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New Internet Speed Record

Himanshu writes "Researchers have set a new data transmission record over the Internet2's high-speed backbone. The new record announced Tuesday at the Spring 2004 Internet2 member meeting in Arlington, Va., was for transmitting data over nearly 11,000 kilometers at an average speed of 6.25 gigabits per second. This is nearly 10,000 times faster than a typical home broadband connection. The network link used to set the record spans from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland."

29 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. The carrier pigeons are in for some competition by jrj102 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally, the Internet will be able to compete on a level playing field in terms of bandwidth with carrier pigeons. :)

    --- JRJ

    1. Re:The carrier pigeons are in for some competition by RailGunner · · Score: 4, Funny
      Yeah, and there's also a problem with packet loss due to "hackers", also known as Cats.

      Here Kitty kitty kitty...

    2. Re:The carrier pigeons are in for some competition by blasphemi · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nah, its just the script kitties.

  2. I just hope this never gets to Joe User. by Tuxedo+Jack · · Score: 5, Funny

    If that happens, imagine the DDoS power from a group of infected Windows boxes.

    --

    Striking fear in the authors of godawful fanfiction, I am here, appearing in darkness, Tuxedo Jack!
    1. Re:I just hope this never gets to Joe User. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      If that happens, imagine the DDoS power from a group of infected Windows boxes.

      Why? Not like bandwidth has been holding back all these cool DDoS attacks. After all, isn't that one of the points of the first 'D'?

  3. We're going to need all that speed... by ZorinLynx · · Score: 4, Funny

    In order to carry the immense increasing volume of spam...

    1. Re:We're going to need all that speed... by strictnein · · Score: 4, Funny

      Amazing... both you and the poster below you posted the same link... you guys brothers? or lovers? or psychic twins?

  4. Undocumented bandwidth usage limit by weave · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bet they probably hit their undocumented bandwidth usage limit and will be getting a nasty letter from their service provider telling them to knock it off! :)

  5. Interesting, but... by camusflage · · Score: 4, Funny

    How many Libraries of Congress per second is it?

    --
    The truth about Scientology, Xenu, and you: Operation Clambake
  6. Dial-Up and Shell Accounts by OrangeTide · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is anyone offering dial-up and shells for Internet2? I'm tired of the Internet1.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  7. Jack Valenti by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, Jack Valenti, not only does this mean more downloading of pirated movies, it brings us closer to the day when the average 13-year old with an average computer will be able to download all of Hollywood in less than 45 minutes. Sleep while you can, Jack.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  8. /. front page in 0.000015 seconds by Stuwee · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's over 66000 reloads of the front page every second.

    Yes, I'm ignoring the obvious latency, but we can only dream.

  9. Re:Wow... by RealityMogul · · Score: 5, Funny

    What? You must not be one of the customers of the ISP I work for. According to them we have "the Internet" in our server room. Several have even asked for a copy on CD, so they can use it while they're away from their computer.

    Seriously, one person did say that.

  10. Or more accurately by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The network link used to set the record spans from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland

    In other words, 2 of the, what, 1000?, 2000?, 10000? nodes on internet2 have exchange data super-fast.

    Well okay, but I'm sure if you reduce the number of internet1-connected computers to the same number, you'll get really really good results too.

    Comparing a semi-experimental network to a mature, heavily used one, is like comparing apples and oranges, and therefore I smell marketting under this speed record announcement.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  11. However... by techstar25 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "This is nearly 10,000 times faster than a typical home broadband connection."
    However for $19.99 you can get unlimited dial-up access on Internet2 which is only 5000 times faster than a typical home broadband connection.

  12. Re:Speed is nice... by igrp · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hmm, I don't think anyone is seriously contemplating using high-speed equipment like this in a SoHo environment. We're rather talking backbone infrastructure. And, when you're dealing with backbone setups you simply cannot have enough bandwidth. These days, the limiting factor isn't actually technology - it's money.

  13. Re:How long until broadband speeds up for mainstre by AndyRobinson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    10Mbit/sec Ethernet has been around since, what, 1980 and is still 20 times faster than my ADSL line, so I expect we'll all be flying around in our personal jet packs first...

  14. Okay, but how does it get to the computer? by jmlyle · · Score: 5, Funny


    I mean, my laptop can only do Gigabit Ethernet. Will all of that data just kind of smush up on the other side of the wall until it bursts the wire?

    --
    I have misplaced my pants.
  15. what a NOT in-depth article by fred+fleenblat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    how did they do this? fiber optic? satellite? quantum singlarity?
    who paid for this? government grants? private sponsorship? ice weasels?
    who benefits from this? physics professors? lonely college students? pay per view movie download web sites?
    can this technology be brought to individuals and businesses? yes? no? maybe?
    what crappy reporting on such an interesting topic.

  16. Sneakernet trumps all (yet more calculations) by Raul654 · · Score: 4, Funny

    With a little experimenting, I found that 7 DVDs stack to a height of exactly 1 cm. The diameter of a dVD is 12 cm (radius = .06).

