Dr. Clint Smullen, the Chair of the Center of Excellence for Computer Applications at UTC, explained Internet2.  This will not replace the Internet we are now using, but it is helping industry, government, and researchers to propose and test new ways to improve Internet operation.  Congestion is growing on the Internet.  There are at least 172 million host computers now connected, and we are running out of IP addresses.  For a definition of IP address, see http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/IP_address.html.  Industry is using more information to make decisions and the files they need to transfer by email are growing in size.  One company that Dr. Smullen mentioned regularly updates a 70 Terabyte file of customer information.  Emails and the data they carry are now packaged into small chunks.  These chunks are sent down many routes and are reassembled at their destination.  Large files are divided into many small chunks and there is no guarantee that all the small chunks will eventually arrive at the final destination.  The internet makes its best effort to deliver email.  New internet users need more reliable communication.  An example given was doctors needing to make a quick medical diagnosis.  The spacing between chunks of data isn’t necessarily even.  This causes jitter for television or audio information.  Sending a video stream to many people is also not as efficient as it could be.  If 30 students at their office computers want to receive a video display of a class, then 30 sets of packaged chunks will be sent to the 30 student IP addresses.  The new protocols being tested on Internet2 allow multicasting (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/multicast.html) that will send one stream of data that the 30 student computers could then tap into.  The latest protocol in use is IPv6 (http://www.ipv6.org/).  In this protocol, the chunks of data are larger to make the transfer of larger files more efficient.  If the network is fast enough, the streams of data need not be compressed into chunks.  New internet technologies and applications are being developed and tested by 6 main groups that each include a sponsor with funding (like NIH or NHF), Partners with technology know how (like Quest, MCI, Sprint), and Researchers (like national laboratories or universities).  Listed below are internet sites describing the high speed networks that have been developed, so far, in the United States that are connected at NGIX exchange points (What is an NGIX exchange point?  See http://www.nren.nasa.gov/about/faq.html):

DREN=Defense Research & Engineering Network -- http://www.hpcmo.hpc.mil/Htdocs/DREN/

NREN=NASA Research & Education Network -- http://www.nren.nasa.gov/

vBNS=very high speed Backbone Network Services -- http://www.nlanr.net/VBNS/vBNS.html

Abilene -- http://abilene.internet2.edu/

SuperNet= a wide-area, advanced networking testbed supported by the NGI (Next Generation Internet) program.  -- http://www.ngi-supernet.org/

ESNET=Energy Sciences Network -- http://www.es.net/

When asked if the existing internet safe for credit card purchases, Dr. Smullen said for his purchases over the internet, he uses a separate credit card with a low limit to minimize his liability if the information is stolen.  The 40 to 80 byte encryption used by older systems has been broken, but the 120 byte encryption has not yet been broken.  The credit card information could be stolen during transmission or at the receiving company’s site.

Respectfully submitted by Judy Driggans

FUTURE MONDAY MEETINGS_____________________________________

September 8:  Hybrid Lighting - Jeff Muhs, ORNL Engineering Science and Technology Division

September 15:  Responsible Use of the Internet in Education - a book by Aniekan Ebiefung, UTC, Mathematics

September 22:  Lego Competition Update - A prelude to what's coming up for their competition in December.

September 29:  FIELD TRIP - UTC's New Science and Engineering Building, Dr. Phil Kazmersky, UTC

October 6:  The Soldier of the Future - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

October 13:  (NO MEETING - Columbus Day)

October 27:  Technology-Based Economic Development - Greg Laudeman, GA Tech, Economic Development Institute

November 10:  Fusion Technologies - Stan Milora, ORNL

November 17:  Tennessee-Georgia Water Issues - speaker to be arranged by Sam Powell

QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS? ______________________________
If you have any questions or suggestions about program items please call Brad Baucom at 423-648-3582 or email him at baucombe@epb.net. You can find references to other Chattanooga Engineers Club members at our web site: www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org.