United States General Accounting Office _____________________________________________________________________________ GAO Report to Congressional Requesters _____________________________________________________________________________ August 1991 HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING High-Speed Computer Networks in the United States, Europe, and Japan Note: This report uses the # character to represent a fat line over the top of major headings. The upper ASCII 220 character would draw a better fat line that would be more like the line in the printed report. You can use your word processor to search for 21 #'s and replace them with 21 ASCII 220 characters. If you change the #'s your printer must be able to print the ASCII 220 character. This report represents an effort to make it appear as close to the printed version as ASCII will allow. To obtain a printed copy of this report call call GAO report distribution at 202/275-6241 (7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. EST) or write to GAO, P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. _____________________________________________________________________________ GAO/IMTEC-91-69 This U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report is available over the Internet as part of a test to determine whether there is sufficient interest within this community to warrant making all GAO reports available over the Internet. The file REPORTS in the Anonymous FTP directory GAO.REPORTS at NIH lists additional reports; the file A-LIST contains a list of reports issued from September 1991. 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Brock, Jr. Director, Government Information and Financial Management Issues Information Management and Technology Division i _____________________________________________________________________________ GAO United States General Accounting Office Washington, D.C. 20548 ______________________________________________________ Information Management and Technology Division B-245190 September 4, 1991 The Honorable Ernest F. Hollings Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate The Honorable Albert Gore Chairman, Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate The Honorable George E. Brown, Jr. Chairman, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology House of Representatives The Honorable Robert S. Walker Ranking Minority Member House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology House of Representatives The Honorable Tim Valentine Chairman, Subcommittee on Technology and Competitiveness House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology House of Representatives The Honorable Tom Lewis Ranking Minority Member Subcommittee on Technology and Competitiveness House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology House of Representatives Page 2 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 _____________________________________________________________________________ In letters dated October 2, 1990, and March 11, 1991, you requested that we review United States and foreign efforts to develop high-speed computer networks. In response to your requests, this report provides information on United States, European, and Japanese efforts to develop high-speed computer networks. Because high-speed computer networks used for research and education are of primary interest in the United States, the report specifically focuses on these types of applications. In conducting our review, we identified high-speed networks, or in cases where none existed, lower-speed networks that were considered to be important for research and education. We defined high-speed networks as those capable of transmitting data at, or greater than, T1 speeds of 1.544 megabits per second, or E1 speeds of 2.048 megabits per second.#1 European and Japanese networks were identified with the assistance of experts familiar with their use of computer and communications technology.#2 Detailed descriptions of the United States, European, and Japanese networking initiatives we observed are contained in appendixes I, II, and III, respectively. Appendix IV provides additional information on the objectives, scope, and methodology of our review, and appendixes V and VI identify the government entities and other organizations that we contacted in Europe and Japan. #####################________________________________________________________ RESULTS IN BRIEF Currently, the United States leads Europe and Japan in the development of high-speed computer networks for research and education. Efforts to increase data transmission speeds on a major portion of the United States' Internet to 1.544 megabits per second (T1) and 45 megabits per second (T3), and plans to develop a National Research and Education Network (NREN) operating at gigabit speeds,#3 exceed most plans and initiatives occurring in Europe and Japan at this time. Although some questions concerning the development and operation of NREN must still be ______________________________________________________ 1 T1 is the term commonly used for the high- speed digital standard in the United States and other countries such as Japan and Korea. Europe has standardized on E1, which differs from T1 in speed, signalling methods, and number of voice circuits supported. 2 We limited our review to five European countries--France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. 