InfoMagic Standards 1994 January/InfoMagic Standards - January 1994.iso/inet/nren/hpca/gray.txt

Text File | 1991-04-13 | 17KB | 323 lines

 Statement of Mr. Tracey Gray
 Vice President of Marketing
 Government Systems Division
  US Sprint Communications Company Limited Partnership

 Before the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space
 of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

 United States Senate



 Room 252, Russell Senate Office Building
 March 5, 1991         2:00 p.m.






                       Hearings before the Senate
            Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space
                                  of the
            Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
                                    on
            S.272, The High Performance Computing Act of 1991
                             Washington, D.C.
                              March 5, 1991

                          Prepared Statement of
                             Mr. Tracey Gray
     Vice President of Marketing for the Government Systems Division
           US Sprint Communications Company Limited Partnership


                               INTRODUCTION

 Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee. I am
 Tracey Gray, Vice President of Marketing for the Government
 Systems Division at US Sprint. I appreciate this opportunity to speak
 with you on S.272, the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991.

 As you know, US Sprint is the third largest telecommunications
 carrier in the United States today - and the only all fiber, fully
 digital network. US Sprint serves 90% of the Fortune 500 U.S.
 companies with voice, data, and video services, and we offer
 telecommunications services to 153 countries around the world.

 My division, the Government Systems Division, is proud to serve over
 500,000 government employees at 35 agencies under the FTS 2000
 contract. In addition to FTS 2000, we are responsible for all business
 relations and opportunities with the federal government.  This
 includes evaluating and assessing the risks and opportunities with
 emerging technologies and applications in telecommunication
 network solutions.

                            NREN APPLICATIONS

 I would like to talk with you today about NREN, the National
 Research and Education Network -- one component of the High
 Performance Computing initiative.  Mr. Chairman, the operative word
 in that sentence is Network.  High performance networking should
 share equal billing with high performance computing.

 US Sprint does not build supercomputers; we do not maintain or
 operate an information infrastructure of databases; we do not
 develop computer software tools or train supercomputer hardware
 or software engineers. US Sprint does provide telecommunications
 services -- based on state-of-the-art, fiber technology and advanced
 network architectures. Fiber technology will be the network
 infrastructure that supports the computing hardware necessary to
 solve the Grand Challenges. This future network platform will allow
 researchers to establish National Collaboratories among our nation's
 laboratories and university research centers that will solve the Grand
 Challenge problems such as global warming, the identification of new
 superconduction materials, and the mysteries of cancer causing
 genes.

 While the Grand Challenge problems certainly require our attention,
 US Sprint appreciates the Committee's understanding that industry
 related problems exist that can benefit from the application of high
 performance computing.  This Committee's 1990 report on S.1067
 rightly noted that a supercomputer model helped Boeing design an
 737 airplane that was 30% more efficient.  The petroleum industry
 benefited when Arco used a Cray supercomputer to increase oil
 production at its Prudhoe Bay field, resulting in a two billion dollar
 profit for the company. An Alcoa supercomputer model reduced the
 amount of aluminum needed for its soda cans by 10%, resulting in
 transportation and production savings.  Mr. Gore, your January 24
 statement noted that Ford's engineers can simulate automobile crash
 tests using supercomputers for a fraction of the cost of conducting
 real life experiments. Each of these industry applications of
 supercomputing benefits the American consumer and the national
 interest through greater efficiencies, higher quality products,
 increased cost savings, and improved productivity.

 But let's not focus solely on supercomputers and connecting
 supercomputers. Other research and engineering applications require
 high speed networking, and by bringing other applications on to this
 network, we can increase scale economies that could justify
 investments in multi-gigabit networks.

 For example, medical doctors are confronting a problem where
 technology produces greater diagnostic capability, yet there are
 fewer experts to interpret the data.  The solution is teleradiology --
 the process of digitizing and transmitting medical images to distant
 locations - which allows the nation's top radiologists to access key
 medical imaging from virtually anywhere in the United States in
 seconds. Today, US Sprint's network can transmit diagnostic quality
 images in approximately 37 seconds using multiple 56 kilobit per
 second lines.  The same image would take up to an hour and a half to
 transmit over a traditional analog network using 9600 bits per
 second.

