Scientific Community Transfer Protocols, Tools, and Their Performance Based on Network Capabilities

Abstract

The efficiency of high energy physics workflows relies on the ability to rapidly transfer data among the sites where the data is processed and analyzed. The best data transfer tools should provide a simple and reliable solution for local, regional, national and in some cases intercontinental data transfers. This work outlines the results of data transfer tool tests using internal and external (simulated latency and packet loss) in 100 Gbps testbeds and compares the results among the existing solutions, while also treating the issue of tuning parameters and methods to help optimize the rates of transfers. Many tools have been developed to facilitate data transfers over wide area networks. However, few studies have shown the tools’ requirements, use cases, and reliability through comparative measurements. Here, we were evaluating a variety of high-performance data transfer tools used today in the LHC and other scientific communities, such as FDT, WDT, and NDN in different environments. Furthermore, this test was made to reproduce real-world data transfer examples to analyse each tool’s strengths and weaknesses, including the fault tolerance of the tools when we have packet loss. By comparing the tools in a controlled environment, we can shed light on the tool’s relative reliability and usability for academia and industry. Also, this work highlights the best tuning parameters for WAN and LAN transfers for maximum performance, in several cases.