Intel suggests upgrading internet to Intelnet

Intel is working on ways to upgrade the internet with a new layer of technology that could help the network detect and warn of worm attacks on its own and re-route network traffic to avoid delays.

This could be done by adding an overlay network of computational services made up of computing and storage resources, said Intel chief technical officer Pat Gelsinger in his keynote address to the Intel Developer Forum.

To support his argument he was joined by Vint Cerf, commonly known as the father of the internet, who co-designed the TCP/IP protocol that the internet uses.

"I think the net is still pretty primitive: we're in the Stone Age in respect to networking," said Cerf. "There is a great deal more that has to be done; some of the fundamental limitations of the net are architectural."

Intel is calling on other industry players to join the existing PlanetLab network being developed in association with Hewlett Packard, AT&T and others.

PlanetLab is a research network used by 150 universities and commercial research institutes. The concept calls for servers to be placed alongside routers that currently direct internet traffic.

Intel explained that PlanetLab's approach uses the internet to send data but then integrates a new overlay network of its own intelligent routers and servers to add new capabilities.

Gelsinger suggested that these servers need not be Intel-powered but must be able to use virtualisation technology similar to that announced by the company earlier in the week.

"There is no architectural restraint; other silicon can be used as long as you can present virtualisation layers," he said.

"By understanding and working on this research project we are trying to get a leg up. And, of course, we will use every other competitive technique. But it's a fair game."