3 A gigabit equals one billion bits. Page 3 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks ______________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 ______________________________________________________________________________ answered, federal and academic sponsors of this networking initiative are nonetheless moving aggressively on this effort. Although their networks are generally less developed than those in the United States, Europe and Japan clearly recognize the importance of high-speed networks, and have plans and projects under way to enhance the speed and capability of these networks. Some European participants, in particular, believe the United States' proposed NREN represents the kind of network that is needed in Europe. Presently, however, Europe and Japan face a number of financial, organizational, and other issues, which if not addressed, could prevent the development or expansion of their network infrastructures. European and Japanese officials told us they are working to resolve these issues. If they are successful in these efforts, Europe and Japan may be able to strengthen their positions in advancing research and education through the use of high-speed computer networks. #####################________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND Computer networks enable both local and long distance communication between computers, often over public telephone lines, but also via dedicated switching and transmission systems. Computer networks transmit data at various speeds to meet the needs of many different user communities throughout the world. Traditionally, computer networks transmitted data at relatively low speeds measured primarily in kilobits per second. The early 1980s, however, saw a growing demand for increasingly higher-speed computer networks. Currently, regional and wide-area national networks operate at T1 speeds of 1.544 megabits per second in the United States or E1 speeds of 2.048 megabits per second in some European countries. Local-area networks transmitting data at speeds of between 10 megabits per second and 100 megabits per second also exist. These higher-speed networks have fueled the market for a variety of applications, including electronic mail, distributed data base access, large file transfer, and graphics transmission. Although regional and wide-area networks transmitting data at speeds of between 1 and 2 megabits per second are generally considered sufficient for many network applications, sophisticated advances in computer and communications technologies and increased volumes and complexity of data traffic have contributed to a growing demand for higher-capacity networks that are capable of transmitting data at T3 speeds of 45 megabits per second, and up to a gigabit per second. One sector of society expressing a need for the higher-speed networks is the research and education Page 4 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks ______________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 ______________________________________________________________________________ community. Scholars, researchers, executives, and politicians in both the United States and overseas recognize the importance of networking to access unique experimental data, share results and publications, and run models on remote supercomputers. ###################__________________________________________________________ NETWORKING IN THE The United States research and education communities UNITED STATES are served primarily by the Internet, a loosely organized system of interconnected, unclassified computer networks linking over 500,000 computers nationwide and overseas. The United States' portion of the Internet includes government-funded national backbone networks and publicly and privately funded regional networks operating at 1.544 megabits per second (T1), as well as private local-area networks transmitting data at speeds of 10 megabits per second to 100 megabits per second. One of the major backbone networks comprising the United States' portion of the Internet is the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNet).#4 NSFNet links more than 3,000 networks at university and college campuses, business and industrial research laboratories, and governmental research centers throughout the world. Currently, the United States' portion of the Internet is experiencing rapid growth in the number of networks and host computers connected to it, and is unable to satisfy all requirements of the research and education community. Traffic on NSFNet, alone, has increased by more than 25 times in the last 2 years. Approximately 3 million researchers worldwide actively use the academic networks connected to the Internet. In addition, supercomputers and other sophisticated applications used by some organizations require higher speeds than are currently available on the existing networks. To enhance network services for the research and education community, federal sponsors and academic participants plan to transform the United States' portion of the Internet into a higher-speed network with nationwide coverage. Toward this goal, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has upgraded most telecommunications links on the NSFNet backbone to transmit data at a speed of 1.544 megabits per second, and is further increasing data transmission speeds to 45 megabits per second for some agencies. On a ______________________________________________________ 4 Other federal agencies operating networks on the Internet include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Page 5 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks ______________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 ______________________________________________________________________________ broader scale, the Congress is considering legislation and plans for developing NREN operating at gigabit speeds. NREN is expected to emerge from and expand existing capabilities of the United States' portion of the Internet. As envisioned, this network ultimately will be capable of transmitting end-to-end at rates of between 1 and 3 billion bits of data per second--approximately 50,000 typed pages per second-- and will connect researchers in industry and academia to supercomputers and other information resources around the country. Plans for creating NREN are being led at the federal level by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Federal Networking Council, a collaboration of various agencies, including NSF, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The President's fiscal year 1992 budget request seeks $92 million for work related to developing NREN. In addition, the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, a