vBNS

The acronym vBNS stands for “very high-speed backbone network service,” which is a physical connection of wires and components that make up a special network. The functions of vBNS are similar to those of the Internet; however, the vBNS network possesses very unique features that differentiate the two.

Created in 1995 through a five-year agreement between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and MCI Telecommunications Corporation, the vBNS service is used to investigate new Internet technologies and protocols. The NSF, an independent federal agency that funds research in all fields of science, took an initiative in 1985 to support development of the Internet for education and research. Through a $50 million agreement with MCI, it was decided that the telecommunications company would supply and operate the necessary hardware for vBNS network operations.

The vBNS spans a large geographical area. Called a backbone service, it acts much like the nervous system of the human body, connecting the vital components of an organism—in this case, offering a structure for electronic communications between computers. The vBNS connects Super Computer Centers (SCCs) of selected institutions with Network Access Points (NAPs), which determine how Internet traffic is routed.

This service is unique in two major ways: speed of data transmission and permission for network access. Access is available only to vBNS-authorized institutions (VAIs) that have been granted a High Performance Connection Award by the NSF. In addition, the speed of the vBNS network can achieve rates that are multiple times faster than those of the commercial Internet. As described by Interactive Age contributor Richard Karpinski, the commercial Internet backbone mainly functions at a rate of 45mbps (megabits per second). Using advanced-technology networking components in 1996, the vBNS was capable of transmitting data at rates of 622mbps. The vBNS was an efficient alternative for research institutions, allowing massive amounts of information to be shared among researchers; for example, it could transfer 322 copies of a 300-page book every seven seconds.

The vBNS evolved from other experimental networks funded by the NSF. Decades earlier, the NSF constructed a network named NSFnet to facilitate communication between researchers. However, in [Page 463]1995, the NSFnet was removed and replaced with a commercial Internet backbone to allow for the many World Wide Web functions of today. This led to the development of vBNS, and to the experimentation with the next generation of Internet technologies.

The vBNS played a critical role in former president Bill Clinton's Next Generation Internet (NGI) project. NGI called for the creation of the Internet2, which is directed by the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID). Internet2 was created in October 1996 to give non-commercial institutions, a chance to use a speedy service without NSF sanctioning. According to Library Journal writer Michael Rogers, the Internet2 would provide institutions with the ability to transfer the complete Encyclopedia Britannica in nearly one second. The vBNS offers part of its infrastructure to the Internet2.

The success of vBNS lies largely in what separates it from the commercial Internet. George Strawn and Mark Luker of the NSF state that the vBNS' additional characteristics significantly improve the high-band-width network; it allows researchers to reserve time on the network for optimal transfer or processing, and it allows for distributed computing (multiple remote computers administrating bulks of information simultaneously). Furthermore, the service can support multicasting for highly defined video and multimedia communications.

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