The reliable, predictable, and rapid dissemination of scientific data from where it is generated to innovators, scientists, and collaborators is a challenge the CC-NIE program seeks to address. Without world-class network infrastructure, the ability of institutions to conduct world-class research is hindered and the competitiveness of the US is reduced.
The MARIA 100G project addresses a known bottleneck point in the NatCap network aggregation facility operated by Virginia Tech on behalf of the research and education community in Virginia, including the research institutions who are members of the Mid-Atlantic Research Infrastructure Alliance (MARIA). The project is upgrading the aggregation link to the Internet2 national research network, from a 2x5 gigabit per second capacity shared by all institutions in the commonwealth to a 100 gigabit per second capacity. The removal of the bottleneck paves the way for the unimpeded exchange of dramatically growing data sets in the course of scientific discovery.
Progress in many scientific disciplines is predicated on the ability to distribute large amounts of data to innovators, scientists, and collaborators. Without world-class network infrastructure, the ability of institutions to conduct world-class research is hindered and the competitiveness of the US is reduced. Reliable, predictable, and rapid dissemination of scientific data is a challenge the CC-NIE program seeks to address. The free exchange of scientific data has been a challenge, in part because points of congestion or "bottlenecks" exist in the network infrastructure. A significant bottleneck existed in the National Capital Region Aggregation Facility (NatCap) operated by Virginia Tech on behalf of the research and education community in Virginia. Located at a strategic point in the Washington DC area, the NatCap facility provides aggregated access to national and international research networks including Internet2, ESnet, and other resources. The MARIA 100G project requested funding to upgrade the aggregation link to the Internet2 national research network from a pair of 5 gigabit per second (Gbps) links shared by all institutions in the Commonwealth to a 100 gigabit per second link. The upgrade also enables future support of a few 100-Gbps connections from member campus networks or to national research networks if needed. In this way, the removal of the bottleneck paves the way for the unimpeded exchange of dramatically growing data sets in the course of scientific discovery. The upgraded aggregation link in the NatCap facility was tested to demonstrate that the bottleneck has been removed. As no single institution has sufficient up-link capacity, Virginia Tech and two other institutions of higher learning in the Commonwealth joined together to send as much network traffic as possible through the aggregation link to computers on the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) across the NatCap link to Internet2. The combined throughput from the three institutions reached 16.9 Gbps which is well in excess of the previous bottleneck limit. With additional institutions helping, the combined data rate through the aggregation link would have been much higher. Several projects have already benefited from the improved bandwidth. For example, a researcher at Virginia Tech receives large amounts of data from the Long Wavelength Array radio telescope in New Mexico. The elimination of the bottleneck in the NatCap facility, in conjunction with improvements in local infrastructure via the complimentary NSF CC-NIE award #1245827 entitled "ASCED -- An Advanced Scientific Collaboration Environment and DMZ", has improved the rate at which the researcher can receive data by a factor of fifteen. Such a dramatic increase in capability is a game changer. In addition to fundamental research, the MARIA 100G project has fostered economic development. As an example, the project helped support the applied research needs of a mobile fitness application being developed by the startup FitNet Corporation. The goal of the application is to combine the benefits of fitness coaching by licensed trainers with the convenience of mobile devices to assist individuals in achieving a healthier lifestyle. As part of a NSF EAGER US Ignite grant #1353831, FitNet and Virginia Tech partnered to research ways in which the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) computing and networking infrastructure can be used for more sophisticated analyses than what is possible on mobile devices with their limited capabilities. The application relies upon being able to transmit live high-definition video to the trainers and to GENI computing resources where various algorithms assist the trainer in evaluating the efficacy of the fitness workout. Live high-definition video from multiple mobile devices would require copious bandwidth which would easily exceed the capacity of previous bottleneck link. Eliminating the bottleneck has opened up opportunities for the company to do further research and to bring their important service to the market. In summary, the MARIA 100G project has successfully eliminated the bottleneck in the NatCap facility which services many of the institutions of education in the Commonwealth. It has also enabled economic development in rural Virginia by providing the network capacity to assist a high tech startup reach their goals under the US Ignite program. The investment in the project made by NSF will continue to pay dividends for years to come.
