COLLEGE PARK, MD (March 6, 2014) – Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX), in conjunction with Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., announced today the successful transmission of data at rates of 400 Gbps and 800 Gbps over MAX’s optical network from Baltimore, MD, to McLean, VA, during a field trial based in College Park, MD. The week-long trial, which is the first ever to demonstrate Fujitsu’s new super-channel capabilities on a deployed network, showed that MAX will be able to provide a 400 Gbps-capable networking infrastructure to the surrounding research and education (R&E) community, as well as blaze a future path to even higher speeds on the existing installed base of equipment.
This record-speed transmission was made possible by using the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE® 9500 Packet Optical Networking Platform to transmit data with a 25% improvement in channel spacing over conventional dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM). These condensed channels are a result of flexible grid utilization and are combined with advanced modulation techniques including dual-polarization quadrature phase shift keying (DP-QPSK) and dual-polarization 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (DP-16QAM) to greatly increase network utilization without requiring any physical adjustments to the MAX network infrastructure. The end result is a super-channel that allows more than 2.5 times increase in bandwidth in the same amount of spectral width as current DWDM technologies.
The field trial focused on achieving a stable 400 Gbps transmission over the MAX network footprint, alongside existing 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps channels. After this was demonstrated, an error-free rate of 800 Gbps was also attempted and achieved during the test – indicating a wealth of possibilities for the current state of optical networking, while also shining a light on future networking capabilities.
“This field trial provided a significant opportunity for MAX and Fujitsu to collaborate on a leading technological advancement in the optical networking field,” said Tripti Sinha, Executive Director of MAX. “The achievement of such a fast networking speed will not only benefit MAX participants, but it will also set the standard for the future of advanced networking, helping to unlock previously unavailable resources for researchers across the world.”
This dramatic increase in network speed will allow MAX to provide its participants with even more robust and scalable network communication capabilities across Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. 400 Gbps will help scientists across the mid-Atlantic minimize the limitations of geographic distance and maximize the demands of science applications in order to expedite the transmission of data and, ultimately, discoveries through groundbreaking research.
“Fujitsu has established a track record of continuously evolving and expanding technology solutions to meet the most demanding networking requirements,” said Rod Naphan, CTO and Senior Vice President of Solutions, Product Planning and Portfolio Management, Fujitsu Network Communications. “Our collaboration with MAX is one example that we’re particularly proud of. Today we’re achieving 400 Gbps, and we can already see greater capacity in the not-too-distant future.”
The field trial demonstrated several key technical advancements which could lead to the next generation of optical transmission. Fujitsu’s 400 Gbps and 800 Gbps super-channel capabilities enable higher per-channel scalability. Support for multiple modulation schemes including DP-QPSK and DP-16QAM opens up the ability to optimize spectral efficiency while accommodating dynamically-changing reach demands. Additionally, Nyquist filtering techniques leverage spectral shaping resulting in an increase in spectral density. With nonlinear fiber impairments being a major limiting factor of optical transmission, the field trial demonstrated nonlinear compensation (NLC) techniques to reduce the resulting optical penalties and extend the achievable transmission distance. All of these advancements enable a much higher utilization of costly fiber infrastructure and maximize the bandwidth available for demanding R&E applications.
For more information about MAX and MAX services, please visit www.maxgigapop.net.
Read More...February 6, 2014
Ann Arbor, Mich. — Merit Network announced today at The Quilt’s annual meeting a special savings programs on Michigan Cyber Range courses and Merit Secure Sandbox for members of The Quilt, the national coalition of advanced regional networks for research and education.
“The Michigan Cyber Range provides cybersecurity courses and infrastructure that are unique and provide great value to members of The Quilt,” said Don Welch, president and CEO of Merit Network. “Quilt members can offer these courses and Merit Secure Sandbox to their member organizations at reduced prices.”
“Merit’s Cyber Range service offering to other Quilt members is yet another way Quilt members collaborate with one another to leverage specific member experience and expertise for the benefit of the research and education network community,” said Jen Leasure, president and CEO of The Quilt. “We look forward to continuing to grow our Quilt member-to-member service catalog and facilitate the exchange of services among our Quilt members who understand, create and deliver services in a manner consistent with the way Quilt member institutions desire to utilize them.”
The Michigan Cyber Range offers numerous cybersecurity certification courses throughout the year online and in-person. Through the exclusive program with Merit, organizations can get 10 percent off of cybersecurity training. Each course includes a certification test provided by Mile2, a respected provider of cybersecurity certifications. For a current schedule of classes, please see: http://www.merit.edu/cyberrange/
In addition, members of The Quilt can provide 10% to 30% off on Merit Secure Sandbox to their member organizations. Merit Secure Sandbox is a highly secure platform that organizations can use for their own cybersecurity training purposes, for cybersecurity practice exercises, and for software testing.
“Merit Secure Sandbox is an innovative cybersecurity resource that an organization can use for their own educational purposes. They can let their students try cybersecurity techniques and procedures in an enclosed environment that is completely separated from the Internet and their own network. It provides a high level of security and safety while giving students and instructors the freedom to practice real-world situations,” Welch said.
Members of The Quilt should contact Merit Network by phone at 734-527-5785 or by email atsales@merit.edu for more information about these exclusive discount programs.
http://www.merit.edu/news/newsarchive/article.php?article=20140206_quilt
Read More...Technology executives across the country gather to discuss advancements in research and education networks
SEATTLE, Wash. (Feb. 11, 2014) – The Quilt, a national coalition of advanced regional networks for research and education (RENs) representing more than 30 networks across the country, today announced that nearly 100 national leaders from Quilt member organizations, affiliates and guests participated in The Quilt 2014 Winter Member Meeting> and the Quilt-Internet2 InCommon Federation Workshop> on Feb. 4 through Feb. 7 in La Jolla, Calif.
Representatives from federal partners and national efforts from NOAA, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Ignite, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) participated in the event along with Quilt members from throughout the country and affiliates such as Internet2, MIDnet, and BCNET.
Quilt Winter Meeting attracts leaders in national networking https://www.thequilt.net/ | news via @TweetTheQuilt
Kevin Thompson, NSF Program Director at the Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure in the CISE directorate, provided details about how Quilt member networks can participate in the newly-announced NSF Campus Cyberinfrastructure – Innovation, Infrastructure and Engineering (CC*IIE) program. Additionally, Glenn Ricart from U.S. Ignite sparked discussion on how to develop regional network involvement in convening and facilitating community work for U.S. Ignite application development in their areas.
Other presentations by members of The Quilt also highlighted the event and included a panel discussion on the executive, technical and financial perspectives of capital investments and refresh for R&Es and another on how to better support the enterprise of research by focusing resources on innovation. The Quilt-InCommon workshop convened after the member meeting also saw strong attendance and showcased outcomes of the initial set of regional network InCommon pilots spanning the last 12 months. A description of the project and the goals of this workshop are available for viewing here.
“We saw excellent engagement at this year’s winter meeting,” said The Quilt President and CEO Jen Leasure. “Our bi-annual member meetings are designed to inform our members on interesting topics for regional networks as well as provide a forum for our members to leverage one another’s knowledge and expertise to collectively advance networking for research and education.”
The Quilt also is pleased to announce two new members: the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network (ARE-ON) and the Maryland Research and Education Network (MDREN).
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