Virginia Tech and other Virginia universities that are members of the Mid-Atlantic Research Infrastructure Alliance, Inc. (MARIA) will increase campus connections to the Internet2 Network to 100 gigabits per second (100G).
This upgrade will deliver a tenfold increase in information-carrying capacity required to meet the rapidly advancing needs of high-performance, data intensive research and collaboration.
The move puts participating Virginia universities among the best-connected institutions globally. Internet2 is the United States’ largest and fastest globally connected research and education network.
MARIA is a non-profit corporation that brings together Virginia’s major universities to facilitate access to shared technology infrastructure for research (cyberinfrastructure).
In addition to Virginia Tech, MARIA members include the College of William and Mary, George Mason University, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
A group of MARIA members are partnering with the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation (MBC) to invest in an upgrade to the MBC network spanning the Commonwealth of Virginia. The advanced technology required to deliver the needed 100G channels poses financial and technical challenges particularly for far flung areas outside the major metropolitan hubs.
The non-profit MBC, created in Virginia in 2004 to develop fiber optic infrastructure for revitalization of underserved communities, is positioned to help meet these challenges and is a natural partner for MARIA with compatible missions for public service.
The upgraded MBC network will deliver enormous initial capacity of 4 terabits per second (4Tbps), including 500 gigabits per second dedicated for MARIA research.
Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University will be the first MARIA members to implement 100G channels over the research allocation. The new network will be operational by July 1.
“By investing in an upgrade to MBC’s backbone network, participating MARIA members will gain the capacity they need and also enable MBC to deliver increased capacity statewide for our carrier customers and economic development purposes,” said Tad Deriso, president and CEO of MBC. “It’s a win-win for Virginia research institutions and for rural communities in our region.”
Other MARIA members, including George Mason University and the University of Virginia, are expected to connect at 100G over their own fiber optic networks in the coming months.
Old Dominion University’s connection through MBC will serve the College of William and Mary, Jefferson Lab, ODU’s Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC), and other participants in the E-Lite metropolitan network operated by Old Dominion in the Hampton Roads region.
Radford University and the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute will benefit from Virginia Tech’s 100G link.