 Tomorrow's technology will allow real time full motion imaging and
 require bandwidths substantially greater than 45 megabits per
 second, the highest speeds available today. A radiologist at a distant
 location will be able to watch fetuses move and hearts beat, and
 provide immediate diagnostic feedback.  High speed networks are
 required for real-time image transfers because video compression
 greater than 2.5:1 is destructive to the image's clarity.

 Medical imaging is one of many high performance networking
 applications. Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) is
 another. American industry will remain strong, if they have the best
 communication tool to complete their work.  Interactive CAD/CAM
 will allow industry to work more quickly and efficiently, allowing
 widely dispersed engineers to participate in the design process
 without exchanging roomfuls of paper.

                             NREN TECHNOLOGY

 The question posed by the legislation, however, is how
 supercomputers can be made accessible to more users. And the
 answer is the development of supernetworks with multi-gigabit
 capacity - or NREN.

 US Sprint is working with developments that would support the
 NREN objectives. We are developing plans for a broadband test bed
 akin to those established under the leadership of the National Science
 Foundation (NSF), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
 (DARPA), and the Corporation for National Research Initiatives
 (CNRl). US Sprint is a partner in a of a Midwest coalition that is
 working with DARPA to develop a network concept plan for a
 terrestrial, fly- over imaging application for the Department of the
 Army's Future Battle Lab. The terrestrial, fly-over project would take
 satellite pictures and convert them into computer-developed, "three
 dimensional" landscapes that would allow the user to "fly over" or
 "walk through" the terrain.  Generals could "see" a battlefield without
 sending out scouts!

 Additionally, US Sprint has recently become an international vendor
 for NSFNET providing links to research networks in France and
 Sweden, and we now serve on NSF's Federal Networking Advisory
 Committee to the Federal Networking Council.

 Although many advances are being made towards the development
 of the systems necessary for gigabit networks, many hurdles remain.
 The fundamental building block required for gigabit networks exists
 today. Fiber optic cables with ample bandwidth to support multi-
 gigabit and higher transmission speeds criss-cross our country.  US
 Sprint's all fiber optic network operates today with backbone speed
 of 1.7 Gbps. We are currently testing 2.4 Gbps optic equipment in our
 labs for installation on our high capacity routes next year.  Our
 transmission equipment vendors are developing the next generation
 of optic systems with transmission speeds of 9.6Gbps.

 Switching platforms also continue to advance with cell relay
 technology. Many believe that cell relay switching best supports the
 bandwidth-on-demand services essential to high speed networks.
 Small, non-standard cell relay switches capable of switching traffic at
 150 Mops are on the market today. International standards for cell
 relay are advancing rapidly, with many projected for completion by
 1992.  Nonetheless, difficult network design problems remain in cell
 relay technology such as traffic congestion and routing.  American
 researchers are working toward solutions to these problems.

 To achieve the NREN goals, compatible telecommunication and
 computer standards must be written for the signaling, operation,
 administration and management of high speed networks. These
 network support systems are as important to the implementation of
 the NREN as the transmission and switching systems. The
 development of standards for these support systems requires careful
 consideration and must parallel the evolution of gigabit technologies.

                             US SPRINT POSITION

 Mr. Chairman, US Sprint fully supports the intent of the High
 Performance Computing initiative.  We are convinced that without
 government seed money, supercomputer networking will be slow to
 mature.  Let me share two related thoughts with you, however, about
 the legislation and the implementation of the legislation pertaining to
 network applications and to the Committee's intent to phase the
 NREN into commercial operation.

 First, with respect to network applications, to speed the development
 of high speed networks, US Sprint recommends broadening the scope
 of the legislation to include a variety of high speed networking
 applications.  I have briefly described two applications, not requiring
 supercomputers, that would serve pressing, existing needs.
 Providing funds for applications research could stimulate many more
 ideas within the research community.  Each of these application ideas
 could support a new group of users, further extending the benefits of
 high speed networking to society.  With applications as the driver,
 high speed networks will grow in scale and ubiquity throughout the
 country.

