A Network Architecture for Large-Scale Science

Within the framework of the diversified Internet where architecturally different metanetworks coexist on a shared communication substrate, we present a large-scale scientific metanetwork (LSM) designated for special communication needs of large-scale science. LSM emphasizes performance and security over horizontal scalability and offers two services to users: prompt-delivery service for quick transfers of bulk data and assured-capacity service for applications that require delay or rate guarantees. The prompt-delivery service relies on message-grained scheduling to provide near-minimal average message delay while treating each individual message fairly. In support of the assured-capacity service, LSM maintains differential tree data structures to store and update advance reservations of communication capacities. Explicit accounting for real-world entities involved in communications forms a basis for secure capacity allocation in LSM.