Breaking News - Networking:
NAP Of The Americas To Serve As Node For Florida LambdaRail
Terremark Worldwide Inc, an operator of integrated Tier-1 Internet exchanges
and best-in-class network services, announced that Terremark's NAP of the
Americas will serve as a primary access node for Florida LambdaRail (FLR)
consortium. The FLR has signed a three year contract with a two-year extension
to house FLR's core backbone equipment at the NAP of the Americas.
The Florida LambdaRail (FLR) is a consortium of higher education institutions
cooperating to build a state-wide high-bandwidth research and education
network in Florida and is a founding member of the National LambdaRail (NLR)
organization. The NLR is an initiative of U.S. research universities and
private-sector technology companies that is implementing and operating a
nationwide backbone infrastructure for research and experimentation in
networking technologies and "big science" applications. The FLR and NLR are
not single networks, but a unique set of facilities, capabilities and services
that will support a set of multiple, distinct, experimental and production
networks for Florida (FLR) and U.S. (NLR) research communities. Both will be
capable of providing many different networks which exist side-by-side in the
same fiber optic cable, but will be physically and operationally independent
of each other because each network will be supported by its own light wave or
lambda.
Members of the FLR include Florida Atlantic University, Florida Institute of
Technology, Florida International University, Florida State University, Nova
Southeastern University, University of Central Florida, University of Miami,
University of West Florida and the University of Florida.
"The FLR and NLR will fundamentally redefine what's possible for researchers
to do via the network. These complimentary facilities will eliminate the issue
of 'place' in collaboration between scientists and other research partners,"
said Larry Conrad, chair of the FLR Board from Florida State University.
"The FLR network will provide researchers access at the lowest layers of the
network and include both switched or point-to-point circuits over a wide
area," said David Pokorney, the FLR chief technology officer from the
University of Florida. "With the NAP's security, connectivity and
concentration of carriers, placing the FLR Network Node at the NAP of the
Americas was the most logical choice."
Terremark will provide the FLR with highly secure and redundant colocation
space and power, and the capability to quickly and easily access the 85+
carriers housed at the NAP of the Americas facility for their project needs.
In addition FLR can access other managed and professional services available
on the NAP of the Americas services platform, such as IP transit, storage,
network management and monitoring. Colocating the South Florida node of the
FLR within the NAP of the Americas establishes Miami as a major connectivity
point for research and development in networking technologies and
applications.
"Terremark welcomes the FLR's South Florida core node and its members to the
NAP of the Americas, which today serves as the home for Internet2's South
Florida Gigapop and for FIU's AMPATH project. We are strong supporters of
research and educational networks because they serve as the foundation for a
growing and successful technology industry in the State as a whole, and in our
region in particular," said Manuel D. Medina, chairman and CEO of Terremark
Worldwide Inc. "We are proud that the NAP of the Americas has helped Miami
become one of the premier global points for research and educational network
technologies and applications, interconnecting research universities
world-wide."
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