DeFanti, Stevens, and NCSA had set up a supercomputer and virtual environment at previous Supercomputing and SIGGRAPH conferences using local area networks. For Supercomputing '95, however, they wanted to leave the computers at home and tap into them from the conference floor. They already intended to expand the virtual reality displays, but they reasoned it would pack even greater punch if it offered a glimpse of the kinds of applications possible if researchers could draw upon resources almost anywhere in the country.
The plan was not to build a network but to integrate existing high-bandwidth networks with telephone systems. The challenge would be to overcome their varying bandwidths, protocols, and routing and switching technology by implementing a universal standard.
The actual design of the I-WAY began in April at a two-and-a-half day workshop held at ANL. During the first two days, participants outlined their specifications for the network based on existing and potential networking technology at the different sites. On the third day, team leaders presented their system design to vendors from the telecommunications industry to entice donations of connections or equipment. The selling card they offered vendors was an economical means of testing the software and protocols that they also believed likely would be the foundation of the next- generation Internet. The plan is to have I-WAY operational by Supercomputing '95 then run it for at least another year to gather performance data, depending on the availability of funding.