nonprofit organization created in 1986, has received a 3-year award of approximately $15.8 million from NSF and DARPA to lead research to determine the technology and possible structure of a gigabit network and identify possible end-user requirements for such a network. As NREN's infrastructure takes shape, however, its sponsors are being tasked to answer questions concerning how the network should be managed, funded, and secured. One central question, for example, is whether management of NREN should be decentralized among network researchers, users, and sponsors, or whether one organization should assume a dominant role in its management. #####################________________________________________________________ EUROPEAN RESEARCH European research and education communities are AND EDUCATION supported by an infrastructure of national and pan- NETWORKS European networks. Generally, the European networks are slower than networks existing in the United States. Many of the national networks, such as the ones we reviewed in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, were created in the mid to late 1980s through government initiatives to provide scientific and technical research capabilities within individual countries. These networks connect universities and research institutions at data transmission speeds ranging from 64 kilobits per second to 2 megabits per second. Overall, the national networks provide good levels of connectivity and service within the countries they serve. Page 6 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks ______________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 _____________________________________________________________________________ The pan-European networks, which enable cross-border communications between countries, provide slower and less extensive service than the national networks. Most of the existing pan-European networks, such as the European Academic Research Network and the High Energy Physics Network, are designed to meet the needs of specific user groups and do not provide a general- purpose backbone infrastructure to connect all of the national networks. The pan-European networks generally operate at relatively low speeds of 4.8 to 64 kilobits per second. The Commission of the European Communities,#5 national network operators, and various associations of European networks and users believe that more capable, higher-speed research and education networks are needed in Europe. Moreover, some of these participants view the United States' proposed NREN as an example of what is needed. In response to increasing needs, national network operators in the countries we observed either have already begun upgrading existing networks or plan to develop high- speed networks over the next few years. In addition, European network organizations and the Commission of the European Communities told us that progress is being made toward establishing a pan-European backbone network linking the national networks. Some officials noted that higher speeds could be available on a pan-European network by the mid-1990s. European officials told us that several issues, unless resolved, may slow or prevent progress on planned enhancements to the national research and education networks and implementation of a high- speed, pan-European backbone network. According to these officials, although much of the technology needed to implement a pan-European network is available, issues concerning how to organize and fund the network still need to be addressed. Some officials reported that Europe currently lacks a cohesive central organizational structure and a supportive regulatory environment to guide the pan- European initiatives. In the absence of central leadership, cross-border telecommunications services are difficult and expensive to obtain. Various organizations, such as the European Engineering Planning Group (EEPG) and the Reseaux Associes pour la ______________________________________________________ 5 The Commission of the European Communities proposes and enforces policies and laws that apply to the 12 countries making up the European Community-- Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Page 7 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 ______________________________________________________________________________ Recherche Europeenne (RARE), an association of networking organizations and users in Europe, are optimistic that these issues can be resolved and have taken steps toward this goal. RARE has sponsored networking symposiums to highlight user needs for high-speed networks and EEPG has proposed an organization structure and approaches for funding and implementing a pan-European backbone network. #####################________________________________________________________ JAPANESE RESEARCH In Japan, various government-funded and privately AND EDUCATION operated computer networks support research and NETWORKS education. However, some Japanese officials believe that fewer and less advanced networks exist in Japan than in the United States. The existing networks connect Japan's major universities, and enable communications between researchers at other laboratories and research facilities. Generally, these networks do not have high-speed data transmission capabilities. Among the networks that we observed, only one, the Science Information Network operated by the National Center for Science Information System, provided a high-speed (T1) backbone. Most of Japan's other research and education networks operate at relatively low speeds of 192 kilobits per second or less. Japanese officials considered high-speed networks to be important for research and education and told us that government and privately sponsored initiatives are being actively pursued to enhance Japan's computer networking capabilities. One of Japan's most significant undertakings involves its recently announced plans to invest approximately $250 billion to equip businesses and homes with a broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) by