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IU CHOSEN TO OPERATE THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED AND
FAR-REACHING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Indiana University was announced today (Aug. 5) as the home for the Abilene network operations center. Unveiled by Vice President Gore earlier this year, Abilene is an Internet2 backbone network for research and education developed by the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID).
The Abilene network operations center will provide comprehensive network management services for all the physical and operational aspects of the Abilene network. A state-of-the-art network operations center will be critical to the deployment of the advanced networking initiatives and services that are the focus of the Internet2 project.
"UCAID is excited to have the expert team at Indiana University providing the operational support crucial to the success of the Abilene network," said Terry Rogers, Abilene project director. "IU is superbly qualified to lead the day-to-day operations of a network supporting university researchers and educators as they develop and deploy advanced network applications and services."
Integral to IU being chosen to house the network operations center was the strong support of Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon. Delighted with IU's selection, the governor said, "Indiana fully understands it is essential that state governments continue to participate in the development of the new generation of high-speed Internet technologies that provide promise of major impacts in such diverse areas as distance and lifelong learning, healthcare and geographically distributed design and planning. The new initiatives of the Abilene network have the strongest support and endorsement of the state of Indiana."
IU President Myles Brand said that the Abilene network operations center will be located on Indiana University's IUPUI campus in Indianapolis, adding, "The selection of IU to be the center's home is another example of the university's outstanding expertise in information technology and its growing reputation as a leader in this field."
Brand added, "The advanced networking abilities of Abilene will provide educators and researchers with the capabilities of developing applications crucial to all of higher education. IU is extremely eager and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this mission."
Brand thanked Governor O'Bannon for his support and noted that this is yet another example of a strong partnership between state government and higher education.
The Abilene network will be the most advanced and far-reaching research and education network in the world when operations begin in January 1999. The network operations center will ensure the day-to-day operation of the Abilene backbone network and its core nodes, and will help deploy the advanced networking capabilities being developed by the Internet2 community.
The Abilene network operation center will be managed by IU's University Information Technology Services. According to Michael McRobbie, IU's vice president for information technology, "Indiana University has first-rate network engineers with many years extensive experience in implementing and managing large-scale advanced networks. They are eagerly looking forward to the challenges involved in managing what will be the world's most advanced network. This decision also confirms the increasing importance of Indianapolis as a national networking center."
The Abilene project is being developed by UCAID, through access to the nationwide Qwest fiber optic network and technologies provided by Cisco Systems and Nortel (Northern Telecom). Supporting the Internet2 project is a primary goal of Abilene. UCAID is a cooperative effort by over 130 leading U.S. research universities, working with industry and government to provide leadership and direction in advanced networking for higher education.
Indiana's Commissioner for Higher Education Stan Jones also played an important role in IU's securing of the network operations center. He commented, "In the same ways that the universities of this nation pioneered the use and development of the Internet, we also expect they will pioneer the development of the Internet of the future. The major research universities in Indiana have long records of achievement and excellence in networking and network applications. The role that IU will play as the site for the center will benefit the state of Indiana and the entire nation."
Indiana University is one of the oldest state universities in the Midwest and was recently ranked one of the 10 best public research universities in the United States. It is also one of the largest universities in the United States, with over 100,000 students, faculty and staff located on eight campuses. The residential campus at Bloomington and the urban campus at Indianapolis are the largest. Other campuses are located in Fort Wayne, Gary, Kokomo, New Albany, Richmond and South Bend.
(DeAnna Hines, Office Of The Vice President For Public Affairs & Government Relations, 812-855-0850, djhines@indiana.edu) or (Karen Adams, University Information Technology Services (UITS), 812-856-5596 kadams@indiana.edu)