The Interagency Inlemet is a network of networks, ranging from high speed cross-country networks, 

 to regional and mid-level networks, to state and campus network systems. Its major Federal compo- 

 nents are the national research agency networks listed below. When these agencies' "backbone net- 

 works" are upgraded, together they will form a national gigabit network to support research and edu- 

 cation. This network may in turn serve as a prototype for broader national gigabit networks. 



Major Federal Components of the Interagency Internet 



NSFNET 



NSF-fumk'd national backbone network sen'ice 



ESnet 



DOE's Energy Sciences Network 



NSl 



NASA 's Science Internet 



ARPA 's exploratory networks 



The Interagency Internet and the other, non-federally-supported, portions of the Internet connect the 

 Nation's communities of researchers and educators to each other; to facilities and resources such as 

 computation centers, databases, libraries, laboratories, and scientific instruments; and to supporting 

 organizations such as publishers and hardware and software vendors. The Interagency Internet also 

 provides international connections that serve the national interest. These services will be continually 

 enhanced as the Interagency Internet evolves. 



The Interagency Internet also provides a testbed to stimulate the market for advanced network tech- 

 nologies such as Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) transmission infrastructure. Asynchronous 

 Transfer Mode (ATM) c"^ell switches, high speed routers, computer interfaces, and other communica- 

 tions hardware and software. These technologies are being developed by the telecommunications 

 industry, routing vendors, and computer manufacturers, in collaboration with government and 

 academia, as part of the NREN component of the HPCC Program. Through these efforts, the HPCC 

 agencies will provide expertise in the systems integration of key technologies to form an integrated 

 and interoperable high performance network system that will continue to meet the needs of the 

 Nation's research and education communities. Once the initial development risks are reduced through 

 this collaboration among government, nidustry, and academia, the U.S. communications community 

 can build on these experiences and develop new products and services to serve the broader market- 

 place of Nil applications. 



II. Gigabit Research and Development 



The Gigabit Research and Development element is a comprehensive program to develop the funda- 

 mental technologies needed for a national network with advanced capabilities and with a minimum 



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