By
Amber Rasche - Communications Manager, Internet2
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Each year for the SC Conference, hundreds of volunteers and contributors across research and education (R&E), government, and industry band together to build SCinet — the temporary, ultra-high-speed network that connects the conference to the world.
For SC25, SCinet is anticipated to deliver an incredible 13.72 Tbps of network capacity. The network’s advanced capabilities will enable the workshops and demonstrations that push the boundaries of networking technologies and innovations.
Among the volunteers are 15 Internet2 staff members helping design, build, and operate this year’s network. From supporting Wi-Fi for thousands of attendees to testing new routing innovations and optical technologies, SCinet volunteers exemplify the kind of collaboration that makes new things possible.
Lillie Elliot, SC Photography
Internet2’s SCinet contributions for SC25 include:
- 7.2 Tbps anticipated in network ports and capacity
- Five 400 Gbps circuits, an 800 Gbps long-haul coherent optics trial, and 1.2 Tbps on-ramp to the North America – Research Education Exchange, all supporting the SCinet Network Research Exhibition
- First-ever Internet2 Managed Dedicated Local Platform (MDLP) router deployed in the SCinet NOC
- Spectrum delivery from the Internet2 transcontinental optical system to exhibits on the SC show floor
- eduroam Wi-Fi dashboard to provide data visibility for U.S. institutions
Visit the Internet2 at SC25 webpage to learn about how Internet2 supports SCinet as a Diamond Contributor. Read on to find out what makes the SCinet experience so rewarding and what’s new and exciting in this year’s build. Internet2 volunteers share their perspectives on the collaboration and innovation that make SCinet possible.
Building an Immensely Powerful Network Together
SCinet is a uniquely collaborative effort involving volunteers and contributions from hundreds of organizations, spanning R&E, government, and industry. What stands out about the way people and organizations come together to make it all work?
“SCinet is truly like nothing else. Volunteers across disciplines and areas of expertise — passionate not just about the work they are doing for the conference, but the people who make it possible — unite much like the one network that serves the many uses of SC. The varied perspectives and experiences each volunteer brings from every sector are invaluable in this network-building endeavor and create interpersonal networks that extend beyond the conference.”
– Jennifer Kim, Internet2 Cyberinfrastructure Engineer for the MS-CC and SCinet Edge Co-Chair
Pushing Boundaries in Capacity and Routing Innovations
SCinet’s scale and performance depend on contributions from R&E networks and industry. How does this collaboration come together to deliver new capacity and capabilities each year?
“SCinet gives our community a space to showcase what’s possible in advanced networking today to support the learning and science opportunities of tomorrow. This year’s wide area network includes multiple coherent optics tests, ranging from 400 to 800 Gbps and spanning up to 1,100 km. Working alongside 200 other SCinet contributors and volunteers from around the world, we get to experiment with innovative, interoperable technologies, learn together, and bring those insights back to strengthen research and education networks everywhere.”
— Camille Davis-Alfs, Internet2 Associate Director of Network Engineering and SCinet WAN Co-Chair
SCinet is a testbed for cutting-edge technologies. What routing innovations is the team focused on this year to explore new developments in advanced networking?
“For SC25, we’re building on an approach introduced last year — a separate routed network dedicated to the SCinet Network Research Exhibition demonstrations, including 800 Gbps connectivity delivered in collaboration with ESnet and Internet2. This design allows researchers to run experiments without interference from other conference traffic. After a year of planning and working with technology and equipment that isn’t even on the market yet, it’s incredibly fulfilling to see everything come together and know we’re helping shape the future of research and education networking.”
— Annalicia Duran, Internet2 Network Engineer and SCinet Routing Co-Chair
Connecting Thousands of Attendees with Wi-Fi and eduroam
Providing Wi-Fi for thousands of SC attendees is no small feat. What role does eduroam play in ensuring secure and seamless Wi-Fi access for attendees from eduroam-enabled institutions within the R&E community?
“SC attendees rely on the conference Wi-Fi designed and implemented by the SCinet Edge team, and the R&E community relies on eduroam to keep those connections easy and secure. eduroam served over 5,400 devices during last year’s conference. At SC25, we’re debuting a new dashboard that provides U.S. eduroam administrators greater visibility into the eduroam data from their institution. Check out the displays at SCinet Network Operations Center, and connect to the Wi-Fi, which uses IPv6 more effectively every year!”
— Mary Bull, Internet2 eduroam Technical Service Manager and SCinet DevOps Volunteer
Shaping the Future of Advanced Networking
For Internet2 staff and their peers, volunteering with SCinet is about more than helping to build the world’s fastest temporary network. It’s also about testing what’s next and bringing that knowledge back to strengthen advanced networking for the R&E community.
Heading to St. Louis next week for SC25? Be sure to visit Internet2 at booth #3524 to connect with the team. Then, stop by the SCinet NOC at booth #3536 to see the network in action.
About the Author(s)
Amber Rasche supports strategic communications and media relations in service of Internet2’s mission to advance the research and education community. She has 14+ years of experience in higher education IT and in research, education, and government high-performance networking environments. From technical writing to storytelling, she enjoys shining a light on collaboration and innovation—and the people who make it all possible.