Apparently, when CERN isn't colliding particles (and ripping massive holes in the space-time continuum), it's busy working on a new "internet" which will be 10,000 times faster than our current version. The project -- known as "the grid" -- is built atop completely fiber optic networks, and utilizes modern routing centers. By keeping traffic out of our current phone and data systems, the researchers have been able to achieve speeds heretofore unseen on previous networks. The system connects from CERN to 11 centers around the globe, and will be switched on when the Large Hadron Collider is activated, on what the group is calling "Red Button Day." Project heads believe a network with this speed will lead to all sorts of futuristic innovations -- like true cloud computing, holographic video conferencing, and really, really fast pirating of the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series.

Well, it looks like we won't be seeing one massive, ultra high-speed Internet network anytime soon, as the AP is now reporting that Internet2 and National LambdaRail have called off their merger talks, with no indication given that they'll resume again. Apparently, Internet2 was initially ready to go ahead with the merger, despite a few hesitant board members, but LambdaRail was seeking some additional, unspecified concessions that ultimately led to both sides backing out. As the AP reports, the two non-profit networks had initially sought to work together given that they served the same community, but it now looks like they'll soon each be back to secretly plotting their next attempt at a new internet speed record.

Well it will still be vulnerable to a man, a match, and a mattress, but starting in January, the private Internet2 will begin offering 100Gbps bandwidth in 10Gbps chunks over its fiber optic network. The tech behind these ridiculous speeds -- known as Dynamic Circuit Network -- is reportedly complete as of today, with a wrap party being held at the consortium's Fall Member Meeting in San Diego. Of course researchers will naturally tire of those 10Gbps pipes rather quickly, which is why Internet2 is already working on ramping up the bitrate to between 20Gbps and 100Gbps per line. We'd go into more detail, but our employer-supplied 1,000 hours of free dial-up are just about tapped out...

Say what you want about net neutrality, at least the Internet hasn't been taken out by a hobo. Unlike the regular Internet we all use everyday, which was originally designed to distribute the AACS hex key withstand a nuclear attack, Internet2 is designed primarily for speed -- up to 9.08Gbps in most recent tests. All that juice comes at the price of redundant network links, though -- which means the whole thing got taken offline last night when a homeless man threw a cigarette onto a mattress under Boston's Longfellow Bridge, starting a blaze that eventually melted the fiber-optic link between Boston and New York. While initial estimates called for a service outage of 1-2 days, quick-thinking techs were able to get service going again in just 4 hours. Good thing, too -- if the panic that sets in around here when our DSL goes out is any indication, with the kind of bandwidth these guys were missing out on, there must've been wailing in the street.

Read - El Reg's coverage
Read - Internet2 Network Upgrade Team blog

We all know that data transmission records don't hang around too long these days, but for operators of the Internet2 network, the final "official record" may have just been set. At the Internet2 consortium's spring meeting, it was announced that officials "sent data at 7.67-gigabits per second using standard communications protocols," but crushed even that milestone 24 hours later by achieving 9.08Gbps with IPv6 protocols. Notably, the data had to travel a whopping 20,000 or so miles roundtrip, and it's being suggested that the newest record may be there awhile, considering the theoretical 10Gbps limit on Internet2 transmissions and the requirement for new records to sustain "a ten-percent improvement for recognition." The best bit, however, is the mention of a "a new network with a capacity of 100Gbps," which could see a full-blown DVD shot practically around the globe "within in a few seconds."

We're confident these off kilter batteries have been keeping the IEEE quite busy in recent months, but they've apparently made time to agree upon the next major Ethernet standard, and have raised the bar way above the rumored "40Gbps" level by dropping the hammer on 100G. If you're hoping to pick up some newfangled NIC and take advantage of these crazy new speeds anytime soon, fuhgetaboutit. The IEEE's High Speed Study Group (HSSG) has quite a bit of work to go, including the actual assembly of a new task force, which will "work to standardize 100G Ethernet over distances as far as six miles over single-mode fiber optic cabling and 328 feet over multimode fiber." John D'Ambrosia, chair of the IEEE HSSG, has admitted that the need for quicker (and larger) pipes is imminent, especially considering the growing trend in downloadable media and Web 2.0 applications, but anticipates the forming of 100G to "not be too great a challenge." While we're most definitely writing anything these folks say in regard to promptness off, we're admittedly glad the gurus behind the scenes feel this next step up should happen rather smoothly, but the IEEE still doesn't think a "finalized standard" will go live "until 2009 or 2010."

[Via Shashdot]

Our consumer-grade home DSL is starting to look pretty paltry compared to the records that are coming out of research labs these days. While we told you about the latest speed record of 14 terabits per second over fiber in Japan, that really doesn't help use mere mortals who are still using 100Base-T routers in our homes and offices -- even though about a month ago, we spied one of the first gigabit routers on the market, which raised our spirits a bit. Well our hopes have been kicked up a few more notches today, with the news from GigaOm that Infinera, the University of California Santa Cruz, Internet2 and Level3 Communications have just demoed a 100 gigabit per second Ethernet connection over a fiber network between Houston, Texas and Tampa, Florida. Now if only we could get the IEEE bureaucracy and networking manufacturers to move this fast -- we need at least a gigabit per second in our pads, like, last year.