The Energy Sciences Network is adding 10G Ethernet metropolitan-area networks in key U.S. cities. Run by the U.S. Department of Energy, ESnet is a nationwide IP backbone linking the DoE's headquarters in Germantown, Maryland, with more than 40 sites, including Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Tennessee, Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago, Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. ESnet's ring-shaped backbone network operates at 10G bit/sec in northern states and 2.5G bit/sec in southern states. Starting in the San Francisco area, ESnet is adding a fully managed MAN with dual 10G bit/sec Ethernet rings. By 2008, the San Francisco MAN is expected to support more than 100G bit/sec as lambdas are added. Qwest has provided ESnet backbone services since 1999. (Read the story)

Speaking of Qwest, the carrier has added several features to its iQ Networking MPLS-based global WAN services. The additional features include international IP-enabled frame relay and ATM access to customers' domestic Qwest iQ Networking WAN. Another is support for IP interfaces into ATM and frame relay customers' environments.

Another addition is called "frame partner" access in Qwest and other service provider regions. The Qwest service also now supports inverse multiplexing over ATM, which allows customers with broadband requirements to fill bandwidth gaps between DS-1 and DS-3. The last addition is denial-of-service attack protection, in which Qwest assists with the mitigation of such attacks and provides a service-level agreement to back it up. (Read the story)

Here’s a shocker: Few IT decision-makers in U.S. businesses and government see benefit in adopting IPv6, especially for security and network management, according to a survey released by Juniper Networks. As IDG News Service correspondent Grant Gross reports, only 7% of 349 respondents said IPv6 is "very important" to achieve their IT goals, despite features in IPv6 that backers say will improve cybersecurity, make network management easier and improve the quality of Internet connections. (Read the story)