Network Services Support for Research

Examples of Research Projects

Internet2’s Network Services Provide the Infrastructure You Need for Your Research.

Internet2 partners with a number of high-profile research projects involving top research organizations. Here are some examples of recent research projects:

Open Science Grid
StashCache
GENI
FABRIC
BRIDGES
SC Conference Series
Data Mover Challenge
XSEDE
LHCONE
IRNC

Open Science Grid

The Open Science Grid (OSG) provides common service and support for resource providers and scientific institutions using a distributed fabric of high throughput computational services.

The OSG does not own resources but provides software and services to users and resource providers alike to enable the opportunistic usage and sharing of resources. The OSG is funded through a diverse portfolio of awards from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

The OSG supports science such as:
- High Energy Physics
- Structural Biology
- Community VO (multiple sciences): OSG Connect

StashCache

StashCache is a major component of the Open Science Grid. It is a distributed caching federation that enables opportunistic users to utilize nearby opportunistic storage. StashCache is comprised of four components: data origins, redirectors, caches, and clients. StashCache has been deployed in the Open Science Grid for several years and has been used by many projects. Caches are deployed in geographically distributed locations across the U.S. and Europe.

Internet2 is pleased to host some of the highest utilization OSG caching nodes directly on the Internet2 backbone with 100G interconnections. These nodes provide high-performance data storage and transfer to Internet2 member institutions in support of the OSG goals. Internet2 continues to support the OSG caching/data federation through the deployment of five 100G-attached domestic and one international (deployment in progress in Amsterdam) StashCache nodes. Internet2 meets regularly with the OSG team to help determine and operate the caches.

GENI

GENI, the Global Environment for Network Innovations, is an open infrastructure for at-scale networking and distributed systems research and education that spans the United States. It started as an NSF Grant in 2007/2008. Internet2 has supported GENI, providing 10Gbps circuits in the early years along with hosting nodes that prototyped programmable switching and routing, eventually leading to OpenFlow-capable devices.

Under the Enabling NeTwork Research and the Evolution of a Next Generation Midscale Research Infrastructure (ENTeR) award (No. 1836715), Internet2 supports GENI flows over its Internet2 Advanced Layer 2 Service. This includes the AL2S Aggregate Manager, which allows GENI experiments to dynamically set up Layer 2 flows using APIs to the Internet2 OESS controller and the GENI Local Data Store to report on the dynamic circuits.

FABRIC

To quote the FABRIC website, FABRIC is Adaptive Programmable Research Infrastructure for Computer Science and Science Applications. It is an everywhere programmable nationwide instrument comprised of novel extensible network elements equipped with large amounts of compute and storage, interconnected by high speed, dedicated optical links.

Internet2 will connect FABRIC with multiple 100 GB connections, allowing experiments to connect with commercial cloud providers using its programmable dedicated Cloud Connect capability as well as its research-focused IP cloud connection. The Internet2 Network will be utilized for non-dedicated connectivity for individual participants to the FABRIC core. FABRIC is currently in a construction and early-prototyping phase, funded by NSF award No. 1935966.

BRIDGES

BRIDGES, Binding Research Infrastructures for the Deployment of Global Experimental Science, is an NSF funded project (award no. 2029221) to build a high-bandwidth, fully virtualized infrastructure across the Atlantic connecting collaborative U.S. and European research programs.

Internet2 will be providing connectivity in Washington D.C. through its Washington International R&E Exchange point (WIX) for member access to BRIDGES (mainly using Advanced Layer 2 Service VLANs), and a “dark channel” on the Internet2 Wave Service from Washington DC to New York City. Bridges will light it so it has a dedicated 100 Gbps circuit between its nodes in Washington and New York so that it can control bandwidth allocation between those sites.

SC Conference Series

Internet2 has provided support for member demonstrations at SC, The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis, every year since Internet2 instantiated a physical network in 1999. Internet2 connects its network to SCinet at the conference venue and provides access to all its network services, including R&E IP service, the Internet2 Peer Exchange (I2PX), the Advanced Layer 2 Service, Cloud Connect, and its wave service. Internet2 also has contributed personnel to SCinet to support measurement and WAN connectivity, specific prototype network connectivity for its members, and network performance diagnosis.

XSEDE

Internet2 supports XSEDE through Dana Brunson, Internet2’s Executive Director of Research Engagement. Brunson is co-manager of the XSEDE Campus Engagement program which includes the Campus Champions as well as carrying XSEDE traffic in a private VRF.

LHCONE

Moving 10-30 Gbps sustained traffic on average weekday to connectors, international transit peers, other partners. Participating in next generation routing/telemetry activities.

IRNC

Internet2 is collaborator with several awardees in IRNC programs and continues to support International transit across the US and to Internet2 points of presence in Europe.

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