The Caltech High-performance OPtical Integrated Network (CHOPIN) delivers the most advanced networking technologies to the Caltech campus as a single concept in support of several leading research groups. CHOPIN deploys Software-Defined Networking (SDN) capable switches on the campus, as well as a 100Gbps link between Caltech and CENIC, supporting direct connectivity to the California OpenFlow Testbed Network (COTN), a connection to the Internet2 Advanced Layer 2 Services (AL2S) network, as well as other major Research and Education networks. In this way, CHOPIN supports leading edge Research and Development activities in the networking area, as well as high-throughput computing (HTC) based applications and research using large data volumes and velocities.
The ScienceDMZ concept integrated into the design allows for a unified, flexible, yet high-performance system supporting both the campus General Purpose Network and HTC applications on the same underlying infrastructure. The new 100G capability paves the way for integration also with routed high performance services such as the CENIC HPR-L3 and Internet2 Advanced Layer 3 Services. The uplink is complemented by 100G and 40G links to a set of OpenFlow capable switches to each of several major research groups.
The infrastructure improvements and leveraged software and methods benefit all of the Caltech campus, and explicitly groups involved in Big Data and high-throughput research, such as high energy physics, astronomy (LIGO, LSST), seismology, geodetic Earth satellite observations and many other pure and applied science disciplines, including computer science and applied mathematics.
