RI: Wide-Area-Network in a Laboratory

对于支持新一代UltraScale计算和PB到EB数据集的强健和稳定的UltraScale网络(在广域范围内达到100 Gbps和更高的速度)至关重要，这些数据集有望推动下一个十年的基础和应用科学的发现。计算、通信和存储技术的不断进步，加上国家和全球网格系统的发展，有望为计算和科学提供所需的能力和有效的环境。需要克服的一个关键挑战是，当前的一些网络控制和资源共享算法无法扩展到这种制度。加州理工学院FAST项目的目标是为未来的UltraScale网络开发理论和算法，在最先进的试验床上实施和演示它们，并将它们部署在当今有明确和迫切需求的社区中。这项工作的一个关键组成部分是一个实验基础设施，在该基础设施上可以高速和大延迟地开发、测试和演示新算法。这项研究不可能在网络模拟器上进行，也不可能在当今可用的高性能广域网(广域网)中进行。这个拟议的项目将建立这样一个设施：实验室中的广域网。实验室中的广域网将由四个主要构件组成：高速服务器、可编程路由器、电子交叉连接和波分复用设备，其中包括长途光纤和相关的光纤放大器、色散补偿模块以及光复用器和多路分路器。这个联网的“风洞”具有五个特征，使其成为世界上真正独特的设施：1.它实际上是一个广域网，而不是一个仿真，它提供高速和大距离，对开发UltraScale网络的协议至关重要。2.它可以很容易地配置成不同拓扑、链路速度和延迟的逻辑网络，并可以在需要和资金到位时，通过整合光纤技术、路由器或服务器的最新进展来保持领先地位。实验室中的广域网将拥有内置的被动监控设施，作为端到端监控工具(如Web100)的补充。这些对于解决许多性能问题至关重要，这些问题只出现在实时网络中，但仅通过端到端测量很难进行调试。这是一个可以断开的网络，适合进行高风险的实验，可能包括对路由器进行重新编程的实验。它将与全球高性能研究网络集成，并将成为网络社区的共享资源。广泛的影响：实验室中的广域网将成为由犹他大学的Jay Lepreau领导的联合Emulab的一部分，并将在统一的软件平台上进行管理。它很好地补充了Emulab的现有设施，Emulab专注于大规模(200台服务器)但低速(100 Mbps网卡)。参与Federated Emulab使实验室中的广域网立即可供Emulab用户社区使用，并对像FAST这样需要高容量和远距离的项目非常有用。这一设施预计将为更多的项目提供服务，而不是为数不多的项目。实验室中的广域网是现场试验/生产网络的研究/实验室内开发/实验网络整个过程中的关键要素。我们一直在致力于这一进程，以使下一代协议(S)投入生产，为科学和工程服务。我们一直在与HENP社区及其合作伙伴合作，以实现向生产的过渡。我们正在与SURFnet、Starlight以及未来的UKlight密切合作，提供全球10 Gbps超轻型试验台。这些活动与实验中的广域网相辅相成，相互促进。

The development of robust and stable ultrascale networking, at 100 Gbps and higher speeds in the wide area, is critical to support the new generation of ultrascale computing and petabyte to exabyte datasets that promise to drive discoveries in fundamental and applied sciences of the next decade. Continued advances in computing, communication, and storage technologies, combined with the development of national and global Grid systems, hold the promise of providing the required capacities and an effective environment for computing and science. A key challenge to overcome is that some of the current network control and resource sharing algorithms cannot scale to this regime. The goal of the Caltech FAST Project is to develop theories and algorithms for the future ultrascale networks, implement and demonstrate them in state-of-the-art testbeds, and deploy them in communities that have a clear and urgent need today. A critical component of this effort is an experimental infrastructure on which to develop, test, and demonstrate new algorithms at both high speed and large delay. It is impossible to conduct this research on network simulators or in the high performance wide-area networks (WAN) available today. The propose project will build such a facility: WAN in Laboratory.WAN in Lab will consist of four major building blocks: high speed servers, programmable routers, electronic crossconnects, and WDM equipment including long-haul fibers with associated optical amplifiers, dispersion compensation modules and optical multiplexers and demultiplexers.This "wind tunnel" of networking has five features that combine to make it a truly unique facility in the world:1. It is literally a WAN, not an emulation, that provides both high speed and large distance, critical for developing protocols for ultrascale networking. 2. It can be easily configured into logical networks of different topologies, link speeds and delays, and can stay cutting-edge by incorporating latest advances in optical technologies, routers, or servers, as need arises and funds become available.3. WAN in Lab will have built-in passive monitoring facilities that will complement end-to-end monitoring tools such as Web100. These are critical to resolve many performance problems that arise only in live networks but that are hard to debug from just end-to-end measurements.4. It is a network that can break and is suitable for risky experiments, possibly including those that involve reprogramming the routers.5. It will be integrated with global high performance research networks and will be a shared resource for the networking community.Broader impacts: WAN in Lab will be part of the Federated Emulab led by University of Utah's Jay Lepreau and will be managed on a uniform software platform. It complements nicely the existing facility in Emulab, which focuses on large scale (200 servers) but low speed (100Mbps network interface card). Participation in Federated Emulab makes WAN in Lab instantly available to the Emulab user community and useful to those projects that need both high capacity and large distance, as FAST does. This facility is expected to serve much more projects than the few that motivated it.Wan in Lab is a key element in the overall process of research/in-lab development/experimental networks for field trials/production networks. We are engaged in this process on an ongoing basis to get the next generation(s) of protocols into production, in the service of science and engineering. We have been working with the HENP community and their partners to achieve the transition to production. We are partnering closely with SURFnet, Starlight and in the future UKlight to provide a global 10 Gbps UltraLight testbed. These activities and WAN in Lab complement and leverage on each other.