NCSA Gives Update on FABRIC Research Infrastructure Project | May 16, 2022 | National Center for Supercomputing Applications

"When the internet launched in the last century it was an amazing feat of science and technology. But it was not designed for the massive data sets, machine-learning tools, advanced sensors and Internet of Things devices that have become central to many research and business endeavors and our homes. Funded with a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation, FABRIC (Adaptive Programmable Research Infrastructure for Computer Science and Science Applications) is exploring ways to replace an internet infrastructure that’s been showing its age for the last 20 years. NCSA [National Center for Supercomputing Applications] is one of 13 collaborating institutions helping create a platform for testing novel internet architectures that could enable a faster, more secure internet better suited for today’s users and future needs. One that’s also able to do things not possible now. The FABRIC project is led by the Network Research and Infrastructure Group at RENCI at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill....

Encouraging people to secure the next internet by thinking ahead is also part of the FABRIC process, say, Nikolich and Wheeler. Even though it’s open science, how do you protect it? What can an adversary do? How do we protect against that?

This is how to make the future internet more secure, they say. By thinking like an adversary now, not in 30 years.

The Fabric Testbed

FABRIC consists of storage, computational and network hardware nodes connected by dedicated high-speed optical links. All major aspects of the infrastructure are programmable so researchers can create new configurations or tailor the platform for specific research purposes, such as cybersecurity.

The core nodes are deeply programmable, meaning they are controlled by the network owners and can be programmed to suit their needs. This flexibility and control over the network functionality at all points in the network allows experimenters to test new architectures not possible today...."