SCD works to bring UCAR and Front Range GigaPop into National LambdaRail
"Network of the future" will provide more flexible bandwidth options than current systems
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| SCD's Marla Meehl and Peter O'Neil point out UCAR's location on the National LambdaRail fiberoptic network. | |
The hard work of Marla Meehl, manager of SCD's Network Engineering and Telecommunications Section, and Peter O'Neil (NETS), a NETS senior engineer, paid off in June 2004 when UCAR joined the National LambdaRail (NLR) on behalf of the Front Range GigaPop (FRGP).
NLR is a consortium of leading U.S. research universities and private-sector technology companies deploying a nationwide networking infrastructure, while the FRGP is a consortium of universities, nonprofit corporations, and government agencies that share Wide Area Network services along the Colorado Front Range, Wyoming, and Utah.
NLR is a new fiber-optic network that will promote research in science and networking. Scientists will be able to link models and move data faster and more reliably and over dedicated lines, while network engineers will be able to conduct experiments and test improvements to the system without disrupting traffic.
"The National LambdaRail facility will be a vitally important resource for the atmospheric sciences community," Marla says. "It will enable scientific discovery on many fronts. And those of us in networking are excited because it allows us to have a dedicated network for network research, which is unheard of today."
Multiple networks for the price of one
LambdaRail is so called because lambda is the symbol for wavelength. Light paths come in different wavelengths, and with NLR's multiplexing switch technology, many wavelengths of light can be sent over one fiberoptic path. Each wavelength carries message packets at a rate of ten gigabits per second. "You can get 32 individual, ten-gigabit networks for the price of one pair of fiber, which is a tremendous repayment for a single investment," Marla says. (Four ten-Gbps networks will initially be active on NLR.)
Since different wavelengths can be dedicated to different production and experimental uses, it's easy, for instance, to set up a network for a short-term field project. The infrastructure is already there; it's a relatively simple task to assign a wavelength to that project. This eliminates the considerable effort of installing, activating, and then tearing down a traditional network infrastructure.
"That's what we're excited about," Marla says. "This is the future of networking; it is changing the way networks are built and used for scientific research."
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| This map shows the footprint of the National LambdaRail, a new high-speed, fiber-optic network that will promote research in science and networking. | |
How the project started
The idea for NLR started three years ago with the Pacific Light Rail (PLR), a fiber-optic network being built to connect the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) and the Pacific Northwest GigaPop — two organizations encompassing a number of sites in California, Oregon, and Washington. Fiber-optic networks are optimally configured in a ring, so that in the event of damage to the fiber, traffic can be routed back around the other way. "For this reason," Marla says, "and because Denver is well-connected for fiber — cable is often installed along railroad tracks, and many tracks go through Denver — the Pacific Light Rail asked us if we wanted to be part of the Pacific Light Rail. We said sure."
At that same time, telecommunication companies began selling off their assets due to economic recession, and it became much easier to buy fiber. Accordingly, Marla observes, "The PLR folks thought, "Why stop in Denver; let's go to Chicago and pick up Pittsburgh,' then 'Let's go on to DC — and if we're there, let's include Virginia.' Pretty soon they were putting together a national infrastructure."
Many bumps and roadblocks
Marla and Peter championed the effort to bring UCAR and the FRGP into the NLR. Finding the way wasn't easy, however: it took two years of extensive negotiations to work out. "It's been a long process with many bumps and roadblocks, many changes of direction," Marla says.
Part of what made it difficult is that UCAR is a government-funded corporation and NLR is a not-for-profit corporation, so there were numerous legal problems to solve. Tying in the FRGP added another layer of complexity. And, since NLR is an $80 to $100 million initiative with each member contributing at least $5 million over the next five years, there was the matter of funding.
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"All sorts of issues had to be addressed, and a good deal of money was involved," Marla recalls. "Peter and I worked closely with NLR, the FRGP, the University of Utah, UCAR Finance and Administration, and others from around the country to come up with a mechanism to make this work in tight budget years — to develop a solution that was palatable financially, practically, and legally for all of us." These efforts included ongoing consortium meetings, board meetings, person-to-person meetings, weekly teleconferences, private calls, and behind-the-scenes conversations.
Efforts nearly came to a standstill in September 2003 — but due to the "infinite patience, supportiveness, and tirelessness" of team members working to bring about a solution, Marla says, a solution was ultimately found. UCAR/FRGP formally joined NLR in June 2004.
