RI: Wide-Area-Network in a Laboratory

在广域范围内以 100 Gbps 和更高速度发展稳健的超大规模网络对于支持新一代超大规模计算和 PB 到 EB 数据集至关重要，这些数据集有望推动未来十年基础科学和应用科学的发现。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情况。 加州理工学院 FAST 项目的目标是为未来的超大规模网络开发理论和算法，在最先进的测试平台中实施和演示它们，并将它们部署在当今有明确和紧迫需求的社区中。 这项工作的一个关键组成部分是一个实验基础设施，用于以高速和大延迟开发、测试和演示新算法。 在网络模拟器或当今可用的高性能广域网 (WAN) 上进行这项研究是不可能的。 拟议项目将建造这样一个设施：WAN 实验室。WAN 实验室将由四个主要构建块组成：高速服务器、可编程路由器、电子交叉连接和 WDM 设备，包括带有相关光放大器的长距离光纤、色散补偿模块以及光复用器和解复用器。这种网络“风洞”具有五个功能，这些功能结合起来使其成为世界上真正独特的设施：1。它实际上是一个 WAN，而不是仿真，可提供高速和远距离，这对于开发超大规模网络协议至关重要。 2. 它可以轻松配置为不同拓扑、​​链路速度和延迟的逻辑网络，并且可以在需要和资金到位时通过结合光学技术、路由器或服务器的最新进展来保持领先地位。3.实验室中的 WAN 将具有内置的被动监控设施，以补充 Web100 等端到端监控工具。 这些对于解决仅在实时网络中出现但仅通过端到端测量很难调试的许多性能问题至关重要。4。它是一个可能会中断的网络，适合进行有风险的实验，可能包括那些涉及对路由器重新编程的实验。5。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。更广泛的影响：WAN in Lab 将成为犹他大学 Jay Lepreau 领导的 Federated 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 中现有的设施，该设施专注于大规模（200 台服务器）但低速（100Mbps 网络接口卡）。 参与 Federated Emulab 使 Emulab 用户社区可以立即使用 WAN in Lab，并且对于需要高容量和长距离的项目（如 FAST）非常有用。 该设施预计将服务于比最初的几个项目更多的项目。Wan in Lab 是研究/实验室开发/现场试验/生产网络的实验网络整个过程中的关键要素。我们持续参与这一过程，以便将下一代协议投入生产，为科学和工程服务。 我们一直与 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 UltraLight 测试台。 这些活动与实验室中的 WAN 相辅相成、相辅相成。

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.