THE ULTRALIGHT PROJECT: THE NETWORK AS AN INTEGRATED AND MANAGED RESOURCE FOR DATA-INTENSIVE SCIENCE

摘要

The UltraLight project treats the network interconnecting globally distributed data sets as a dynamic, configurable, and closely monitored resource to construct a next-generation system that can meet the high-energy physics community's data-processing, distribution, access, and analysis needs. The high-energy physics (HEP) community engaged in the European Center for Nuclear Research's (CERN) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is preparing to conduct a new round of experiments to probe the fundamental nature of matter and space-time, and to understand the universe's composition and early history. The accelerator's decade-long construction phase and associated experiments (see http:∥cern.ch/lhc/LHC_Experiments.htm) are approaching completion, and the design and development of the computing facilities and software are well under way. CERN expects the LHC to begin operations in 2007. The experiments face unprece- dented engineering challenges because of the experimental data's volume and complexity and the need for collaboration among scientists located around the world.