Affiliations: Communications Research Laboratory, I.A.I., 4‐2‐1 Nukui‐Kita, Koganei, Tokyo 184‐8795, Japan Tel.: +81 42 327 7513; Fax: +81 42 327 6825; E‐mail: naoto@crl.go.jp | NASA Research and Education Network, Mail Stop 233‐21, Moffett Field, CA 94035‐1000, USA Tel.: +1 650 604 3844; Fax: +1 650 604 3080; E‐mail: gilstrap@nren.nasa.gov
Abstract: This paper presents the network architecture, engineering tests and their results for the Trans‐Pacific Demonstrations (TPD). The experimental network was configured using an Intelsat satellite, N‐STAR, and terrestrial networks in Japan, Canada and the United States. The TransPAC, submarine fiber‐optic link was also used as a backup for the Intelsat link. We began to establish the full‐scale experimental network in May 2000, and performed the engineering tests during about a two‐month period of the TPD. We verified the connectivity of the satellite links, ATM connections, IP and higher layers, and then measured satellite link performance, ATM transmission performance, TCP/XTP performances and so on. As the result of the engineering test, we found that networks that include one or two satellite links can be used as network infrastructure for high data rate applications.