Advanced Networking Research Laboratories

As resources for research and development, iCAIR has established several labs, at multiple sites. Also, iCAIR uses large scale facilities (see next section), such as large scale optical networking testbeds, as lab resources.

  1. Testbed Lab
    The iCAIR Testbed Lab evaluates alpha and beta technologies, prototypes new architectures, and experiments with interoperability capabilities. For example, the lab has been used for experiments in computational astrophysics, network, middleware research, Globus tool kit implementations, new IETF protocols, such as DiffServ, network QoS testing, equipment testing, an IPv6 DiffServ testbed, new type of Internet protocol stacks, policy driven access control mechanisms, storage technologies, and digital media development.

  2. Emerging Technologies Lab
    Some of the experiments within the Testbed Lab migrate to the Emerging Technologies Lab. The iCAIR emerging technologies laboratory focuses on digital communications technologies that are migrating from research to prototype deployment. This lab is used to experiment with prototype technologies. This lab contains one of the core computational nodes of a state-wide distributed optical testbed, which is based on Grid technologies and advanced optical networks.

  3. Prototype Advanced Services Lab
    This lab is used to provide for alpha and beta services over national, regional and international advanced networks. iCAIR's research and development efforts are oriented toward large-scale systems, for example, high performance scalable systems that can deliver advanced application and network services to broad communities, including national and international communities.. Initially, these services were delivery from massively parallel computers at sites within a large data center in Schaumburg, Illinois and within a data center in Evanston, Illinois. Now various distributed systems at multiple sites are used.

  4. Advanced Optical Networking Lab
    iCAIR has an experimental optical networking facility at 710 North Lake Shore Drive, which is on the Chicago campus of Northwestern University, just east of North Michigan Avenue. This is the core site of an advanced optical metro network, OMNInet, based on next generation photonic technology.

  5. Software Development Lab
    This lab is a focus of software design, development and testing. Much of this activity focuses on systems software development, including control systems for optical networks.

  6. Digital Media Lab
    This lab is the focus of experiments and development in advanced digital media, including services that provide digital media on advanced networks across the world. Experiments are conducted with new media protocols, access methods, streaming techniques, storage, encoding, QoS, measurements, service creation, etc.
 

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