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Internet2 Consortium Sets Land Speed Record for Data Transfer

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers from Microsoft, Qwest Communications, the University of Washington, and the Information Sciences Institute have set a new record for data transfer, moving 8.4 gigabytes of data over 5,626 kilometers in just 82 seconds. This achievement, part of Internet2's first data drag race, averaged a throughput of over 957 megabits per second, a speed 15,000 times faster than a typical computer modem. The winning team will receive a $10,000 prize, personally funded by computing pioneers Gordon Bell and Jim Gray.

Key Takeaways:

  • The winning team, consisting of Microsoft, Qwest Communications, the University of Washington, and the Information Sciences Institute, transferred 8.4 gigabytes of data over 5,626 kilometers in 82 seconds.
  • The team averaged a throughput of over 957 megabits per second, surpassing 15,000 times the speed of a typical computer modem.
  • The data transfer used standard Internet protocols (TCP/IP) and passed through at least nine routers connected to Qwest's OC-48 fiber pathways.
  • The winning entry consisted of a Compaq computer at Microsoft and a Dell computer at the Information Sciences Institute, both running Windows 2000.
  • The Internet2 Land Speed Record highlights the need for dependable high-end-to-end network throughput required by advanced applications.
  • The Internet2 Land Speed Awards will be presented every six months, with the next scheduled for the Fall 2000 Internet2 Member Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Gordon Bell and Jim Gray, computing pioneers and Microsoft researchers, personally funded the $10,000 prize for the winning team.

Statistics:

  • 8.4 gigabytes of data transferred in 82 seconds
  • Average throughput: over 957 megabits per second
  • Distance: 5,626 kilometers (nearly 3,500 miles)
  • Number of routers: at least nine
  • Fiber pathways: Qwest's OC-48
  • Operating systems: Compaq computer at Microsoft and Dell computer at the Information Sciences Institute running Windows 2000

Sources:

  • "Microsoft, Qwest Communications, University of Washington Team Sets Land Speed Record for Data Transfer", Newsbytes.com, 20000329/Press contact: Greg Wood, Internet2, 202-331-5360
  • "Internet2 Releases Entry Details for Land Speed Record Competition", Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.internet2.edu/html/i2lsr.html
  • "Internet2 Land Speed Record competition", Internet2 website, http://www.internet2.edu/html/i2lsr.html

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