The OptIPuter: High-performance, QoS-guaranteed network service for emerging e-science applications

Emerging large-scale scientific applications have a critical need for high bandwidth and predictable-performance network service. The OptIPuter project is pioneering a radical new type of distributed application paradigm that exploits dedicated optical circuits to tightly couple geographically dispersed resources. These private optical paths are set up on demand and combined with end resources to form a distributed virtual computer (DVC). The DVC provides high-quality dedicated network service to applications. In this article we compare the OptIPuter's approach (DVC), which exploits network resources to deliver higher-quality network services, to several alternative service models (intelligent network and asynchronous file transfer). Our simulations show that there are significant differences among the models in their utilization of resources and delivered application services. Key takeaways include that the OptIPuter approach provides applications with superior network service (as needed by emerging e-science applications and performance-critical distributed applications), at an expense in network resource consumption. The other approaches use fewer network resources, but provide lower-quality application service.