Institutions In The Americas Connect Via New High-Speed Network
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Consortium uses 100-gigabit network link to support innovation across continents.
The reach of ed tech just got a little longer, thanks to the resources of AmLight Express and Protect (ExP) which is helping power a 100-gigabit research and education network link between the United States and Latin America. The project is designed to support network innovation and address the increasing network service requirements between institutions in the two regions, according to Campus Technology.
The AmLight Consortium is a group of not-for-profit universities, state, national, and regional research and education networks including the AmLight ExP project at Florida International University, RNP, ANSP, RedClara, REUNA, FLR, AURA, Latin American Nautilus, and Internet2. The initiative is headed by Florida International University’s Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment (CIARA), and the first link was activated on April 18, 2016.
The link has a 106ms delay and goes between Miami and Sao Paulo, Brazil via submarine cable under the Atlantic. Jeronimo Bezerra, AmLight Chief Network Engineer said, “To date, we have not seen any packet loss or errors, and, to evaluate it, we are using an IXIA 100G packet generator.”
The networking team is currently working on the activation of a second 100G link, going via the Pacific route. After that, the team will establish a 100G link with Fortaleza, Brazil.
The initial success of the project is encouraging. Robert Grillo, Vice President and CIO at Florida International University said, “This milestone for FIU sets new standards for high speed networking and bandwidth in the Americas that will promote new and innovative activities for all education and research institutions. Our vision will continue to advance scientific research and scholarship across the globe in collaboration with all our partners.”
“The Academic Network of Sao Paulo (ANSP) provides connectivity to more than fifty institutions, which are responsible for more than forty percent of Brazilian science production. The AmLight Consortium implementation of 100G protected capacity on the international links is a milestone in our partnership with RNP and FIU for over a decade,” added Dr. Luis Lopez, Principal Investigator (PI) of ANSP.
The project is an initiative of Florida International University’s Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment (CIARA), funded in part by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. It also has significant investments from the Academic Network of São Paulo (ANSP), and Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa (RNP) and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).
David Lambert, President and CEO of Internet2 said, “This 100G implementation is extremely valuable to our members, providing them resilient, scalable, long term bandwidth that connects research and education institutions globally. In this global ecosystem, it pays off in spades when researchers and scientists can lean on sophisticated infrastructure to simplify their work and connect in meaningful ways to propel innovation and discovery. Congratulations to FIU, AMPATH and the NSF for this wonderful accomplishment.”