As a founding member of the Internet2 Consortium, Penn has always been at the forefront of participation in the research and education networking global community. Faculty, staff, and students at the University of Pennsylvania leverage the power of MAGPI and Internet2 in new and exciting ways in the lab and in the classroom.

Phoebus

Conceived and developed by University of Delaware researchers, Phoebus establishes a new network framework and protocol that brings the high performance of advanced backbone networks all the way to the end-user’s desktop. Designed to improve end-to-end throughput for long-distance data transfers, Phoebus embeds greater “intelligence” in the network, enabling it to choose the best transport technology for any application based on its needs and the available network resources at application run-time. Phoebus works by transparently splitting the full network path into distinct segments at specific adaptation points called “Phoebus gateways” and then finding the best path for the data on a segment-by-segment basis, which could include a combination of IP and dedicated optical circuits. With little to no modification needed by the end-user, applications that utilize Phoebus have experienced significantly improved throughput.

Remote Instrumentation

Remote instrumentation allows for shared, real-time access to scientific instrumentations in the field or lab over the network. With funding and support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Gemini Observatory established an Internet pathway in August 2002 that provides its twin telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes with the data transfer capabilities required to handle the enormous amounts of scientific information created by Gemini's sophisticated instrumentation. Lehigh University provides K12 students with real-time remote access to their scanning XL-30 electron microscope through their ImagiNations Project.  Acadia University has developed the MusicPath software that interconnects digital acoustic pianos through advanced high-speed networks allowing one pianist to play several pianos in real-time, assisted by videoconferencing. This creates a new learning dimension for teachers, institutions and musicians.

Shibboleth

Shibboleth® software provides Single Sign-On convenience for your users on campus or across the web. The approach to policy-driven authentication and authorization enables you to maintain control over your institution’s data and the user’s privacy. And your service providers retain control over who accesses their resources and don’t have to worry about maintaining up-to-date account information for your user community. To learn more about the Shibboleth authentication and fed¬erating software, visit the Shibboleth website. You can become active in the community by joining email lists and attending the workshops and pre¬sentations offered around the country. To get started with identity management infrastructures, refer to the NSF-funded project NMI-EDIT, which offers roadmaps, practice papers, articles and other tools to get you going.

The Internet2 Commons

Supported by and developed with its members, the Internet2 Commons has deployed an H.323 Videoconferencing Service for multi-site connections. Standards-based, vendor-neutral videoconferencing through this scalable service allows subscribing members to schedule and hold distributed working groups, classes, meetings, and conferences in support of research and education.

The Internet2 Commons encourages the large-scale deployment of tools for one-to-one, one-to-group, and group-to-group collaborations. The services provided by The Internet2 Commons are available to Internet2 members, Internet2 Network participants, and other Internet2 partners. The Internet2 Commons provides multi-party videoconferencing services with advanced features such as simultaneous streaming, archiving, high-bandwidth support, and multiple video layout options. Internet2 members and partners can connect to their peers, independent of endpoint brands, through an existing Internet2 network connection.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is the simulation of a real or imagined environment that can be experienced visually in three dimensions: width, height and depth. Typically, a virtual reality system uses stereoscopic goggles that provide the 3-D imagery and a tracking device (for example, goggles for tracking head and body movement or a "data glove" that tracks hand movements). MAGPI is currently working with the Virtual Reality Development Lab to create new and exciting Virtual Reality programs for all of our communities.