the year 2015. Under this plan, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) will use fiber-optic cable to link Japanese homes and businesses, enabling the transmission of digitized voice, data, and video traffic, and providing a standard way for computers and other equipment to share information at high speeds. NTT envisions providing such advanced services as 3-D video communications and automatic translation communications. Japan's success in developing a broadband ISDN and other high-speed computer networks may depend on factors such as its ability to obtain the necessary funding for these efforts and to gain coordinated support from the Japanese government ministries. Some network operators and representatives of the Japanese ministries believe that increasing the number and capability of computer networks will, in part, depend on how well the networks compete with other programs Page 8 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks ______________________________________________________________________________ B-245190 ______________________________________________________________________________ for government funding. In addition, successful implementation of the broadband ISDN may require more accurate definition of customer needs for this service. _____________________________________________________________________________ The information in this report is based primarily on testimonial evidence. Although we did not independently verify its validity and accuracy, we did discuss the information with various government officials and representatives of European and Japanese networking organizations, and have included their comments where appropriate. Our work was performed from October 1990 to June 1991. As agreed with your office, unless you publicly announce the contents of this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the date of this letter. At that time, we will send copies to interested congressional committees and others upon request. Should you have any questions concerning this report, please contact me at (202) 275-3195. The major contributors to this report are listed in appendix VII. Jack L. Brock, Jr. Director Government Information and Financial Management Page 9 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS #####################________________________________________________________ LETTER 1 #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX I 13 UNITED STATES PLANS Description of the Internet Infrastructure 13 FOR BUILDING THE Creation of a National Research and Education 15 NATIONAL RESEARCH AND Network EDUCATION NETWORK Issues Need to Be Addressed to Implement NREN 16 #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX II 18 HIGH-SPEED COMPUTER National Networks Provide Connectivity and Service 18 NETWORKS SUPPORTING Within Their Respective Countries RESEARCH AND Pan-European Networks Meet the Needs of Specific 24 EDUCATION IN EUROPE Groups Need for an Improved High-Speed Pan-European 26 Research and Education Backbone Network Organization and Funding Issues Must Be Resolved 30 to Implement a Pan-European Backbone Network #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX III 32 HIGH-SPEED COMPUTER Japanese Research and Education Networks Provide 32 NETWORKS SUPPORTING Relatively Low-Speed Capability RESEARCH AND Plans for Future Networks in Japan 36 EDUCATION IN JAPAN Issues Affecting Japan's Future Development of 39 Computer Networks #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX IV 40 OBJECTIVES, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX V 42 ORGANIZATIONS AND European Countries 42 ENTITIES CONTACTED Pan-European Representatives 43 REGARDING EUROPEAN NETWORKS #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX VI 44 ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTITIES CONTACTED REGARDING JAPANESE NETWORKS #####################________________________________________________________ APPENDIX VII 45 MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT Page 10 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ Contents _____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Abbreviations ATM asynchronous transfer mode BITnet Because It's Time Network CERN Centre Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucl aire COSINE Cooperation of Open Systems Interconnection Networking in Europe DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DECNET Digital Equipment Corporation Network DFN Deutsche Forschungsnetz EARN European Academic Research Network EASInet European Academic Supercomputer Initiative Network ECU European currency unit EEPG European Engineering Planning Group GAO General Accounting Office GARR Group for the Harmonization of Research Networks HEPnet High-Energy Physics Network IBC integrated broadband communication IBM International Business Machines Corporation IMTEC Information Management and Technology Division ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network IXI International X.25 Infrastructure JANET Joint Academic Network JICST Japan Information Center of Science and Technology JUNET Japanese University Network KEK National Laboratory for High-Energy Physics MITI Ministry of International Trade and Industry NACSIS National Center for Science Information System NREN National Research and Education Network NSF National Science Foundation NSFNet National Science Foundation Network NTT Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation OSI Open Systems Interconnection PACCOM Pacific Area Computer Communication PTM packet transfer mode PTT Postal, Telegraph, and Telephone Administration RACE Research and Development in Advanced Communications Technologies in Europe RARE Res aux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne Page 11 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ Contents _____________________________________________________________________________ SURF Samenwerkende Universitaire Rekenfaciliteiten TCP/IP transmission control protocol/internet protocol WIDE Widely Integrated Distributed Environment