In Geneva the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) took years to construct underground the largest scientific device ever. The NetherLight node in Amsterdam, designed and constructed by SURFnet, connects several scientific institutions from all over the world to the LHC.
Since 2001 SURFnet has experimented with the use of lightpaths in order to provide demanding scientific applications with high-grade network connections which far surpass the quality of a ‘best effort’ Internet connection. SURFnet is a pioneer world-wide, challenged by the needs of the Dutch and European astronomers in ASTRON/LOFAR and JIVE. This development gained even more momentum with the implementation of the LHC network.
Erik-Jan Bos, managing director of SURFnet and one of the architects of the so-called Optical Private Network (OPN) for the LHC, recounts: ‘SURFnet had been involved early in proposing and developing the architecture of the lambda grid that would allow thousands of physicists all over the world to collaborate on the LHC experiments. Already in 2003 SURFnet constructed a 10 Gbit/s connection between NetherLight in Amsterdam and CERN in Geneva, where preparations for the LHC were fully underway then.’
The gigantic stream of data from the LHC is distributed to eleven so-called Tier-1 institutions, each of which stores and processes part of the raw data of the CERN experiments. Seven of the Tier-1 institutions are based in Europe, two are in the United States, one is in Canada and one is in Taiwan. In the Netherlands this function is fulfilled by NIKHEF-SARA in Amsterdam. A number of Tier-1 institutions and some large Tier-2 institutions receive the LHC data through the Dutch NetherLight node.
Bos on the Dutch involvement within the LHC project: ‘The advent of the LHC has challenged SURFnet to present entirely novel manners of constructing networks. SURFnet’s hybrid network model is partially inspired by the requirements of the LHC. Lightpaths have allowed the Tier-1 centres to become a direct part of the scientific device. Furthermore the hybrid network turns out to yield great advantages for other user groups as well. The result for the Netherlands is a very advanced network that benefits the entire higher education and research community.’
Source: SURFnet