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Networking/Innovators
10/20/2005
The Penn connection to Internet2 supports international high-speed video conferencing, distributed and online health care, bridging of K-12 to higher ed, and regional workforce development. One example of a supported project is the oncampus General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception (GRASP) Lab, which is a multi-disciplinary research laboratory. A few of the major research thrusts in the GRASP laboratory include three-dimensional reconstruction of environments for use in immersive environments, development of assistive devices for people with disabilities, the design of novel sensors for vision and perception, and modeling and control of biological systems.
In addition to its Internet2 connectivity, Penn also has become a reseller of commercial Internet services (Internet1) to non-profit organizations in the tri-state area. By aggregating traffic at its site, Penn is able to purchase huge amounts of service and make pieces of it very affordable for its partners/subscribers on a cost recovery basis.
Challenge and fulfillment. Fortunately, Associate Networking and Telecom VP Michael Palladino foresaw years ago the need to provide a large conduit to the Internet. When he realized that “even” a T3 (45Mbps) circuit wasn’t going to fulfill the university’s needs, he sought other avenues. At the time, multinational Tier 1 Internet service provider Cogent Communications (www.cogentco.com) was offering a revolutionary idea connectivity in 100Mbps increments at $10 per megabit. Palladino was skeptical, as the offering seemed too good to be true, but he decided it was worth a shot and initiated Cogent service with a link to the Penn campus at 100Mbps. Within six months, he found that it was saturated.The use of the bandwidth grew exponentially, pushing Penn to upgrade to a full gigabit connection. Because the university has a leased dark-fiber (previously idle fiber-optic cable) link to the telecom hotel (a building constructed or rebuilt for data centers; an Internet data center) in Philadelphia and uses wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), it’s able to have up to eight connections to that site.
In addition to the gigabit link, Penn started its resale service with 100- Mbps, added a second 100Mbps link within nine months, and just recently bumped up the service again to 500Mbps.
Lessons learned. Palladino notes, “We’re large and can’t afford to be out [of service]. If we were out for two days,” he adds, “I would be fired” (and he’s not joking). But his group has found the service to be very stable and reliable. Even with all the growth experienced, the level of support hasn’t slipped. Penn has now chosen to have only one backup ISP, rather than the two or three it had in the past.
Palladino was also pleasantly surprised to find that the price quoted by Cogent was not a “teaser rate” and has stayed stable, which, together with the reliable service, has led to a long-term partnership that will stay in place through 2009. Dave Schaeffer, Cogent’s CEO, observes: “We’re an enabler. What organizations do with this bandwidth is only limited by their imaginations.” Penn is one of nearly 400 universities and colleges served by Cogent.
Overall, the impressive amount of connectivity purchased by the University of Pennsylvania has permitted the 50,000 users of its network to pursue their studies and research without ever having to “beg” for more bandwidth.
Wendy Chretien is a senior network systems consultant with Elert & Associates , independent technology consultants. E&A does not endorse, sell, or resell any products.
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