RI: Wide-Area-Network in a Laboratory

发展强大而稳定的超大规模网络，在广域范围内达到100 Gbps或更高的速度，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下一个十年基础和应用科学的发现。计算、通信和存储技术的持续进步，加上国家和全球网格系统的发展，有希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状态。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上实施和演示，并在今天有明确和迫切需求的社区中部署它们。这项工作的一个关键组成部分是实验基础设施，在此基础设施上开发、测试和演示高速和大延迟的新算法。在目前可用的网络模拟器或高性能广域网（WAN）上进行这项研究是不可能的。建议项目将建立这样一个设施：实验室WAN。实验室中的广域网将由四个主要模块组成：高速服务器、可编程路由器、电子交叉连接和WDM设备，包括带相关光放大器的长途光纤、色散补偿模块和光多路复用器和解路复用器。这种网络的“风洞”有五个特点，结合起来使它成为世界上真正独特的设施：它实际上是一个广域网，而不是仿真，它提供高速和长距离，这对于开发超大规模网络的协议至关重要。2. 它可以很容易地配置成不同拓扑结构、链路速度和延迟的逻辑网络，并且可以在需要和资金可用时，通过结合光学技术、路由器或服务器的最新进展保持领先地位。实验室中的广域网将内置被动监控设施，以补充Web100等端到端监控工具。这对于解决许多仅在实时网络中出现的性能问题至关重要，但这些问题很难从端到端测量中进行调试。这是一个可以破坏的网络，适合进行危险的实验，可能包括那些涉及重新编程路由器的实验。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。更广泛的影响：实验室中的广域网将成为犹他大学Jay Lepreau领导的联邦仿真实验室的一部分，并将在统一的软件平台上进行管理。它很好地补充了Emulab中的现有功能，后者专注于大规模（200台服务器）但低速（100Mbps网络接口卡）。参与Federated Emulab使得实验室中的WAN可以立即提供给Emulab用户社区，并且对于那些需要高容量和大距离的项目非常有用，就像FAST一样。该设施预计将服务于更多的项目，而不是少数几个项目。实验室Wan是整个研究/实验室开发/现场试验/生产网络的实验网络过程中的关键要素。我们正在持续参与这一过程，以便为科学和工程服务，将下一代协议投入生产。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，提供一个全球10 Gbps的UltraLight测试平台。这些活动和实验室中的WAN相互补充和利用。

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.