A Globally Distributed System for High Energy Physics Computation

The computing infrastructures of the modern
high-energy physics experiments need to address an
unprecedented set of requirements. The collaborations
consist of hundreds of members from dozens of
institutions around the world and the computing power
necessary to analyze the data produced surpasses
already the capabilities of any single computing
center. A software infrastructure capable of
seamlessly integrating dozens of computing centers
around the world, enabling computing for a large and
dynamical group of users, is of fundamental
importance for the production of scientific results.
Such a computing infrastructure is called a
computational grid.
The SAM-Grid offers a solution to these problems for
CDF and DZero, two of the largest high-energy physics
experiments in the world, running at Fermilab. The
SAM-Grid integrates standard grid middleware, such as
Condor-G and the Globus Toolkit, with software
developed at Fermilab, organizing the system in three
major components: data handling, job handling, and
information management. This dissertation presents
the challenges and the solutions provided in such a
computing infrastructure.

Autorentext

Dr. Gabriele Garzoglio leads the Open Science Grid group at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, a team of Software Engineers that provides middleware solutions for large distributed systems.Dr. Garzoglio focuses on data and workload management for high energy physics applications, as well as resource selection andauthorization.

Klappentext

The computing infrastructures of the modernhigh-energy physics experiments need to address anunprecedented set of requirements. The collaborationsconsist of hundreds of members from dozens ofinstitutions around the world and the computing powernecessary to analyze the data produced surpassesalready the capabilities of any single computingcenter. A software infrastructure capable ofseamlessly integrating dozens of computing centersaround the world, enabling computing for a large anddynamical group of users, is of fundamentalimportance for the production of scientific results.Such a computing infrastructure is called acomputational grid.The SAM-Grid offers a solution to these problems forCDF and DZero, two of the largest high-energy physicsexperiments in the world, running at Fermilab. TheSAM-Grid integrates standard grid middleware, such asCondor-G and the Globus Toolkit, with softwaredeveloped at Fermilab, organizing the system in threemajor components: data handling, job handling, andinformation management. This dissertation presentsthe challenges and the solutions provided in such acomputing infrastructure.