Page 12 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks Appendix I _____________________________________________________________________________ UNITED STATES PLANS FOR BUILDING THE NATIONAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK ____________________________________________________________________________ To better support research and education in the United States, federal and academic sponsors have proposed developing the National Research and Education Network (NREN). As planned, NREN will provide a high- capacity, high-quality network infrastructure to ultimately transport digitized information at several billion bits per second between high-performance computational resources, such as supercomputers, and individual workstations. NREN will build on the United States' portion of the Internet, the existing system of loosely connected, unclassified networks that links computers nationwide and overseas. Currently, the number of networks and computers connected to the Internet is increasing rapidly, as are demands for greater network capacity to support researchers in conducting complex analyses combining local and remote resources. NREN supporters envision creating a network that will meet increased demands for a higher-speed computer network offering nationwide coverage. #####################________________________________________________________ DESCRIPTION OF The Internet consists of over 5,000 interconnected THE INTERNET networks that link approximately 500,000 computers INFRASTRUCTURE worldwide. The United States' portion of the Internet consists of government-funded national backbone networks, publicly and privately supported regional networks, and local-area campus networks. Some of the regional and backbone networks comprising the United States' portion of the Internet transmit data at a speed of 1.544 megabits per second (T1). Private local-area networks on the Internet operate at data transmission speeds of 10 to 100 megabits per second. One of the major backbone networks on the United States' portion of the Internet is the National Science Foundation network (NSFNet). NSFNet connects more than 3,000 networks at university and college campuses, businesses, industrial research laboratories, and governmental research centers worldwide. Management of the Internet is decentralized. Each of the networks within the Internet is operated independently and has its own operations center that monitors and maintains its portion of the Internet. Funding for the United States' portion of the Internet comes from the five federal agencies operating Page 13 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ Appendix I United States Plans for Building the National Research and Education Network _____________________________________________________________________________ national research networks and from universities, states, and private companies that operate and use the local and regional networks.#6 Participating institutions generally pay fixed annual fees to connect to the regional networks of between $10,000 to $50,000 per year, depending on the size of the institution and the carrying capacity of the telecommunications channel connecting it to the network. Researchers use the Internet for a variety of applications. For example, electronic mail provides a way of sending person-to-person messages almost instantaneously, enabling researchers separated by thousands of miles to collaborate. Other uses of the Internet include file transfer, access to software and document libraries, and remote access to computer data banks and supercomputers. Access to supercomputers, in particular, has had a dramatic impact on scientific endeavors. Experiments that took years to complete on an ordinary computer can be performed in days or weeks on a supercomputer. _____________________________________________________________________________ Limitations of Presently, the number of users of the Internet is the Existing growing, as is the need for more extensive high-speed Infrastructure data networking capacity. Approximately 3 million researchers worldwide actively use the academic networks connected to the Internet. Data traffic on the NSFnet backbone alone has increased by more than 25 times in the last 2 years. As a result of its continual growth, the United States' portion of the Internet is unable to satisfy all the requirements of the research and education community. In addition, supercomputers and other sophisticated applications used by some organizations require higher speeds than are currently available on the existing networks. ______________________________________________________ 6 The five federal agencies operating research networks on the Internet are the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Page 14 GAO/IMTEC-91-69 High-Speed Networks _____________________________________________________________________________ Appendix I United States Plans for Building the National Research and Education Network _____________________________________________________________________________ #####################________________________________________________________ CREATION OF A The President's fiscal year 1992 budget requests $92 NATIONAL RESEARCH million for development of NREN. In addition, the AND EDUCATION Congress is considering legislation supporting its NETWORK development. The proposed High-Performance Computing and Communications Act of 1991, for example, would authorize the creation of a multi-gigabit-per-second computer network linking government, researchers, businesses, consumers, and schools in every state. NREN is intended to dramatically expand and enhance the capabilities of the United States' Internet. As envisioned, NREN ultimately will be capable of transmitting end-to-end at rates of between 1 and 3 billion bits (gigabits) of data per second--the equivalent of about 50,000 typed pages every second. Such capacity is expected to greatly enhance the ability of researchers to perform complex analyses using remote resources. For example, users will be able to sh