The Promise of Internet 2

Libraries across the country are rolling out new services and technologies, but few have Internet2 connectivity and many that do aren't taking advantage of that access. Internet2 allows librarians to expand services in at least two fundamental ways: it opens up new means for communication, such as videoconferencing, and provides access to new content, such as video and sound. Internet2, with its virtually unlimited bandwidth, gives librarians the opportunity to experiment with service delivery in exciting new arenas. Equally enticing are efforts by the Internet2 consortium to involve libraries and educational institutions in the creation of the next generation of Internet services.

Imagine that you are sponsoring for your community a one-city, one-book-like reading program. A book discussion with the author could be the centerpiece of the program, but your Arizona library has a limited programming budget. The author lives in New York City and has no plans to tour. With two videoconferencing cameras, a few network cables, some speakers, microphones, and an Internet2 connection, you can create a live author program for your readers. Add a little more equipment and the event can take place simultaneously in all of your branches or any other library in the country with which you've partnered.

Realizing that an organization was needed to help define the next generation of the Internet, 34 universities formed Internet2 in 1996. The Internet2 consortium has grown to include 202 universities and many regional partners, including K–12 school districts, public libraries, and museums. Additional participants represent corporate, affiliate, and international partnerships.

To support cross-country videoconferencing, institutions need a high-bandwidth network capable of supporting the transfer of massive amounts of data. This demand drives one of the priorities of the Internet2 consortium: to support Abilene, the network backbone. Crossing the United States in several segments, the Abilene backbone starts at a minimum bandwidth of 2.4 Gbps. It also provides a connection to international networks.

Most Internet2 participants reach Abilene through gigaPoPs, which are regional networking aggregation points that serve as entrance ramps to the Abilene superhighway. In other words, Internet2 participants connect with their usual Internet provider and then to a regional high-bandwidth network. This regional network connects users to a gigaPoP. From the gigaPOP, Internet2 traffic connects to Abilene. Internet2 does not replace your current Internet connection, which you still need to access non-Internet2 resources. Abilene only carries traffic bound for Internet2 sites.

Although we talk of Abilene as a separate entity, it uses the same commercial networks on which commercial Internet traffic travels. However, Abilene is different from most other Internet data connections in that the data capacity is dedicated and managed to ensure high availability. No one user is allowed to monopolize the bandwidth. Traffic moving over commercial Internet connections can be buffeted by varying levels of congestion. On Internet2, traffic is managed to ensure low latency and consistent levels of performance.

To put the capacity of the Abilene backbone in perspective, 2.4 Gbps is around 1500 times the size of a typical library T-1 Internet circuit. The data that Abilene can transfer in one second would take almost 30 minutes to move over the same T-1 circuit. The entire Abilene backbone is being upgraded from 2.4 Gbps to 10 Gbps capacity. This major increase in capacity will allow Abilene to continue to support high bandwidth applications as the number of Internet2 users grows.

All this capacity has allowed the development and use of technology that have been impractical over current commercial Internet circuits. These technologies include two-way videoconferencing, multiconferencing, multicasting of audio and video streams, and the exploration of emerging protocols like IP version 6 (IPv6), the next generation of Internet network addressing. None of this is unique to Internet2, but by providing a network that natively supports these new technologies, Internet2 makes them practical for everyday use.

Videoconferencing is one of the most widely used Internet2 applications. The greater bandwidth allows a true two-way conversation, with broadcast-quality images, real-time audio, and very few errors and delays. In its most basic form, videoconferencing requires two videoconferencing cameras, speakers, and microphones, a few network cables, and an Internet2 connection. Videoconferencing software like NetMeeting, to send and receive the audio and video streams, is also necessary. More advanced configurations include standalone cameras operated via remote control units and LCD projectors for the video image.

Advanced forms of videoconferencing use multiconferencing services, which allow a number of audio and video conference participants to interact at the same time. This service relies on a multipoint control unit, a designated server that manages the audio and video streams coming in from all of the participants. The control unit typically provides the same video display to all participants while allowing all of the audio streams to be heard. Newer versions of control units allow participants to see all of the video streams or select among them.

