Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO) continues to deliver advanced Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) features along with multicast and quality of service capabilities, through Cisco IOS Software, that enable the real-time information delivery necessary for advanced applications like video conferencing, supercomputing and grid computing. With such advanced features, National Research Networks (NRN) such as SURFnet and Japan Gigabit Network (JGN) can use Cisco Catalyst(R) 6500 switching and Cisco(R) 12000 Series routing platforms to introduce new applications and network-based services that can advance ongoing academic and scientific research. At SC2003 Cisco highlighted its ongoing efforts to advance the state of networking by demonstrating the industry's first IPv6 multicast digital video transmission over a trans-Atlantic link using Cisco 12000 Series routers while also using the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches to aggregate IPv6 traffic at the SURFnet site in Amsterdam. Real-time applications, such as digital video, are highly sensitive to jitter and packet re-ordering and sequencing and this demonstration shows how IPv6, like IPv4, can effectively transport multiple streams of high quality video over long-haul networks. The demonstration was conducted in conjunction with SURFnet, the national computer network for higher education and research in The Netherlands. "Experimental use of IPv6 multicast technology has been pioneered within the 6NET Project of the European Commission," said Kees Neggers, managing director of SURFnet. "At SC 2003, our intercontinental demonstration of high-end digital video streaming over IPv6 multicast showcases the progress being made by Cisco in IPv6 technology." "We created the demo set-up using the latest Cisco hardware, like the IP Services Engine line cards for the Cisco 12000 Series routers and the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Supervisor 720 for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches, and very recent software images. These new Cisco products are welcomed at SURFnet, to help support our ongoing efforts to promote the spread and use of IPv6," added Erik-Jan Bos, director of Network Services at SURFnet. NRNs depend on networking infrastructures that demand unparallel performance and sophistication to effectively deliver applications such as remote sensing, medical applications and distance learning. JGN was created to conduct research and development on high-speed networking and high-performance application technologies. "Cisco's ongoing commitment and advancement of IPv6 capabilities is both significant and impressive," said Dr. Hiroshi Esaki, head of the JGN IPv6 project and executive director of Japan's IPv6 promotion council. "This is especially important to us as the innovations Cisco has made in this arena have aided our efforts in showing that the production quality IPv6 service can support the same application quality as IPv4. It also demonstrates that Cisco has foresight into the direction on where next generation networking is headed." The Cisco 12000 Series is an industry-leading routing platform that meets carrier-class requirements for service delivery, manageability, core and edge adaptability, reliability, and lowest total cost of ownership for an IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching network. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, the company's flagship switch, allows customers to seamlessly add next-generation intelligent services and interfaces using their existing network infrastructure to create the industry's highest performance, highest density, most feature-rich integrated Layer 2 through Layer 7 switch.