National LambdaRail (NLR) is a higher education research network offering robust bandwidth and resources for unprecedented access to networking and research technologies. On May 23, Penn State's initial connection to NLR's PacketNet service was activated. This NLR service uses Penn State's fiber connection to the Three Rivers Optical Exchange (3ROX) in Pittsburgh, where it is relayed to NLR's national network which includes a growing number of universities. During the first week following activation, Penn State's use of NLR averaged approximately 5-10 Mbps over the 10,000 Mbps Ethernet connection used for PacketNet service. Currently the number of sites served by NLR is a fraction of the number of sites served by Internet2; however the degree of adoption is expected to increase rapidly. The National Lambda Rail will serve as an expanding complement to the other national networking structures available to researchers. For more information, follow the links below.
- Full article in Penn State Live: National research network brings unlimited bandwidth, resources to Penn State
- Faculty FAQ: Information for University faculty on the purpose, use, and benefits of the NLR network for researchers at Penn State and institutions around the country.
- Network Administrator FAQ: Technical instructions for University IT administrators on how to access and use NLR services.
- National LambdaRail (NLR) Web site