The Latency Fix: ESnet's OSCARS Service (Text Version)

This is the text version of the video The Latency Fix: ESnet's OSCARS Service. It describes how the OSCARS service addresses the latency issues in file transfers.

[Narrator speaks]

Luckily, researchers didn't need to look far for the best solution. The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Sciences Network, ESnet, had a perfect solution to address the issues encountered with a standard internet connection. ESnet's On-demand Secure Circuits and Advanced Reservation System, or OSCARS, allows ESnet to set up a dedicated connection with consistent performance for NREL's ARIES team. The connection is optimized for scientific data workflows.

Consider the OSCARS service like an HOV lane that can only be used by the labs or sites involved in the connected experiments. That allows the data to flow with persistent, predictable, low latency performance. This approach could fix the initial difficulty that Real-Time SuperLab encountered and ensures the simulation can sync up like video and voice on a video conferencing platform.

OSCARS has been a cornerstone in supporting data-intensive experiments like those being performed at the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC. OSCARS enabled global LHC scientists to make groundbreaking discoveries like proving the existence of the elusive Higgs boson particle. LHC workflows required transferring of multiple petabytes of data on a regular basis. OSCAR circuits connect hundreds of geographically distributed LHC resources.

This technology supports low-latency experiments like those needed for projects conducted by the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems, ARIES, platform. ESnet's services accelerate time to discovery by bringing different collaborators together to work together as one, as if side by side.

[Narration ends]