4.1. Hardware¶

4.1.1. Compute Resources¶

The tables Overview of the Clusters and Selected Details of the Clusters show an overview of some imporatnt information about these clusters.

FutureGrid systems team members are working on enhancements that could lead to increase in the number of cores, memory size, and scratch space. We will keep you up to date on the developments.

4.1.2. Networks¶

The FutureGrid network provides connectivity among FutureGrid participants, and network access to the Network Impairments Device (NID). Five participants connect through a variety of network providers (see Figure: Logical Network Diagram). Interconnects at the Indiana Gigapop, Internet2 and NLR extend access to FutureGrid resources to researchers nationally and internationally.

Figure: Logical Network Diagram

Figure: Juniper EX8208

FutureGrid deployed a Juniper EX8208 at the Core in Chicago’s StarLight facility. The Juniper EX series provides for Layer2 and Layer3 connectivity. FutureGrid uses the EX to fulfill the network services (i.e., interconnectivity and external connectivity). The EX provides a special feature labeled ‘firewall based forwarding’, allowing seamless integration with network impairments. The GlobalNOC at Indiana University provides network engineering services, and email and phone support. GlobalNOC resources for public WAN information can be found at http://noc.futuregrid.org/. Available tools include:

Image	Tool	Description
	FutureGrid Atlas	View the current level of FutureGrid Network traffic as displayed on a geographical map.
	SNAPP Traffic Graphs	View high-speed traffic graphs collected at one-minute samples using the Indiana University-developed SNAPP tool. Create custom views of the FutureGrid network and view historic utilization with greater data resolution.
	FutureGrid NOC Router Proxy	Submit show commands to the FutureGrid router.
	FutureGrid Physical Map	TBD
	FutureGrid Topology Map	TBD

As IPv6 test beds are not available at all FutureGrid partner sites, early implementation of iPv6 would slow important software development work. As a result, current plans call for FutureGrid to continue using IPv4.

Below is further information about networking:

4.1.3. Network Impairments Device (NID)¶

Researchers on FutureGrid may periodically employ the use of a Spirent XGEM, a Network Impairments Emulator. The XGEM allows users to accurately create the delays and impairments that occur over live production networks for validating and evaluating new products and technologies. The XGEM supports a variety of impairments with the most common being delay, packet loss, jitter and re-ordering.

Figure: Spirent XGEM

The XGEM contains two blades, each with a 10GE interface. Traffic received on one blade is automatically transmitted on the other blade, and vice-versa. This allows the XGEM to be deployed as a pass-through device. Impairments are applied unidirectionally. An identical or different impairment can be applied in either direction, or simultaneously in both directions.

FutureGrid also utilizes a Juniper EX8208 as the primary network element between all of the FutureGrid participants. Juniper’s EX platform contains firewall-based forwarding, which allows us to insert the XGEM between FutureGrid participants with only software changes (see Figure 1).

The firewall-based forwarding feature can be configured to forward traffic unidirectionally or bidirectionally through the XGEM using a single IP address or any size subnet. Only traffic defined by the Juniper EX8208 will be impaired, leaving all other traffic between FutureGrid participants unaffected.

This implementation requires traffic to traverse the FutureGrid Core in order to be impaired. Additional configuration might be required at the participants’ individual sites for impairments to occur locally.