehensive computing infrastructure ever created for scientific research. It will link more than 16 teraflops of computing power, more than 1,000 terabytes (1 petabyte) of storage, and advanced visualization environments, all integrated as a grid system.
TeraGrid sites include NCSA, Argonne, the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California, San Diego, the Center for Advanced Computing Research at the California Institute of Technology, and the recently added Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center.
Through a partnership with Qwest Communications, the TeraGrid sites will connect to a central backbone network running at 40 Gb/s between StarLight and the major Internet hub in Los Angeles.
At 40 Gb/s, the TeraGrid network will operate at four times the capacity of today's fastest networks for research and education. Only a very few of these networks operate at even 10 Gb/s.
 GETTING I-WIRED – The I-Wire is a high-bandwidth fiber-optic network connecting several Illinois computing centers. |
"Through I-WIRE, we have taken the first step in deploying the network that will connect the TeraGrid sites, creating an unparalleled national capability for computational scientists," said Argonne's Charlie Catlett, principal investigator for the I-WIRE project and executive director for the TeraGrid project. "At the same time, I-WIRE creates opportunities for many projects, both via what we have recently deployed and also through planned experiments with more advanced systems capable of transmitting multiple terabits per second."
"The development of I-WIRE keeps Illinois at the forefront of optical networks," said Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan. "The state's investment in this type of high-performance computing network allows TeraGrid and other projects to benefit not only Illinois but the world in research opportunities." – Dave Jacqué
For more information, please contact Dave Jacqué (630/252-5582 or info@anl.gov) at Argonne.
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