CC* Networking Infrastructure: Creation of a Science DMZ and 10Gb/s Connection to Internet2 for Tennessee Tech University

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This project facilitates national and international research collaborations at Tennessee Technological University by establishing a dedicated 10 Gbps connection to Internet2 and creating a high-speed Science DMZ. The new cyberinfrastructure benefits a large number of researchers across multiple colleges and research centers. It enables data-driven research in areas including next-generation Networking, Cybersecurity, High-performance Computing, Chemical Engineering, Biology, High-energy Physics, Earth Sciences, and Civil & Environmental Engineering. The upgraded connectivity enables researchers to share data both internally and externally in a fast, secure, and reliable manner over the dedicated research-only connection. The Science DMZ equips researchers with use-case specific segmented resources (network, disk space, and compute nodes) as well as increased autonomy and flexibility to deploy isolated research prototypes.The new infrastructure bypasses Tennessee Tech's perimeter firewall while integrating with the existing infrastructure. High-speed data transfer nodes (DTNs) provides faster data delivery to and from the campus. The network design provides dedicated connectivity for research traffic to most buildings. Several PerfSonar nodes deployed at strategic network locations report real-time network and application performance, allowing the operators to optimize network flows. Finally, this new infrastructure brings IPv6 deployment to the campus. A study of network and application performance before and after the deployment can demonstrate the impact of a science DMZ on science workflows in terms of performance, latency, and flexibility. The experience in implementing this project at Tennessee Tech can provide guidance to other universities pursuing similar cyberinfrastructure.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.