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Clemson U Admitted to High-Speed Network Fraternity

  • By Paul McCloskey
  • 08/14/07
Clemson University has established a direct fiber link between Clemson, Greenville, Atlanta, and Charlotte, giving researchers direct access to the National LambdaRail, Internet2, and other national and international research networks, according to a report in the HPCWire newsletter.

The network, known as C-Light, was funded through private money and donated fiber, according to the university. The opening of the C-Light network will enable Clemson researchers to collaborate nationally and qualifies them for major federal research grants.

"Clemson's capacity for data transmission has increased from the equivalent of a footpath in the forest to a 16-lane superhighway," said Clemson Chief Information Officer Jim Bottum, according to HPCWire.

"In the past, Clemson was limited to 'commodity' connectivity, which prohibited us from participating in national initiatives like the TeraGrid and the National LambdaRail," said Bottum. "In essence, we lacked the 'toll' to get onto the national research superhighway; so, for Clemson to advance toward its goals, C-Light had to happen."

The fiber network also connects Clemson's new campus in Greenville, SC, the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, or CU-ICAR.

James Leylek, director of the Clemson University Center for Computational Mobility Systems, told HPCWire that in the past he was forced to ship data from CU-ICAR to research partners by regular "snail mail" because of network limitations.

"The world of high-performance computing offers unlimited opportunities for researchers needing to get data and information quickly," said Leylek. "C-Light is a tremendous boost to productivity."

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About the Author

Paul McCloskey is contributing editor of Syllabus.

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