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\begin{document}
\title{Network Status and Objectives}
\maketitle
This report summarizes the present status and future
objectives of Clemson University in developing infrastructure
and applications consistent with the objectives of Internet2.

\section{Infrastructure}

Infrastructure improvements are proceeding in two areas.
Existing 100 Mbps FDDI backbone services are being phased out
and replaced by Gigabit switched Ethernet backbones. Routers
serving both the Department of Computer Science and several
Engineering departments are now connected directly to the
Gigabit backbone. Service to the backbone is via 100 Mbit fast
Ethernet trunks. This 100 Mbit service is being incrementally
extended to the desktop as end-systems and hubs are replaced.
These improvements provide low-latency paths with minimal
routing hops. As shown in the {\em traceroute} output below,
packets transmitted from end-systems in the Department of
Computer Science can reach the SoX gigapop in 3 hops.

\small
\begin{verbatim}
 1  130.127.48.1 (130.127.48.1)  1.040 ms  0.844 ms  0.970 ms
 2  border-atm-r01.clemson.edu (130.127.12.6)  0.929 ms  1.227 ms  0.594 ms
 3  sox-atl.clemson.edu (130.127.3.6)  16.642 ms  16.751 ms  17.085 ms
\end{verbatim}
\normalsize

A parallel, research-only ATM network has also been established.
It reaches research labs in both the Dept. of Electrical and
Computer Engineering and the Dept. of Computer Science. Additional
switches have been purchased in the past year and will be used
to extend this network into other research facilities.

\small
\begin{verbatim}
 1  poole-7500.clemson.edu (130.127.4.1)  0.989 ms  0.848 ms  0.821 ms
 2  border-atm-r01.clemson.edu (130.127.12.6)  0.950 ms  1.254 ms  0.855 ms
 3  sox-atl.clemson.edu (130.127.3.6)  17.871 ms  17.480 ms  17.205 ms
\end{verbatim}
\normalsize

\section{Participation in a Gigapop}

Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina,
and the University of South Carolina submitted a joint
HPC/Internet2 connection proposal which was funded by the NSF.
TogEther, we share an OC-3 link from Columbia, SC to the SoX
Gigapop near Atlanta.

\section{Development of Advanced Applications}

Our Internet2 connection proposal to the NSF identified a diverse group
10 applications that included areas such nanotechnololgy and the
engineering of artificial human joints in addition to applications in
network protocol development. In the remainder of this section we
describe in some detail one application that is ongoing and another
that is in the proposal stage.

\subsection{The Clemson/NASA Regional Application Center}

NASA and Clemson University have formed a collaborative effort
for the establishment of a remote sensing Regional Applications
Center (RAC) to service the southeastern regions of the US. The
primary purpose of the RAC is to allow NASA to test and
transfer its remote sensing technology to the outside community.
Through the RAC, universities, private industry and federal
agencies have the ability to retreive and use localized satellite
data on a routine basis.

In the system presently operating at Clemson, a GOES ingest system
receives geosynchronous weather data via satellite downlink on a
continuous basis at a rate of about 1GB of raw data an hour. Ongoing
research efforts include development of high performance methods for
processing the raw data, archiving it, and presenting it for retrieval
by customers at remote locations. Because of the enormous volume of
data involved and the need to present it in image form, high performance
networking is a critical enabling technology. The principal
investigator of this project is Prof. Walter Ligon of Electrical and
Computer Engineering.

\subsection{Distributed Virtual Environments}

In the past decade researchers at Clemson and elsewhere have
created a large body of knowledge in the building and projection
of immersive virtual environments. These environments have
proven very useful in facilitating the understanding of complex
physical systems. However, the usage of such systems is
typically confined to the physical site where the graphics
super-computer that provides the virtual environment is located.

Availability of high speed networks offers the potential for
building distributed virtual environments that could
significantly facilitate the collaboration of researchers at
different sites.  An ideal system of this class would provide
real-time, photo-realistic rendering and include
cues to presence such as the proprioceptive feedback offered by
an ability to see oneself and others within the environment.
However, to successfully deploy such a system, it is necessary
to overcome both the the obvious challenges in the graphics
domain, and significant network-related obstacles. Principal
among the network related issues are:

\begin{itemize}
\itemsep=0pt
\item
quality-layered video encoding:  Video (pixel level)
encoding for transmission is preferable to model
encoding in that it allows local site model independence
and reduces local site hardware demands.  However, quality
layers, typically generated through transform encoding,
must be provided to allow communication protocols to
adapt to network congestion.

\item
adaptive network protocols:  Even with Internet 2
speeds, the proposed interactive traffic must compete
for bandwidth with conventional TCP traffic. User
perception of delays (psychophysics of time duration)
must be integrated into protocol design. Further, users
object to signal quality transitions as well as simple
delays and quality degradation. Although UDP-based
alternatives to TCP, e.g., the Rate Adaptation Protocol
designed at USC, have been proposed, such protocols
only serve as a base on which other constraints may be
added. Quality-based constraints to enforce smooth
layer transitions and buffer handling will be essential.
\end{itemize}

Researchers at Clemson University and the University of Southern
California are collaborating in a joint proposal requesting
funds to develop a prototype of such a system. The proposed
project is an activity of Clemson University's Center for
Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films (CAEFF),recently
designated a national Engineering Research Center by the NSF.
Professor Robert Geist of the Dept. of Computer Science is the
Principal Investigator at Clemson.

\end{document}



