Energy Sciences Network
Encyclopedia
The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is a high-speed computer network
serving United States Department of Energy
(DOE) scientists and their collaborators worldwide. It is managed by staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
.
All DOE Office of Science
labs are directly connected to this network. The ESnet network also connects to over 100 other research and education networks.
It was formed in 1986, combining the operations of earlier projects known as HEPnet (for high-energy physics) and MFEnet (for magnetic fusion energy research).
Managed and operated by the ESnet staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
, ESnet's high speed network provides direct connections to 30 major DOE sites, as well as interconnections to over 100 other research and education networks. ESnet is funded principally by the DOE Office of Science through the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program.
From 1990 to 2007, ESnet's average traffic has grown by a factor of 10 every 47 months.
By 2005, the core network used packet over SONET
links at 10 Gbit/s.
ESnet development programs include:
A 100 Gbit/s plan was announced in July 2011 along with the Internet2
consortium to lease "dark fiber" otherwise unused capacity.
ESnet4 utilizes three main elements:
The Long Island MAN and the Chicago Area MAN were specifically built to facilitate the movement of data from the Large Hadron Collider
(LHC) experiments at the European Center for Nuclear Research
(CERN). The
ESnet carries LHC data from CERN to U.S. Tier 1 sites over its network. Eventually 15 million gigabytes of data per year will be distributed to researchers across the globe.
CERN collects data from the LHC, sending information across the Atlantic Ocean via the fiber optic network USLHCnet, which is managed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena, Calif. An ESnet hub in Manhattan is the US entry point for LHC ATLAS data. From there, ESnet delivers data from the LHC’s ATLAS detector to Brookhaven National Laboratory
in Upton, New York
, to be processed and stored. Meanwhile, data from the LHC’s CMS detector traverses USLHCnet into ESnet in Chicago, arriving at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., for processing and storage. Researchers at universities and DOE laboratories across the country connect to these databases through ESnet4, the DOE’s next-generation scientific network. Internet2, the country’s leading education and research network, and ESnet officially launched a partnership in 2006 to develop and deploy ESnet4 just in time for the LHC experiment.
In 2009 ESnet was named one of the "government organizations that understand IT innovation".
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
serving United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
(DOE) scientists and their collaborators worldwide. It is managed by staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
.
All DOE Office of Science
Office of Science
The Office of Science is a component of the United States Department of Energy . The Office of Science is the lead federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for energy and the Nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences...
labs are directly connected to this network. The ESnet network also connects to over 100 other research and education networks.
Overview
ESnet is a high-speed network serving thousands of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) scientists and collaborators worldwide. ESnet links researchers at national laboratories, universities and other research institutions.It was formed in 1986, combining the operations of earlier projects known as HEPnet (for high-energy physics) and MFEnet (for magnetic fusion energy research).
Managed and operated by the ESnet staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
, ESnet's high speed network provides direct connections to 30 major DOE sites, as well as interconnections to over 100 other research and education networks. ESnet is funded principally by the DOE Office of Science through the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program.
From 1990 to 2007, ESnet's average traffic has grown by a factor of 10 every 47 months.
By 2005, the core network used packet over SONET
Packet over SONET/SDH
Packet over SONET/SDH, abbreviated POS, is a communications protocol for transmitting packets in the form of the Point to Point Protocol over SDH or SONET, which are both standard protocols for communicating digital information using lasers or light emitting diodes over optical fibre at high...
links at 10 Gbit/s.
ESnet development programs include:
- OSCARS: The On Demand Secure Circuits and Reservation System software developed at ESnet, and now open-sourced to the community, creates multi-domain, virtual circuitVirtual circuitIn telecommunications and computer networks, a virtual circuit , synonymous with virtual connection and virtual channel, is a connection oriented communication service that is delivered by means of packet mode communication...
s guaranteeing end-to-end data transfer performance on the network.
- perfSONAR: A test and measurement framework that provides end-to-end monitoring of multi-domain network performance. ESnet is a key member of the international perfSONAR collaboration.
- Advanced Networking Initiative (ANI): Launched in 2009 by $62 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, ESnet's Advanced Networking Initiative was a project to handle the expanding data needs between DOE supercomputing facilities. The mission of ANI is to accelerate the deployment of 100 Gbit/s technologies to support science research and education, that will transition into a production network.
A 100 Gbit/s plan was announced in July 2011 along with the Internet2
Internet2
Internet2 is an advanced not-for-profit US networking consortium led by members from the research and education communities, industry, and government....
consortium to lease "dark fiber" otherwise unused capacity.
ESnet4
ESnet4 is a large-scale science data transport network with enough bandwidth to transport multiple streams of 10 gigabits per second. As the DOE's next-generation scientific network, ESnet4 enables international scientific collaborations on large-scale science projects through reliable, high-speed connections between DOE Labs, and U.S. and international research institutions.ESnet4 utilizes three main elements:
- A circuit-oriented Science Data Network for moving terabytes of data. Like a direct line connecting two endpoints, this dedicated network allows information to flow directly at high data rates from one remote host to another.
- An Internet ProtocolInternet ProtocolThe Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
(IP) network for typical data transfers. Unlike the Science Data Network, the IP network is connected to many computers, and can have multiple endpoints. To reach a destination, information traveling on an IP network will constantly encounter routers that quickly direct and redirect it. Like air-traffic controllers, the routers determine the most efficient routes.
- Metropolitan Area NetworkMetropolitan area networkA metropolitan area network is a computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks and the...
s (MANs) are the last component of ESnet4. This system carries both Science Data and IP networks to effectively connect research centers in the same geographic region. Currently, 11 ESnet sites are served by MANs.
The Long Island MAN and the Chicago Area MAN were specifically built to facilitate the movement of data from the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
(LHC) experiments at the European Center for Nuclear Research
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
(CERN). The
ESnet carries LHC data from CERN to U.S. Tier 1 sites over its network. Eventually 15 million gigabytes of data per year will be distributed to researchers across the globe.
CERN collects data from the LHC, sending information across the Atlantic Ocean via the fiber optic network USLHCnet, which is managed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in Pasadena, Calif. An ESnet hub in Manhattan is the US entry point for LHC ATLAS data. From there, ESnet delivers data from the LHC’s ATLAS detector to Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
in Upton, New York
Upton, New York
Upton, New York is a hamlet on Long Island in the town of Brookhaven. It is the home of Brookhaven National Laboratory, and a National Weather Service station.Upton is located in Suffolk County, New York in the USA....
, to be processed and stored. Meanwhile, data from the LHC’s CMS detector traverses USLHCnet into ESnet in Chicago, arriving at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., for processing and storage. Researchers at universities and DOE laboratories across the country connect to these databases through ESnet4, the DOE’s next-generation scientific network. Internet2, the country’s leading education and research network, and ESnet officially launched a partnership in 2006 to develop and deploy ESnet4 just in time for the LHC experiment.
In 2009 ESnet was named one of the "government organizations that understand IT innovation".