Science DMZ

A scalable network design model to optimise science data transfers.

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Science DMZ provides a friction-free on-ramp and path across REANNZ and the international research and education network, to facilitate the transfer of large volumes of data, from multi-gigabyte to petabytes and terabytes, all while retaining the integrity of the data.

The Science DMZ is a portion of the network, built at or near the campus or laboratory's local network perimeter that is designed so that the equipment, configuration, and security policies are optimised for high-performance scientific applications rather than for general-purpose business systems or “enterprise” computing. 

Developed by US Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and implemented by REANNZ, the Science DMZ model addresses common network performance problems encountered at research institutions by creating an environment that is tailored to the needs of high performance science applications, including high-volume bulk data transfer, remote experiment control, and data visualisation. 

The Science DMZ is scalable, incrementally deployable, and easily adaptable to incorporate high performance and advanced technologies such as 100 Gigabit network services and virtual circuits.

Key components

The main elements of the Science DMZ include:

  • specialised end devices, referred to as data transfer nodes (DTNs), built for sending/receiving data at a high speed over wide area networks;

  • high-throughput, friction-free paths connecting DTNs, instruments, storage devices, and computing systems;

  • performance measurement devices to monitor end-to-end paths over multiple domains; and

  • security policies and enforcement mechanisms tailored for high-performance environments.

Source: http://fasterdata.es.net/science-dmz/

Capabilities and features

Science DMZs addresses several key issues in data-intensive science, including:

Reducing or eliminating the packet loss often found in enterprise networks that cause poor TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) performance.

Implementing appropriate security architectures and controls so that high performance applications are not hampered by unnecessary constraints while maintaining a high level of security for the environment.

Incorporating network testing, network measurement and performance analysis through the deployment of advanced toolsets such as perfSONAR.

Technical information

Further information and support

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