JINR Network Infrastructure for Megascience Projects

Abstract

Megascience projects like the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) usually require global, naturally distributed systems to operate the vast experimental data. For data processing, storage, and analysis, WLCG unites the assets of about 180 data centers in 50 countries, and the total storage volume exceeds 1 Exabyte. Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is profoundly engaged in the integration and development of distributed heterogeneous resources and the development of Big Data technologies to provide the infrastructure and the methods for contemporary scientific megaprojects in such data- and computing-intensive science domains as high energy physics, astrophysics, bioinformatics, and others. One of the network’s critical tasks here is to provide high-speed and reliable access to the distributed resources worldwide and to allow using Big Data analytical platforms to the full. The paper provides a review of the JINR network infrastructure and its main parts - JINR Local Area Network (Backbone), Network of the Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex, and JINR Telecommunication Channels, as a crucial part of JINR Informational and Computer Infrastructure which serves needs of numerous large scale projects and experiments of megascience level.