OneNet’s 400G Network Takes Shape with an Upgraded Connection to Great Plains Network

The first phase of OneNet’s 400G network upgrade is complete. In February, OneNet upgraded its connection to the Great Plains Network (GPN) from 100G to 400G.

OneNet’s network team has planned a 400G network upgrade to expand capacity on our network that will increase the amount of traffic that can travel across the network and boost network speed for subscribers.

OneNet collaborated with GPN and Internet2 engineers to upgrade our GPN connection in Tulsa. This connection transports subscriber traffic from Oklahoma to the rest of the world. Through GPN, Internet2 and other providers, OneNet connects subscribers with nearly 1Tbps of upstream capacity.

As part of the process, both OneNet and GPN deployed new routers. This enabled the engineering teams to upgrade the connection between GPN and Internet2 to 400G.

Great Plains Network

Great Plains Network is a regional research and education network (REN) made up of members from various states in the Great Plains. GPN has a presence in both Tulsa and Kansas City, and provides connectivity to Internet2, ESnet, regional internet exchanges and peering exchange points, which all support connectivity for OneNet subscribers.

OneNet’s membership in GPN not only facilitates collaboration opportunities with other state and national RENs but creates cost savings that can be passed on to our subscribers.

“This upgrade to GPN is the first phase in expanding our network. While having our internal network upgraded to 400G is great, without increased capacity to other networks, it’s a lot less impactful,” said Drew Graham, OneNet’s senior network architect.

“By increasing our connection to GPN and Internet2 to 400G, we are able to provide increased capacity to our subscribers to Internet2 and other state RENs and their member institutions,” he said.

“This capacity will support technology innovation for our subscribers and critical connectivity for scientific discovery, health care, education, and government services for the community anchor institutions OneNet connects across the state.”

Planning for 400G to 800G

Planning for the project started over a year ago, and OneNet has been running proof-of-concept tests since late-October. Since the 400G standards have matured, the cost for equipment has become more affordable, making it cost-effective for OneNet to run 400G across the network.

The full network upgrade will replace equipment in many hub sites where OneNet currently only has 10G capacity and upgrade that capacity to 100G or 400G. This upgrade both replaces end-of-life routers and enables OneNet to provide higher-speed services at hub sites throughout the state. Looking to the future, this new equipment will enable OneNet to eventually support upgrades to 800G and 1.6T as technology evolves over the coming years.

“In addition to implementing 400G today, the work we are doing will make it significantly easier down the road when we start looking to deploy 800Gand 1.6T and beyond,” Graham said.

“As a fun fact, the equipment we are deploying to Oklahoma City and Tulsa for aggregating all of the new 400G links will support up to 800G per port, so as soon as 800G equipment becomes available, we will have the ability to deploy it on portions of our network,” he said.

Internet2

Over time, increased connectivity to Internet2 will open new opportunities for OneNet subscribers. Internet2 is the nation’s 400G REN and OneNet’s national partner.

Graham encourages eligible OneNet subscribers to take a look at  Internet2’s services, especially the cloud connect offerings. The services under the “Network” heading of Internet2’s service tab will now have increased capacity thanks to OneNet’s upgrade.

“The next phase of the upgrade will be replacing our core routers and transitioning services over to the new equipment. We expect to start this phase in the next two months,” said Graham.

“We look forward to the research and education initiatives that our subscribers will be able to implement across the network when the upgrade is complete,” said John Hennessey, associate vice chancellor for information technology and OneNet. “These initiatives will advance economic development, research opportunities and workforce retention for our state.”

Learn more about OneNet’s research partners and collaborations.