    Volume of a DVD = pi * r^2 * h = 3.141 * (.06)^2 * 1/7 * .01 = .0000161 cubic meters

    The volume of a large SUV:

    "With rear seats folded 5-pass: 86.2, 7-pass: 79.9"

    79 cubic feet is 2.26251604 cubic meters

    2.26251604 cubic meters / .0000161 cubic meters/dvd = 140061.6601 DVDs

    4.37 gigs / DVD * 140061.6601 DVDs = 612069.4546 gigs in one carload

    Throughput speed = Data / (setup time + transmit time)

    Assume a one-way transmission, one mile down the road. Assume the DVDs are packed in such a way so that loading the time spent loading the van is negigible (they're boxed well). Therefore, setup time ~= 0. Assume the van drives at an average speed of 60 mph.

    1 mile / 60 mph = 60 seconds

    612069.4546 gigs / 60 seconds = 10201.15758 gigs / second.

    10201 >> 6.5 gigs per second. Sneakernet wins.

    --


    To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
    --E.C. Stanton
  17. Comcast will have this soon... by ScottGant · · Score: 4, Funny

    6 GB/s downloads...but still only 128kb/s uploads...

    --

    "Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it." - John Lennon.
  18. Re:Stupid Question by TigerTime · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because if everyone had a 100mbps pipe out of their house then the main networks would be slammed.

    For instance at your cable company's hub, let's say they can handle a total of 100,000 mbps to the internet (yes i'm generalizing) and all the customers have 100mbps to them.

    They would severely lose the number of customers they could have. As few as 1000 for full speed.

    Or they could charge companies a premium rate for 100mbs internet access and the average Joe user a regular fee for 3mbps (which is sufficient). They would be able to increase their customer base immensely while still providing a useful product.

    It comes down to a tree analogy. Either a tree trunk can have a few large branches or it can have a whole lot of small branches. It CAN'T can't have a whole lot of large branches or the tree will break.

  19. LoC/s by tweakt · · Score: 4, Informative
    Ok, I'll bite (I was bored).

    According to the site, the LoC contains:

    • 29 million books
    • 2.7 million recordings
    • 12 million photographs
    • 4.8 million maps
    • 57 million manuscripts

    These are quick & dirty, back-of-the-napkin estimates:
    Book/Manuscripts: (300 pp. x 500 words/page x 8 bytes/word) = ~2MB
    Recording: (300 sec x 176,400 bytes/sec) = ~60MB
    Photograph: 500KB (2k x 2k, jpeg q=0.8 ??)
    Maps: Uhh? Vector? Raster? Hmm, lets say ~10MB?

    So... throwing all those numbers together, I come out with roughly...

    Oh, let's call it 250 Terabytes. (or 2 Petabits).

    At only 6.25 Gb/s that works out to 320,000s, or...

    only 3.7 days/LoC

    Clearly, more improvement is needed... (and maybe bzip2 would help?)

  20. Internet 2 by hot_Karls_bad_cavern · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's your answer:

    Internet 2

    If you are wondering, "hrm, am *i* on intarwebs 2?"...most likely, no, but they have a tool to check for you, just nab it and try.

    We use it heavily on campus and are quite active in the Access Grid. Great stuff.

  21. Re: Pr0n (DVDs / sec) by tweakt · · Score: 4, Informative
    Ahh, right. That's a better idea. Let's see how long a DVD (single layer -- 4.7GB takes):

    At 6.25Gb/s, about 6 seconds. I can hear MPAA quaking in their boots. Or, if you prefer, you could stream about 600 DVDs simultaneously. *drool*

    Yes... it's a SLOW day at work today. Blah...

  22. Gentlemen, by Gannoc · · Score: 4, Funny

    In early 1994, I introduced the concept of the "Porn Barrier" as a way to measure bandwidth.

    The Porn Barrier is breached when a home broadband connection can download porn faster than you consume it.

    For many people, a simple broadband connection has already passed their Porn Barrier, and I congratulate them.

    However, after years of caffiene, video games, and desensitation via usenet and other sources, my personal Porn Barrier is still well beyond current home bandwidth availability.

    This article gives me hope that one day, I too shall know the joys of passing my own Porn Barrier in the privacy of my own home.

    Maybe then I can finally put that regretful day in the campus computer lab behind me, aside from the fact that I'm legally required to register when I move so that the police can notify my neighbors.

    The future is bright!

  23. Re:Wow... by p3d0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the 1950s I had a customer who wanted the Internet on punch cards.

    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
  24. Re:Wow... by larkost · · Score: 4, Funny

    In the 1950's it would have fit.

  25. Newsflash: Record Holders Create Kazaa Supernode by popo · · Score: 5, Funny


    "Within minutes of breaking the Internet speed record the elated researchers moved their entire DivX collection into a mysterious folder titled 'My Shared Folder', and began slapping high fives."

    "When asked to explain their actions, the researchers only comment was 'Free pr0n!! Free pr0n!!' The exact meaning of this phrase is not yet known. -AP"

    --
    ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )