National LambdaRail

The goals of the National LambdaRail project were:{{Cite journal |last=Paulson |first=L.D. |date=19 December 2003 |title=Researchers plan experimental optical network |doi=10.1109/MC.2003.1250861 |journal=Computer |volume=36 |issue=12 |pages=24 |via=IEEE Xplore}}

• Provide infrastructure for multipurpose advanced networking
• Allow multiple high-speed networks to be run simultaneously

{{More citations needed section|date=September 2024}}

NLR used fiber-optic lines, and was the first transcontinental 10 Gigabit Ethernet network. Its high capacity (up to 1.6 Tbit/s aggregate), high bitrate (40 Gbit/s as of 2010; 100 Gbit/s as of 2011) and high availability (99.99% or more), enabled National LambdaRail to support demanding research projects.{{Cite web |date=9 September 2010 |title=NASA High-End Computing Testbed Runs Over National LambdaRail (NLR) |url=https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/606.1/docs/NLR_PR_090910.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906003517/https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/606.1/docs/NLR_PR_090910.pdf |archive-date=6 September 2015}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=2011-11-14 |title=National LambdaRail Delivers 100G to SC11 Show in Seattle |url=https://convergedigest.com/national-lambdarail-delivers-100g-to/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Converge Digest |language=en-US}} Users included NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and over 280 research universities and other laboratories.{{Cite web |title=Goddard Space Flight Center Among First 10 Users of the National LambdaRail |url=https://sedvme.gsfc.nasa.gov/606.1/docs/L-Net_NLR_TechBrief.pdf |access-date=23 December 2023 |website=Godard Space Flight Center}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=2011-12-05 |title=National LambdaRail Connects NOAA's Supercomputing Facilities |url=https://convergedigest.com/national-lambdarail-connects-noaa/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Converge Digest |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=ORNL, National LambdaRail partners in major network project {{!}} ORNL |url=https://www.ornl.gov/news/ornl-national-lambdarail-partners-major-network-project |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.ornl.gov}}{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Kristina |date=2 August 2010 |title=National LambdaRail (NLR) Enables Greater Flexibility, Control for Provisioning VLANs |work=Press Release |url=http://www.nlr.net/release66.php |url-status=dead |access-date=23 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603000608/http://www.nlr.net/release66.php |archive-date=3 June 2013}} In 2009 National LambdaRail was selected to provide wide-area networking for U.S. laboratories participating in research related to the Large Hadron Collider project, based near Geneva, Switzerland.{{Cite web |title=LHC selects fibre optic circuit {{!}} Scientific Computing World |url=https://www.scientific-computing.com/news/lhc-selects-fibre-optic-circuit |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.scientific-computing.com}}

It was primarily oriented to aid terascale computing efforts and to be used as a network testbed for experimentation with large-scale networks. National LambdaRail was a university-based and -owned initiative, in contrast to a university-corporate sponsorships such as Abilene Network and Internet2.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} National LambdaRail did not impose any acceptable use policies on its users, in contrast to commercial networks.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} This gave researchers more control to use the network for these research projects. National LambdaRail also supported a production layer, called "PacketNet," on its infrastructure.{{Cite web |date=23 December 2023 |title=PacketNet: IP-Based Services |url=http://www.nlr.net/packetnet.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517024811/http://www.nlr.net/packetnet.php |archive-date=17 May 2009 |website=National LambdaRail}}

Links in the network used dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM), which allows up to 64 individual optical wavelengths to be used (depending on hardware configuration at each end) separated by 100 GHz spacing.{{Cite journal |last1=Eiselt |first1=M |last2=Garrett |first2=L |last3=Wiesenfeld |first3=J |last4=Bragg |first4=J |last5=Cox |first5=J |last6=Hill |first6=A |last7=Sharp |first7=K |last8=Teipen |first8=B |last9=Baca |first9=R |last10=Young |first10=M |last11=Tkach |first11=R |date=March 2006 |title=Field trial of a 1250-km Private Optical Network Based on a Single-Fiber, Shared-Amplifier WDM System |url=https://opg.optica.org/abstract.cfm?uri=nfoec-2006-NThF3 |journal=Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference, Technical Digest (CD) |via=Optica Publishing Group}} At present,{{When |date= June 2013}} individual wavelengths are used to carry traditional OC-X (OC3, OC12, OC48 or OC192) time-division multiplexing circuits or Ethernet signals for Gigabit Ethernet or 10 Gigabit Ethernet.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

National LambdaRail was founded in 2003, completed its first phase in 2004, and reached fully-operational status on its national, advanced fiber optic network in 2006.{{Cite web |title=Success Story: National LambdaRail |url=https://lightriver.com/national-lambdarail/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=LightRiver Companies |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=2006-02-19 |title=National LambdaRail Reaches Fully Operational Status |url=https://convergedigest.com/national-lambdarail-reaches-fully/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=Converge Digest |language=en-US}} In addition to being the first transcontinental, production 10 Gigabit Ethernet network, National LambdaRail was also the first intelligently managed, nationwide peering and transit program focused on research applications.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In 2008, a company named Darkstrand purchased capacity on NLR for commercial use.{{Cite news |title= National LambdaRail Opens for Business |author= Michael Feldman |work= HPCwire |date= October 28, 2008 |url= http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2008-10-28/national_lambdarail_opens_for_business.html |accessdate= June 6, 2013 }}

By the end of the year the Chicago-based company was having trouble raising funding due to the Great Recession.{{Cite news |title=Dark Clouds for Darkstrand |author= Om Malik |work= Business Week |date= December 23, 2008|url= http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-12-23/dark-clouds-for-darkstrandbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130624202644/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-12-23/dark-clouds-for-darkstrandbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |url-status= dead |archive-date= June 24, 2013 |accessdate= June 6, 2013 }}

On May 24, 2012 the NLR network operations center services were transferred to the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California.{{Cite news |title= National LambdaRail's Network Operations Services Transferred to CENIC |date= May 24, 2012 |work= Press release |url= http://www.nlr.net/release78.php |accessdate= June 6, 2013 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://archive.today/20130624202602/http://www.nlr.net/release78.php |archivedate= June 24, 2013 }}

In October 2009 Glenn Ricart was named president and CEO.{{Cite news |title= National LambdaRail Names New CEO: Glenn Ricart |date= October 5, 2009 |work= Press release |url= http://www.nlr.net/release49.php |accessdate= June 6, 2013 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130602214649/http://www.nlr.net/release49.php |archivedate= June 2, 2013 }}

On September 7, 2010 Ricart announced his resignation.{{Cite news |title= National LambdaRail (NLR) Appoints CTO Wendy Huntoon as Acting President and CEO |date= September 7, 2010 |work= Press release |url= http://www.nlr.net/release69.php |accessdate= June 6, 2013 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130603010029/http://www.nlr.net/release69.php |archivedate= June 3, 2013 }}

In November 2011 the control of NLR was purchased from its university membership by a billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong for $100M, who indicated his intention to upgrade NLR infrastructure and repurpose portions of it to support an ambitious healthcare project through NantHealth.{{Cite news |title= Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong Wants To Remake The U.S. Health Care System |date= November 10, 2011 |work= Forbes |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/zinamoukheiber/2011/11/10/billionaire-patrick-soon-shiong-wants-to-remake-the-u-s-health-care-system/ |accessdate= March 19, 2014 }} The upgrade never took place. NLR ceased operations in March 2014.{{cite web|title=National Lambda Rail (NLR) to cease operation.|url=http://alerts.its.psu.edu/alert-2967|website=PennState ITS}}{{cite web|title=Information about NLR network|url=http://weill.cornell.edu/its/news/2014/02/information-about-nlr-network.html|website=Weill Cornell Medical College ITS}}{{cite web|title=Discontinuing National Lambda Rail Service at UVa (Feb. 13, 2014)|url=http://its.virginia.edu/pubs/news/retirements/nlr.html|website=University of Virginia ITS}}{{cite web|title=[GPN Board] NLR Shutdown and GPN's Plans to Mitigate Any Impact|url=http://lists.greatplains.net/pipermail/gp-board/2014-January/000162.html}}

Members of National LambdaRail are state or regional optical networks, which provide connectivity to the individual universities and laboratories using NLR. NLR has 13 members which enable more than 280 research universities and government laboratories to connect to NLR. The following is a list, from the official National LambdaRail web site {{asof |2008 |lc=yes}}, of LambdaRail member organizations.{{Cite web |url= http://www.nlr.net/members.php |title= National LambdaRail Members |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://archive.today/20130222033234/http://www.nlr.net/members.php |archivedate= 2013-02-22 }}

• The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California
• Florida LambdaRail
• Front Range GigaPop / University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
• Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN)
• North Carolina Light Rail
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
• Pacific Northwest Gigapop
• Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (University of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Mellon University)
• Southeastern Universities Research Association
• Southern Light Rail
• The Virginia Tech Foundation/Mid Atlantic Terascale Partnership
• University of New Mexico (on behalf of the State of New Mexico)

{{reflist}}

{{American research and education networks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Lambdarail}}

Category:Academic computer network organizations

Category:Internet in the United States

Category:Science and technology in the United States