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Bandwidth
Challenge Seeks Network Applications to Stretch High-Performance Internet
Infrastructure
Qwest Communications sponsors prizes for most daring networking at
SC2002
BALTIMORE, May 28, 2002 – SC2002, the conference for high performance
networking and computing, will be the site of this year's High-Performance
Bandwidth Challenge, an annual competition for leading-edge network applications
developed by teams of researchers from around the world.
The competition will take place live on the SC2002 show floor in Baltimore
using SCinet, the state-of-art, on-site network designed and built especially
for the annual SC conference. SCinet will make available over 15 gigabits
per second of wide area network connectivity—nearly 300,000 times
more than a typical modem—to the competitors, establishing the SC
conference as one of the best connected locations on the planet.
"The High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge provides a showcase for
the technologies and people that provide the networking capabilities that
are crucial to supercomputing," said Dennis Duke of Florida State
University and chair of SCinet. "This competition also provides an
opportunity to demonstrate innovative network applications across all
disciplines."
The High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge is sponsored by Qwest Communications.
Those planning to participate in the challenge must submit a statement
of intent by July 12 and a full proposal by August 2.
"The bandwidth challenge was designed to test the limits of network
capabilities, and past events have showcased multi-gigabit-per second
demonstrations never before thought possible," said Wesley Kaplow,
CTO for Qwest's Government Services Division. "As a state-of -the-art
network services provider, Qwest is proud to be involved in an event that
gives attendees a preview of how leading-edge networks are shaping the
of future of scientific research."
Award winners at last year's High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge included
a team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, with collaborators in Illinois and Germany. The team used
3.3 gigabits per second of network capacity to access supercomputing resources
in Berkeley, CA, and Champaign, IL to create a real-time visualization
of a simulated collision between two black holes. Another of last year's
was an intercontinental collaborative performance organized by the University
of Florida's Digital Worlds Institute and featuring dancers in Denver,
Minneapolis and Florida accompanied by musicians in Brazil. The third
winner was a team from the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the University
of California at San Diego that used the network to remotely operate an
electron microscope.
SC2002 will be held Nov. 16-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center. For
more information about this year's High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge,
see:
About SC2002
SC2002 brings together scientists, engineers, systems administrators,
programmers, and managers to share ideas and glimpse the future of high
performance networking and computing, data analysis and management, visualization,
and computational modeling. This year, SC will highlight how we can use
our evolving cyberinfrastructure to tap into terabytes of data to gain
insight into creating a world that is safer, healthier and better educated.
The conference is sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Computer Society and by the Association for Computing Machinery's
Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture. For more, see .
About SCinet
SCinet, the state-of-art, on-site network designed and built especially
for the annual SC conference, enables a rich environment for real-time
demonstrations, communications, and collaboration. SCinet works with applications
developers who attempt demonstrations using most or all of the bandwidth
provided. A high-speed network testbed provides access to major national
networks and testbeds, and a virtual conference capability with international
participants. As in prior years, an elite team of researchers, exhibitors,
communications carriers, and networking equipment suppliers will work
with talented volunteers from universities, government and industry to
assemble and operate SCinet. For more information, see: http://scinet.supercomp.org/
About Qwest
Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) is a leader in reliable,
scalable and secure broadband data, voice and image communications for
businesses and consumers. The Qwest Macro Capacity® Fiber Network,
designed with the newest optical networking equipment for speed and efficiency,
spans more than 113,000 miles globally. For more information, please visit
the Qwest Web site at www.qwest.com.
Media
contacts:
Karen Green, kareng@ncsa.uiuc.edu
217-265-0748
Greg
Wood, ghwood@internet2.edu
202-331-5360