 My second point, and one that I think is a concern to the Committee
 as well, pertains to the phase-in to commercial operation, one of the
 objectives to be realized by the network.  Although the bill includes
 language that the NREN be "phased into commercial operation as
 commercial networks can meet the networking needs of American
 researchers and educators," there is no path--given the current
 development of the NSFNET--that gets us from here to there.

 In fact, the government is creating a private--a dedicated--
 telecommunications infrastructure that parallels the commercial,
 public networks operating in the U.S. today.  Rather than duplicate
 commercial facilities with a government owned and operated
 telecommunications system, we suggest that the NREN be established
 through public network services--where the government's
 networking requirements are combined with the public's
 requirements in the development of commercial networks.
 Otherwise, it is not clear how we will ever "phase" from a dedicated
 U.S. government network to commercial networks.

 With a public network service, industry would develop, own, and
 operate the facilities to provide gigabit capability and offer that
 capability as a service to the Government and other industry users.
 In this environment, users are not obligated to full time, dedicated
 service, but are oriented to a preferred, bandwidth-on-demand
 scenario.  A public, high speed network service would be positioned
 much like today's public, long distance or virtual private networking
 services.  Users only pay when they use the service.

 By evolving NREN as a public network service, the government also
 takes advantage of existing network platforms.  US Sprint  for
 example, offers a fully deployed, ubiquitous, network service.  We
 fully integrate today's telecommunication requirements combining
 voice, data, and video services with a single network platform. . US
 Sprint integrates the management, operation, and administration of
 that network into a single organization.  NREN can only duplicate
 public network features like these at tremendous cost.  By leveraging
 the existing infrastructure of public networks, the government can
 realize the development of a more robust NREN, sooner, and at less
 cost.

                             RECOMMENDATIONS

 In short, Mr. Chairman, US Sprint recommends that the High
 Performance Computing Act of 1991 address two issues.

 First, the bill should authorize the funding of academic research for
 application s requiring high speed network capacity in addition to
 connecting supercomputers.  As noted above, sophisticated medical
 imaging requires higher speed networks.  Similar applications that
 require high speed networking should be funded under this
 initiative.  US Sprint believe that funding this type of research will
 stimulate additional high speed network applications further
 justifying the development of the network.

 Second, the Committee should ensure that the design of the NREN
 does not lead to a government owned and operated network.  NREN
 should be developed to share the gigabit capacity of existing public
 networks and enjoy the advantages that public network operators
 bring to their commercial customers.  NREN could well operate as a
 virtual private network on an existing public network, but it should
 not operate as a separate network.

 Mr. Chairman, US Sprint sees the NREN developing more fully, more
 economically, and more quickly if it were to be developed as a
 shared, or public, network.

 We appreciate the opportunity to address the Committee.  I will be
 happy to answer any questions that you may have.

 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.


 Summary Statement

 Tracey Gray, Vice President of Marketing

 Government Systems Division


 US Sprint fully supports the intent of the High Performance
 Computing initiative.  We are convinced that without government
 seed money, high performance computing and high performance
 networking will be slow to mature.

 US Sprint believes that the Committee should take two steps to help
 realize its goal of establishing a multi gigabit network by 1996.

 First, the Committee, in its bill, should authorize the funding of
 academic research that requires high performance networking
 without requiring, necessarily, high performance computing.  We
 advocate this position because we are convinced that unless
 additional applications for high speed networking are developed,
 industry will not be able to justify the costs of developing multi-
 gigabit networks devoted to linking supercomputers.

 Second, US Sprint believes that the Committee should ensure that the
 NREN, the National Research and Education Network, is not
 established as a government owned and operated, dedicated
 network.  Rather, we believe that the NREN should be developed as a
 public network service to take full advantage of the near and long
 term technical features and administrative support systems
 developed by public network providers.  In our mind, the
 industry/government partnership envisioned by the legislation will
 only come to fruition if we marry our financial and technical
 resources in the development of shared, public networks instead of
 pursuing the development of exclusive, private networks.  Moreover,
 unless NREN develops as a shared resource, we cannot envision how
 NREN will be phased into commercial operation as the legislation
 anticipates.

 US Sprint commends the Committee's foresight and initiatives with
 respect to high performance computing and high performance
 networking.  We look forward to lending our expertise and resources
 to help in meeting the Committee's legislative goals.