Truman State University is a member of MOREnet.
With the steady rise of streaming content and interactive web services, increased Internet bandwidth is in high demand. This past week, MOREnet completed a series of network equipment upgrades to increase its current infrastructure to support up to 8.8 terabits per second of network traffic in 100 gigabit per second (Gbps) optical paths. This upgrade ensures readiness to meet the demand of schools, libraries, government agencies and non-profit organizations who utilize the services of MOREnet and continue to rely more and more on Internet-based tools and resources.
With this equipment upgrade, MOREnet becomes one of the few networks in the country to support 100 gigabit optical paths. In addition, this lays the groundwork for the MOREnet network to meet future demands and support capacities of up to 1 terabit per second per optical path in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Dr. Gordon Springer, the scientific director of the University of Missouri Bioinformatics Consortium weighed in on the update, “These connections are enabling my ability to carry on research I have wanted to do for more than 20 years. Additionally, the capacity to move large quantities of data is of strategic importance for the State’s research and education institutions in the years to come.”
Work on this project began in early 2013 when the University of Missouri was awarded a $1 million Campus Cyberinfrastructure – Network Infrastructure and Engineering (CC-NIE) grant to fund the build out of a 100Gbps circuit from Columbia to Kansas City and another 100Gbps circuit from Columbia to St. Louis. Both circuits will connect to Internet2’s National Innovation Platform, making MOREnet the only research and education network providing network transport services for Internet2.
“MOREnet’s upgrade dramatically expands capacity to access Internet2’s Advanced Network services at 100Gbps and beyond. This network project enables the University of Missouri’s researchers to better detect and treat autism, for example, while also supporting other Missouri researchers and connecting collaborators throughout the nation and the world,” said Rob Vietzke, Internet2 vice president of network services. “This is another key building block that expands Missouri’s support for large-scale science, technology, engineering and mathematics for future discoveries. The Internet2 community is delighted to have MOREnet as a leading national contributor to the nation’s innovation platform.”
Hank Niederhelm, Director of Infrastructure at MOREnet concludes, “We’ve seen tremendous growth in Internet bandwidth demand by our members in recent years and being able to position our statewide network to meet the continued demand is important to our members. Deploying a leading-edge network infrastructure capable of supporting very high bandwidth capacities will help Missouri to keep pace with new advances in education technology and research and we are excited to play a part in this.”
For more information on this equipment upgrade contact MOREnet Technical Support at help@more.net