Internet 2 - the next generation internet
 

Does anyone have anymore information on a technology currently being used by colleges called Internet 2. Apparently it was developed by Georgia Tech in Atlanta but is used across universities to move huge amounts of data. I just saw a local news story on Tech students being in trouble for apparently using it to download media, songs, etc., illegally. It was said that this technology allows the ability to download a DVD movie at DVD quality in about 30 seconds. Uhhh, that changes everything.

Thanks for bringing that up. I don't remember hearing about that. There're doesn't seem to be that much coverage about it, but here's some links I found.

http://www.internet2.edu
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/03/11/internet2/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,360975,00.asp

We have it here in MA, what with all those schools. You are still limited by the speed of the weakest link when you want to transfer stuff. If your destination is a slow Web site, you get low transfer rates.

Internet2 has been around since the Clinton administration.

Does that mean Al Gore invented this one too?!

You're right though - the concepts and plans for it have been in the works for quite some time. I remember reading several years back how this next phase in broadband will involve asynchronous transfer - meaning that the architecture would allow for simultaneous upload and download with no loss in speeds to either. Just one of its boons.

I couldn't begin to tell you how such technology would work, but it's exciting, that's for sure. Internet 1 architecture is, by technology standards, becoming ancient - decades old at this point.