A network like Abilene can become saturated by thousands of users requesting the same broadcast-quality streaming video. Multicasting helps networks manage the demand of many users all trying to access the same data. Networks that support multicast alleviate bandwidth demands by sending only a single copy of a data stream until the data actually reaches users who need it. Network routers then create copies of the data stream for individual users. For libraries, multicast allows Internet2 to support high-quality streaming video used for distance learning and for distributing content from digital libraries.

New standards for the ways data is accessed and transmitted are also coming. The Shibboleth project is an initiative to develop an open, standards-based solution to the needs for organizations to exchange information about their users in a secure and privacy-preserving manner. Shibboleth allows remote services to authenticate users without requiring the transmission of personal information.

EBSCO Information Services, a leading content provider, is one of the first target sites for the Shibboleth project. According to Michael Gorrell, senior vice president and CIO, EBSCO hopes to leverage the emerging Internet2 technology to protect its online resources while facilitating a single sign-on method for library patrons.

Internet2 can help libraries transform the services we offer to our patrons. Although few libraries have started using the Internet2 network or its technology, many educational projects are already underway. Most of these projects require collaboration among institutions.

Through the Merit Network, students in the St. Clair Intermediate School District in Michigan accessed an electron microscope over Internet2 and manipulated it from a remote location. The Ann Arbor District Library is planning videoconferencing between branches of the library and an interactive exhibit with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.

The Missouri Historical Society, with others, will make digitally available resources from the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803–1806. This collection includes video clips, GIS data, and images.

Students at six sites in Virginia joined the Jason Project, a multidisciplinary program that explores the earth and exposes students to leading scientists. The students participated in a live videoconference between glacial geologists at Chugach National Park studying dendrochronology (the history of glaciers) and wildlife biologists at the Alaska Sea Life Center investigating the Stellar sea lions. The Jason Project is connecting Internet2 sites all over the United States via live video coverage so that experts can share their experiences with students in real time.

Minnesota's TVbyGirls project links middle school girls in Edina, MN, and Port Huron, MI, through videoconferencing. The girls are exploring media literacy and advertising. TVbyGirls plans to make a PBS documentary that will reinforce girls' leadership potential and help them combat devaluing messages received from the media.

In Washington State, Neptune is a 3000 km network of fiberoptic/power cables that will cross the seafloor of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Neptune will connect both to Internet2 and Canada's CA*net3 to provide high-speed access to data so that learners of all ages will be able to participate remotely and virtually in ocean exploration and scientific discovery.

Videoconferencing opens doors for staff as well as public users. How often do staff members miss out on professional development opportunities because the workshops are too far away or too expensive to attend in person? Using Internet2 and videoconferencing, libraries could afford to bring professional development workshops to their employees in a timely manner. A workshop could be offered at one location and multicast over Internet2 to a variety of viewing centers.

How do libraries connect to Internet2? Some libraries are already connected through their parent institutions like universities and school districts. For the rest, the primary path is as a K20 Initiative Sponsored Education Group Participant (SEGP). The K20 Initiative was created in 2001 to allow institutions to access Internet2 without the financial burden of becoming full Internet2 members. At least 26 states already have an SEGP program in place that allows libraries, museums, hospitals, and schools to get connected to Internet2.

The SEGP program is normally a state-level program, managed by an existing Internet2 member such as a major university or statewide network. Libraries that are interested in obtaining Internet2 connectivity apply to become members of the SEGP program. The organization running the program normally requires that the library demonstrate a need and an interest in using Internet2 content and technology. Your library needs to know how it will take advantage of the Internet2 connection and be able to show that it has the infrastructure, especially at the network level, to support access to Internet2 content. Make sure you have enough bandwidth locally to support your Internet2 traffic (see "Getting Tech Ready," p. 15). The SEGP programs vary from state to state, but in some situations there is no additional fee for Internet2 connectivity.

The Internet2 consortium is actively courting libraries to become involved with Internet2 activities. It wants our feedback and our opinions to improve the design of Internet2. But most of all, it wants librarians because of our expertise and creativity in providing access to information. We owe it to our users to both provide access to Inernet2 and have a hand in creating its future.